REDDITCH MP Rachel Maclean got chatty with local schoolchildren when she paid a visit to Birchensale Middle School a week last Friday.
The MP, who was met by headteacher Tim Jones was given a tour of the school before popping in to spend time with Birchensale’s “Chatty Families” Learning Group.
It’s a concept unique to Redditch – a weekly get-together for families with children at Birchensale who do not have English as their first language.
It allows parents to pop into school to learn and improve on their English.
During these sessions, mums and dads get use the Rosetta Stone computer programme to help with their learning.
The pupils join their parents for half the session so they can work together to complete a variety of activities and games.
Themes range from talking to a doctor to asking simple questions when shopping and understanding the intricacies of English grammar as well as learning about different cultures in the UK.
Mr Jones said: “Our MP visited Birchensale to get a better understanding of what a middle school entails.
“She was particularly impressed with the supportive family ethos, the work of the Learning Mentor and the support we offer to parents, especially in the weekly Chatty Families club for Eastern European families.”
