At Four Forest, creating a sense of belonging is more than a goal—it’s a responsibility shared between all members of the community. This year, we’re proud to introduce the Young Interpreters Scheme, an award-winning initiative designed to help newly arrived pupils feel welcome, understood, and included in our multilingual school community.

What Is the Young Interpreters Scheme?

The Young Interpreters Scheme is a peer-support programme developed by Hampshire EMTAS that trains students to help new classmates who are learning English as an additional language. These trained pupils offer guidance in a child-friendly way, bridging both language and cultural gaps to help newcomers feel at ease.

The scheme has earned national recognition, including the 2018 Threlford Memorial Cup and the 2013 Guardian Grassroots Excellence Award. It is widely praised for promoting empathy, leadership, and inclusion in schools. You can read more about it on Literacy Hive.

Four Forest’s Approach: Building Belonging in Zug and Luzern

At Four Forest, we are launching our own version of the programme with a focus on celebrating linguistic diversity and student leadership. Here’s how the initiative works in our community:

Thoughtful Selection Process

Pupils self-nominate—by writing or drawing why they would be a good Young Interpreter—and are selected by teachers based on their character, empathy, and language background. We aim to build a team of pupils who are kind, responsible, and confident role models. Languages represented so far include English, German, Italian, Slovenian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and French.

Purposeful Training

Training is delivered in two interactive sessions of 30–45 minutes, adapted to the age group. Grade 4–6 students receive longer sessions, while our younger pupils from 2nd Kindergarten to Grade 3 participate in shorter, age-appropriate activities. The training focuses on empathy, respectful communication, and the importance of home languages.

Recognition & Responsibility

Once training is complete, students receive a certificate and a badge recognising their role as Young Interpreters—symbols of their commitment to supporting others and upholding our values of integrity and community.

Supporting New Families from Day One

As part of our admissions and onboarding process, we speak with families about their home languages and aim to connect new students with peers who share their linguistic background. Parents have responded warmly, valuing the school’s recognition of language as a core part of their child’s identity.

Looking Ahead

While the programme is still in its early stages, we are already planning future projects, including:

  • A video showcasing the many languages spoken within our school community

  • Articles written by the Young Interpreters themselves after the October holidays

  • Training roll-out in Zug, with support from our EAL and DaZ teaching staff, planned for after Christmas

We will also keep the momentum going with follow-up projects that encourage students to learn more about our school community and share that pride with others.

Why It Matters

The Young Interpreters Scheme aligns beautifully with the Four Forest values of Community, Curiosity, and Integrity:

  • Community is strengthened by making sure every student feels seen and supported.

  • Curiosity is sparked as pupils learn about different languages, cultures, and experiences.

  • Integrity is developed through respectful, responsible communication and leadership.

By valuing home languages, encouraging empathy, and nurturing student voice, we’re preparing our pupils to thrive—not only in a bilingual school setting, but as compassionate global citizens.

Further Reading:

Let us know if you’d like to get involved—or if your child is interested in applying to be considered for the next round of training.