Young Interpreter Scheme
The Young Interpreter Scheme® provides peer support to pupils who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL), to their families and to schools
- About the scheme
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The Young Interpreter Scheme offers training for learners aged 5-16 to develop the skills needed to help new arrivals with English as an Additional Language feel welcome and settled in their new school environment. The scheme also develops the confidence, communication and leadership skills of the Young Interpreters. For schools it’s a way of valuing multilingualism whilst acknowledging and celebrating the skills of their learners.
- Who are Young Interpreters
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Making the scheme available to both bilingual and monolingual learners is very powerful in developing empathy amongst English speakers towards some of the challenges and difficulties that pupils new to English may be facing. Therefore, Young Interpreters can be speakers of English only or speakers of other languages. Together they use a range of inventive ideas modelled during their training to communicate with their new classmates. Watch the video below to hear from Young Interpreters themselves.
- How the scheme works
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Hampshire EMTAS has published guidance and resources for schools to run the Young Interpreter Scheme® in house.
Participating schools across the UK and the rest of the world access this guidance digitally through Moodle where e-learning modules, advice and materials provide practitioners with the tools to successfully train pupils and implement the scheme. The Primary Moodle area offers training materials to use with pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2 while the Secondary Moodle area offers access to materials which can be used with pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4.
Watch the video below to learn how to set up the scheme successfully, discover material and consider good Young Interpreter practice and safeguarding. The video is crossphase and showcases content at infant, junior and secondary level.
Find a Young Interpreter (YI) Champion near you. YI Champions are EAL consultants outside Hampshire who are accredited by Hampshire EMTAS to support schools in their area in running the Young Interpreter Scheme according to its intended ethos.
- Keeping Young Interpreters safe
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Young Interpreters do not replace the need for professional adult interpreters. Exhaustive guidance on the role of Young Interpreters and situations where it is most appropriate to involve them can be found in the Young Interpreter Scheme Guidance on Moodle. Young Interpreters are trained and guided by a designated member of the school staff who can ensure pupils’ safeguarding.
Read more about how to use children and young people as interpreters at school.
- Impact of the Young Interpreter Scheme
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Research conducted by the University of Reading suggests that
… the Young Interpreter Scheme positively impacts children’s development of empathy, intercultural competence, and metalinguistic awareness, with these effects emerging gradually over time. For Hampshire EMTAS, this indicates that the YIS is a valuable tool for supporting EAL learners and fostering broader educational and social competencies among students.
Read the report for Hampshire EMTAS on the Impact of the Young Interpreter Scheme.
- Awards
- Register your school to the Young Interpreter Scheme
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Registration to the Young Interpreter Scheme costs £70 per school. It includes:
- Primary or Secondary online registration to the Young Interpreter Scheme® Moodle which provides access to guidance and materials to train pupils
- Cross-phase bonus materials which offer trained Young Interpreters a range of engaging activities aimed to develop their skills
A range of branded badges, stickers and other items are available to purchase.
Download our order form to sign up and/or stock up on Young Interpreter goodies: Young Interpreter Scheme order form
Note: London Grid for Learning (LGfL) schools can access most Young Interpreter material through the LGfL portal.
- Social media
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The following pages showcase regular sources of inspiration along with the latest news and events relating to the scheme: