York St John Communities Centre
Community Language School
Hosted via the York St John Communities Centre.
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Established in 2022, our Community Language School is Yorkshire's first multilingual provision that caters to children who are learning more than one language, as well as those who wish to learn a language other than their dominant, home language.
We are committed to inclusivity, empowerment and innovation. The school is led by a team of academic staff from the School of Education, Language and Psychology at York St John University, with expertise in the areas of language teaching, teacher training and applied linguistics. Classes are offered by multilingual teacher volunteers who comprise undergraduate and postgraduate students from York St John University and the University of York, as well as members of the public from various professional backgrounds.
Our commitment to language and community
The 3 founding principles of the School are:
A principle of the School is the advocacy of heritage languages, as we focus on creating a safe and welcoming platform for the learning and use of all languages.
This effort not only bridges culturally diverse communities but also challenges the persistent misconceptions about bi/multilingualism, thereby promoting the rich benefits that language learning brings to individuals and society.
We are dedicated to conducting impactful research that resonates with, involves and supports our community.
By actively engaging with families, volunteers and the wider academic environment, we aim to explore and inform language policies and practices, ensuring that our research contributes meaningfully to the lives of those we serve.
We place great importance on enhancing employability by upskilling our volunteer teachers.
Through targeted professional development, we empower our volunteers with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their roles, enriching the learning experience for our students and preparing our volunteers for future career opportunities.
Discover our Community Language School
Get involved
Families
Children develop language fluency and confidence in our weekly classes.
Volunteers
We provide training and support to help you deliver activity and concept-based language classes.
Who we are
Meet the Community Language School Committee.
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Latest updates
1. We are excited to welcome PhD student Michelle Culhane to the school from October, 2025! Michelle's PhD- funded by the Institute of Social Justice - will focus on the impact of the school on language learning and teaching.
2. Marking 3 years of language provision, children from the Spanish, Italian and Japanese classes participated in an enhanced multilingual reading of The Gruffalo.
3. The academic committee have been busy presenting some of their on-going CLS research at international conferences and symposiums:
- September, 2025, 'Translanguaging as an include pedagogy:Teacher perspectives and classroom practices at a community language school in Yorkshire', Zingaretti, M. and Meddegama, I. V. , British Association for Applied Linguistics conference, University of Glasgow, UK.
- June, 2025, ‘Challenging Monolingual Norms: The Impact of Translanguaging Practices in a UK-based Community Language School’, Zingaretti, M. and Meddegama, I. V. , 15th International Symposium on Bilingualism, Donostia San Sebastien, Spain.
- September, 2024, 'Bridging the gap between ‘having’ and ‘knowing how’ to leverage life experiences: Making a case for the significance of professional training for community language school volunteers against the funds of knowledge construct’, Meddegama, I. V. and Skender-Lizatovic, M, British Association for Applied Linguistics conference, University of Essex, UK.
Song Mandarin class
The Community Language School is a wonderful inclusive environment where children are encouraged to discover and explore their heritage and culture as well as learning the language. My daughter is always eager to go to the class and I have already seen differences in her language ability.
Barker Korean class
Speaking as a parent from a Korean-English family, the course has proved to be a valuable opportunity, for the children to stay in touch with their Korean culture and for my partner to make social links with other Korean parents living in the York area. Thank you to all CLS team members for your passion, time and hard work.
Santana Spanish class
We recently found out about CLS, so we have done only a few classes but my daughter loves to attend. The teachers are so friendly and nice. We can't wait till September to start again!
James-Razlaff Japanese class
My husband and I are incredibly grateful for the Community Language School. The dedicated teachers rekindled our daughters' love for speaking in their heritage language by making learning fun through engaging activities like games, crafts, and poster writing. The school is a true gem in the heart of York!
Augustin Japanese class
The Community Language School has provided an inclusive environment for the children to learn and be exposed to a new language. They have created a relaxed atmosphere and structured a programme of teaching that the children find fun and engaging. The course not only teaches them the language but also provides them with exposure to the culture of the country whose language they are learning. My daughter has enjoyed her lessons immensely and is very much looking forward to the new year of the course. As parents we have been grateful to the Community Language School for providing a safe, educational space for the children to pick up new skills in a new language and culture.
Support us
There are no fees for enrolling your children at our Community Language School. However, if you have the means to do so and would like to, you can support the work we do by gifting a donation. Whether you have enrolled your children or not, your generosity helps us keep the Community Language School thriving for children and families in our community. Every donation directly supports the things that make our school special, like providing learning equipment, investing in teacher training, and hosting annual events that bring everyone together.
No matter the size, your contribution makes a real difference. You can choose from the suggested amounts below or set your own donation to suit you.
Thank you for helping us nurture learning, culture, and connection.
