A TEACHER is challenging her students to express themselves in another language.

Anna Hegarty – the newly-appointed head of modern foreign languages at Lawn Manor Academy – has challenged staff and students to get creative in any of the 35 languages spoken at the school.

She spotted that the British Council was running an online “Express Yourself in Lockdown” event, and wanted to encourage others to get involved.

The school, which is part of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust, wants all languages to be celebrated.

“We set up a competition for students and staff to showcase their own languages in which every way and through whichever medium they chose,” Anna said.

“The variety of entries was fantastic and so interesting. Entries ranged from a song in Hindi, to a rhyming poem in Polish, Italian and Spanish nursery rhymes and there were even some poems written by students’ grandparents in their mother tongues.”

Anna teaches Spanish at the school, and is fluent in Portuguese.

She said: “We have some natural linguists here.We have counted that we have 35 different languages spoken here, including Konkani, Polish and Hindi.

“I want all our students – and my colleagues – to have the opportunity to learn new languages. Language is fascinating but the opportunities they offer in terms of seeing and understanding other parts of the world, and therefore other people, really are endless.”