The Linguist

pointing to a back door. This to me shouted language policy. Because language policies, even when they are explicit and official, are vague, and this vagueness allows for multiple interpretations. Policy research findings Researchers define language policies as mechanisms that set the boundaries on what languages and language varieties can be used, learned and taught, who can learn them, when and how. Language policies can be generated across different contexts and levels of social and institutional activity. They can be official governmental regulations; they can be the unspoken code in the school playground. Depending on how they are created, interpreted and implemented, they may be adopted, rejected or creatively adapted. This was the core of my doctoral research. How do educators perceive and implement official language policies while engaging with 12 The Linguist Vol/61 No/2 2022 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES BETTER OUTCOMES Children benefit when supplementary and mainstream schools work together How collaboration can bring Portuguese into mainstream schools. Cátia Verguete considers school language policy H aving moved from Portugal, the country of my birth, to the UK in 2001, I have spent 20 years living and working between England, Jersey and Lisbon. In the autumn of 2015, my family moved to Southampton to be closer to the university where I intended to work and study, and to my husband's office in Bournemouth. Our son was two years old and we wanted him to have a bilingual education. As there were no Portuguese classes for toddlers, I turned to social media to find members of the Portuguese-speaking community in Southampton and gathered a large number of parents with a common interest: teaching our children about our language and our culture. We needed a suitable space for the diverse group of children (aged 2-14) to assemble and learn to listen and speak, read and write, and interact with each other in Portuguese. Initially used Sainsbury's café and community room, which was available for free. Then one Saturday morning in autumn, while out with our family dog, I happened to walk by a local primary school. Various groups of adults and children were congregated at the school gate, happily chatting in a mixture of different languages. I was immediately drawn to them, and used the dog as an excuse to walk in their direction and ask what was happening. A young woman in a fuchsia sari explained that the children were waiting for classes in Punjabi and other languages to start. She indicated a sign with the words 'Community Languages – Weekend Classes – Saturdays and Sundays only.' An arrow below the words pointed to a door at the back of the building. I shared it on our Facebook page with the comment: "Found what we have been looking for!" I later learnt that Southampton City Council supported these activities by offering the space for free and a small amount of funding for other costs, such as learning resources and insurance. We duly applied and founded a community school for Portuguese-speaking children living in the area. The teacher was a member of the community who was willing to donate her Saturday mornings. As time passed, I started to wonder about that sign and how it might be interpreted during the school week. I had never been there in school hours. What did the sign mean to the children and staff of the school? Was it being used to allow languages to blow freely from the gate to the canteen and into the classroom? Was it a reminder to the teachers that their children speak different languages and that these can be a valuable resource for learning? Applied linguistic researchers have provided abundant evidence of how bilingualism/ multilingualism can enhance academic achievement. Sociolinguists have further substantiated the value of languages. The extrinsic value relates to diplomacy, national security, business and employment, among other such high-level affairs; the intrinsic value pertains to the individual pleasure of learning languages, intercultural empathy, community relations, self-esteem, that invaluable feeling of belonging and the inexplicable sense of safety attached to hearing someone speak your home language. 'Saturdays and Sundays only.' The arrow In the front door

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