Celebrating the United Nations International Mother Language Day S1 pupils have been switching places with their teachers and sharing phrases in another language they speak at home.

Mrs Lamont, Head of Modern Languages shared: "In S1 we have 67 pupils who have at least one other language in their lives and there are 29 languages other than English spoken by our S1 pupils. We were so keen to celebrate this fantastic linguistic diversity that this week in language classes our S1 pupils took over the role of teachers and taught their friends some words and phrases in the languages they speak at home.

"Mrs Watson, along with some S1 helpers, delivered an assembly to S1 and S2 on how languages play an important role in helping us understand other cultures and other people. She spoke about how they help us communicate and also give us opportunities through friendships, history, art, travel and careers.

"International Mother Language Day recognises the importance of Languages for not only communication, but also for our identity. It is estimated that every two weeks a language disappears and that 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. As the UN states: 'When languages fade, so does the world's rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression - valuable resources for ensuring a better future - are also lost.'

"In order to keep our languages alive, our S1 pupils designed 180 stones each with the word “welcome” written in one of the 30 languages spoken by them. Pupils really enjoyed the conversations we had about the different languages spoken at RGC and they loved getting to know their classmates a bit better."