Amal's Story

Amal is 14 years old and came to the UK in autumn 2021, seeking sanctuary. Amal and her family are from Afghanistan and have been accommodated in a hotel since their arrival. They speak Dari at home. Amal was matched with a sixth-form peer tutor in her school, Asma.

Amal was unsure about Jacari peer tuition at first. She told us she wanted to engage with the Jacari sessions but thought the language barrier would stop her. After Asma introduced Amal to some new English vocabulary and asked Amal to teach the words to her Dari, Amal quickly warmed to her tutor.

At first their sessions were focused on developing survival English vocabulary and learning new words which are useful for different school subjects. Asma also set up role plays to help Amal with talking to teachers or school staff. Amal became a very eager learner and with Asma’s support, became much more confident in speaking. Her school also reported on how much Amal progressed with her school work.

“Amal came out of her shell and takes part in various school activities, especially if they are connected to reading.”
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When asked about her favourite Jacari activity, Amal said she likes it when she reads a story and Asma asks her comprehension questions about what she has read. Asma then supports Amal to re-read the parts which she found difficult. They will then attempt a bit of creative writing and retell the story with a different ending or they will add characters, and sometimes create illustrations for their story.

Aya's Story

Aya arrived in Bristol in 2021 from Afghanistan when she was 12 years old. She was referred to Jacari for peer tuition as she was new to English and low in confidence, and her teachers recognised she needed extra support to help settle in the school. Aya was really keen to learn but her level of English was making it difficult for her to access school lessons, which she later described as frustrating. She was matched to a Year 12 sixth-form student from her school for one-to-one peer tuition once a week. When asked about Jacari, Aya said:

“I love my tutor Natalya, she always encourages me to try new things, to read more in English and she helps me with writing tasks too. I didn’t like writing much as it was difficult to write in another language, I still find it hard, but I want to become a Prime Minister when I grow up so I have to get better at it. Natalya often brings crafts and games to our Jacari session, which helps me to practise other skills too. We then talk about our days and plans for the next day or after school. It’s good to sometimes just relax, but it’s still in English!“.

Aya has now completed her second year of Jacari tuition. Natalya chose to continue volunteering as a peer tutor in Year 13 to continue their work together, and the pair have developed a lovely relationship. Aya is an enthusiastic learner, and loves learning English and other languages. She was described by one of her school teachers as a “keen linguist” and she’s trying to learn a few phrases in other languages spoken by other pupils in Jacari sessions - Punjabi and Ukrainian. Aya’s efforts and the supportive relationship with her Jacari tutor have helped her to progress from EAL proficiency band A (new to English) to band C (developing competence). This progress means she is much more able to access curriculum learning, and closer to her goals!