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Solace - supporting survivors of persecution & exile in Yorkshire and the Humber

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Solace provides free counselling, psychotherapy and advocacy in the Yorkshire and Humber region to the survivors of persecution and exile.

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People contact us with all sorts of concerns and what might be a small issue to you may be huge to someone else.

You could be going through something new or have been struggling to cope for some time, either way, we're here if you feel you need some extra support.

If what's getting to you isn't on this list, please still get in touch.

Common reasons people contact us are:

relationship and family problems

loss, including loss of a friend or a family member through bereavement

financial worries

job-related stress

college or study-related stress

loneliness and isolation

depression

painful and/or disabling physical illness

heavy use of or dependency on alcohol or other drugs

thoughts of suicide

We won't make decisions for you, and we'll support the decisions you make.

You are the expert on your own life. Our advice or opinions are not important.

If you want advice, we may be able to give you contact details for organisations that specialise in helping with specific problems and situations.

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People contact us with all sorts of concerns and what might be a small issue to you may be huge to someone else. You could be going through something new or have been struggling to cope for some time, either way, we're here if you feel you need some extra support.

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People seeking safety in the UK are often deeply traumatised. We help them to make sense of their experiences, drawing on their resilience and strength to recover and start rebuilding their lives.

Many of the people we support have lived through dreadful experiences and faced devastating losses. All have lost their homes, their livelihoods and their communities and been separated from their loved ones. Many have witnessed terrible violence, been tortured, seen family and friends killed and made perilous journeys before they finally arrive in the UK.

Here in the UK, refugees also suffer acute anxiety about the complex asylum process. They worry about accommodation, money, education, access to legal advice. They fear detention, deportation, destitution and homelessness. And there is a constant concern about loved ones left behind or missing.

All this takes a heavy toll on their emotional and psychological wellbeing.

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Mental health support for refugees and asylum seekers

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We have decades of experience providing specialised mental health services.

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Who can help you?•	Your Class Teacher•	Mrs. Roberts – Deputy Head Teacher and SENCo•	T Barnaby – SEND Inclusion and Support Co-ordinator•	J Hurdiss – Assistant SENCo.

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Who can help you?•	Your Class Teacher•	Mrs. Roberts – Deputy Head Teacher and SENCo•	T Barnaby – SEND Inclusion and Support Co-ordinator•	J Hurdiss – Assistant SENCo.

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To help us get to know you and your child, please complete a profile form.

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To help us get to know you and your child, please complete a profile form.

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What can we do to help you?•	Translation - We can translate school letters for you.•	You can select your preferred method of communication – Email, Bloomz, telephone.•	You can select the preferred contact – who do we contact first in your family?•	We can offer support / signpost if you’re struggling financially.•	We can give you updates on the progress of your child.•	Listen to any concerns you have about your child.

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What can we do to help you?•	Translation - We can translate school letters for you.•	You can select your preferred method of communication – Email, Bloomz, telephone.•	You can select the preferred contact – who do we contact first in your family?•	We can offer support / signpost if you’re struggling financially.•	We can give you updates on the progress of your child.•	Listen to any concerns you have about your child.

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International New Arrivals The English Education System Information for Families

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How To Support Your Child's Language Learning - Guidance for Parents Carers New to Learning English

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Charity supporting asylum seekers, refugees and victims of human trafficking and modern slavery

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Refugee Council | Supporting and empowering refugees

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The Refugee Council is one of the leading charities in the UK working directly with refugees and asylum seekers and supporting them to rebuild their lives.

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українська Select language Ukrainian українська

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Home | Wakefield District City of Sanctuary

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Promoting and encouraging the inclusion of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Wakefield District. Offering welcome and inclusion Wakefield District City of Sanctuary offers welcome and inclusion to people coming to our district whose lives are in danger in their own countries. Encouraging local ...

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Wakefield Council, providing information on local services including education, social care, culture, leisure, waste, planning, transport and roads to Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract, Ossett, Normanton, Knottingley, Featherstone, South Elmsall, Hemsworth and other localities in West Yorkshire, Eng…

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Initial Accommodation Centres are hostels or lodgings for people who have asked for asylum and do not have funds to support themselves. In Wakefield, the Initial Accommodation Centre (IAC) is called Urban House.

Urban House provides family rooms for families and shared rooms for individuals. Men's and women's rooms are on separate corridors; each of the corridors has toilets and showers. Urban Housing provides bedding, towels, basic toiletries, washing facilities for clothes, and all meals. Meals are cooked on the premises by catering staff.

At Urban House, there is a communal dining hall, individual social rooms for men and women, a family TV room, a classroom, a quiet room and a playroom. The classroom, quiet room and playroom are opened on a sessional basis. Outside groups run various social sessions at Urban House and there is a Volunteer Coordinator who programmes sessions.

Whilst staying at Urban House asylum seekers have access to Asylum Help, which has an office and caseworkers at Urban House, and is a part of Migrant Help. Migrant Help provide information on the asylum process to asylum seekers. People can contact Migrant Help through a Freephone helpline. The helpline offers information in a wide range of languages - however, there is often a long wait for calls to be dealt with.

South West Yorkshire Trust (SWYT) NHS has a nurse's office at Urban House, and is open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. The service includes nursing staff and a prescribing nurse. Whilst at Urban House asylum seekers are offered health checks and basic medical needs are dealt with. People are only at the IAC for a short time and are not registered with a GP in Wakefield. Once people are dispersed to other areas they are registered with GP; their medical information is sent to the GP, and if they need specialist treatment or to see a consultant, the GP will make arrangements. If there is a medical emergency whilst people are at Urban House, normal procedures apply.

The Urban Housing, Asylum Help and the Health staff do everything they can to be welcoming and supportive.

NOTE: This is an informational article about Urban House. Wakefield District City of Sanctuary are a separate organisation. If you need to contact Urban House use the form below. (Please don't email Urban House via the City of Sanctuary contact email addresses, emails will not reach Urban Housing.)

Contact Urban House

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Initial Accommodation Centre (Urban House) - Wakefield District City of Sanctuary

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Initial Accommodation Centres are hostels or lodgings for people who have asked for asylum and do not have funds to support themselves. In Wakefield, the Initial Accommodation Centre (IAC) is called Urban House. Urban House provides family rooms for families and shared rooms for individuals.

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Touchstone's new and exciting project is called Healthy Connections. We will be loaning tablets, loaded with 40GB of data, to Service Users of VCSE organisations over West Yorkshire.

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- MJ Languages - Polish Community Centre CIC

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MJ Languages - Polish Community Centre CIC

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Get advice on moving to and staying in the UK, including dealing with visas

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We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

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Artificial intelligence has captured the world's imagination, generating countless headlines and causing heated debates. In this report we explore some of the most pressing questions surrounding AI and language teaching.

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What are the ingredients to building cultural relations? What are the benefits? This new research study explores cultural relations through the International Collaboration Grants programme.

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Our research explores what matters to young people and the nations they find attractive and trusted. Based on a survey of more than 19,000 people across the G20 nations.

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Take a closer look at the people, communities, and ideas that ignite our world; one story at a time.

More from the British Council

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British Council | The UK's international culture and education organisation

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The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

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Boloh Helpline has extended its offer to support the mental health and wellbeing of adult asylum seekers across the UK. The Helpline will offer advice, signposting, emotional support and 8 free sessions of therapy by qualified Barnardo's therapists. The Helpline will offer phone, webchat and email. This project is funded by the Home Office until 31st January 2025.

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Asylum Seeker Mental Health and Wellbeing Project

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Boloh Helpline has extended its offer to support the mental health and wellbeing of adult asylum seekers across the UK. The Helpline will offer advice, signposting, emotional support and 8 free sessions of therapy by qualified Barnardo's therapists. The Helpline will offer phone, webchat and email.

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Main messages

Migrants may be at increased risk of mental health problems as a result of their experiences prior to, during, or after migration to the UK. Some vulnerable migrant groups may be at particular risk of psychological distress and mental disorders.

Mental health problems may present in different ways in people from different cultures, for example with physical rather than emotional, behavioural or cognitive symptoms. Familiarise yourself with both the cultural background and individual situation of the patient.

Always work with a professional interpreter to explore mental health concerns. Do not request interpreting from family members or friends.

Where needed, support migrants to access appropriate services for mental health and wellbeing. Promote positive coping strategies and culturally appropriate advice. Consider applying trauma-informed practice principles when working with migrants affected by trauma.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has negatively impacted the living and working conditions of migrants, thereby increasing the risk of mental health concerns during the pandemic.

Background information

Mental health is fundamental to general health and wellbeing; mental health affects physical health and physical health affects mental health. The 2 are inseparable in overall wellbeing. No Health without Mental Health, the cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages, sets out to realise the ambition to mainstream mental health, and establish parity of esteem between services for people with mental and physical health problems.

Although most migrants will not suffer from mental health problems, some may be at increased risk as a result of their experiences prior to, during, or after migration to the UK. Issues such as 'homesickness', anxiety or sleep disorders may arise for anyone who is separated from family and friends, or integrating into a new community due cultural differences and language barriers. Other stressors include concerns about immigration status, financial difficulties, access to services, and discrimination.

Certain individuals, particularly those from vulnerable migrant groups, may experience elevated risk of mental disorders. Almost all people who have been affected by emergencies (for example, war and conflict, environmental disasters) will experience psychological distress. The World Health Organization ( WHO) also found:

in a humanitarian crisis, the prevalence of depression and anxiety is more than doubled

among those who have experienced war or conflict in the past 10 years, 1 in 5 will have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. 1 in 11 will have a moderate or severe mental health disorder

in conflict-affected settings, depression is more common in women than in men

Remain alert to the possibility of mental health problems and be aware that they may present in unfamiliar ways. For example, some people may express psychological distress in a very physical manner ('somatisation'), describing physical symptoms rather than directly talking about emotions or exhibiting behavioural and cognitive symptoms. Individuals may bring their own socio-cultural constructs when determining what is a normal and abnormal experience. Children may manifest symptoms in a non-specific way such as behavioural problems or bed wetting.

Check for previous history of mental illness, epilepsy and substance misuse.

Stress and psychological distress

Rates of disorders related to extreme stress are higher in people who are forcibly displaced. In cases where past experience of traumatic events are not the only source of psychological distress, most emotional suffering is directly related to current stresses and worries and uncertainty about the future. While being a migrant alone does not make individuals significantly more vulnerable for mental disorders, migrants can be exposed to various stress factors that influence their mental wellbeing.

Psychological and social distress among refugees manifests in a wide range of problems (PDF, 497KB) including:

emotional (sadness, grief, fear, frustration, anxiety, anger and despair)

cognitive (loss of control, helplessness, worry, ruminations, boredom, and hopelessness)

physical (fatigue, problems, sleeping, loss of appetite, medically unexplained, physical complaints)

behavioural and social problems (withdrawal, aggression, interpersonal difficulties, bed wetting, substance use, sleep disturbance in children)

In cases of sexual violence, psychological distress may cause long-standing maladaptation.

WHO has produced a guidance note with advice on protecting and supporting the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Europe. It explains the challenges to mental health and psychosocial wellbeing faced by refugees and migrants and describes common mental health and psychosocial responses they may experience. These experiences and responses can vary widely, and change over time. For instance, they may feel elated on first arrival, or be affected by multiple losses and grieving for people and places left behind. They may feel overwhelmed, distressed and anxious, or numb and detached. Some may have reactions that impair their ability to care for themselves and their family, or make them more vulnerable to danger.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Some migrants may be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD), which develops following a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. This is likely to cause pervasive distress in almost anyone. Rates of PTSD are higher in survivors of human trafficking and refugees than in migrants who are not forcibly displaced. In a study of survivors of human trafficking, 78% of women and 40% of men screened positive for anxiety, depression or PTSD.

PTSD sufferers may not present for treatment for months or years after the onset of symptoms despite the considerable distress experienced. PTSD may present with a range of symptoms including re-experiencing, avoidance, hyper-arousal, depression, emotional numbing, drug or alcohol misuse and anger as well as unexplained physical symptoms. The symptoms of PTSD are extreme and encompass more than just remembering the event or dreams, but a combination of disabling recall, dreams and memories.

Consider the possibility of Complex PTSD (CPTSD) which develops in a subset of people with PTSD arising after exposure to an event or series of events of an extremely threatening or horrific nature, most commonly prolonged or repetitive events from which escape is difficult or impossible. This includes torture, slavery, genocide campaigns, prolonged domestic violence, repeated childhood sexual or physical abuse.

Follow the NICE guidelines on post-traumatic stress disorder to assess, monitor and treat PTSD in migrants. This includes:

using validated, brief screening instruments for PTSD as part of comprehensive physical and mental health screening for refugees and asylum seekers

considering active monitoring for subthreshold PTSD symptoms within 1 month of a traumatic event

actively monitoring or offering individual trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) within 1 month of a traumatic event for those under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of acute stress disorder or clinically important symptoms of PTSD

using specific clinical tools to make a PTSD diagnosis to avoid over-diagnosis

ensuring that all aspects of management of PTSD is culturally and linguistically appropriate. This may involve working effectively with interpreters and offering a choice of therapists

Supporting migrants' mental health

Supporting migrants' mental health involves the following areas (PDF, 1.23MB):

addressing safety, basic needs, and social integration by providing support within an individual's community (such as basic listening services, information and community-led interventions)

removing barriers to mental health services

facilitating engagement with care

screening, diagnosing and treating mental disorders with specialised care

When responding to psychological and social distress among migrants, it is important to recognise that many stress responses are natural ways in which body and mind react to stressors and should not be considered abnormal. It is very important to:

strengthen family and community support for the migrant to help them integrate and cope with stress factors

manage stress response through a range of stress reduction strategies, including psychoeducation, sleep hygiene, breathing exercises, relaxation, recreational activities, and star charts

People from the same migrant community can be trained to support their fellow migrants. Principles of psychological first aid (PFA) may also be helpful.

Access to mental health services

Migrants who have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge and some other vulnerable migrant groups are entitled to free NHS mental health services. For further information, refer to the NHS entitlements page of the migrant health guide.

Other non-NHS services that support the mental health of migrants include:

Social support can be beneficial for mental health. Find out what groups exist in your local area for particular communities so that you can signpost new arrivals to appropriate social support.

Social prescribing may also be effective for improving migrants' mental health and wellbeing, and help to increase their confidence, self-esteem, empowerment and social connectivity.

Resources

Resources for healthcare professionals

For more information on PTSD identification and management, refer to the NICE guidelines on post-traumatic stress disorder.

UNHCR has produced guidance on working with refugee children experiencing stress and trauma.

Mind has developed guidance on commissioning mental health services for vulnerable adult migrants (PDF, 1.97MB).

Culture, Health and Illness, 5th edition. By Cecil G Helman. London, Arnold. 2000. This text covers an array of relevant topics relating to globalisation and migration, and their impact on global health and medical care.

Other Tongues: Psychological Therapies in a Multilingual World. By Beverley Costa. PCCS Books. 2020. Practical suggestions for working therapeutically with multilingual clients.

Psychological first aid (PFA) is a set of simple rules and techniques that can be used by anyone (non-professionals and professionals) to respond to people in distress:

Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers ( WHO, World Vision and War Trauma Foundation, 2011) with simple instructions how to provide humane, supportive and practical help to adults and children suffering serious crisis events. A range of translations of this document are available on this website.

Psychological First Aid for Children (Save the Children, 2013) aims at developing skills and competences in staff to help reduce common mental health and psychosocial responses in children who have experienced traumatic events.

COVID-19: Psychological First Aid for Adults is a free online course produced by the UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA). It is the globally recommended training for supporting people during emergencies and offers guidance on delivering psychosocial care in the immediate aftermath of the emergency event. It is based on international guidance from the World Health Organisation, United Nations and partners.

COVID-19: Psychological First for Children and Young People is a free online course produced by the UKHSA for parents, carers and those working with children to deal with the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people.

The guide to community centred approaches for health and wellbeing proposes a preventive view through the 'family of community' centred approaches, mobilising assets within communities, promoting equity and increasing people's control over their health and lives. It covers the following topics:

strengthening communities

volunteer and peer roles

collaborations and partnerships

access to community resources

The public mental health leadership and workforce development framework provides a competency framework to better understand mental health needs and to guide workforce.

The Afghan Mental Health Group has developed an Afghan Mental Health Guide for mental health professionals (psychologists and psychiatrists) working with Afghan sanctuary seekers.

Resources for migrants

City of Sanctuary has produced a mental health resource pack specifically aimed at supporting refugees and asylum seekers living in the community.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has produced resources in a range of languages.

Meri Yaadain have produced language leaflets and audio clips in South Asian languages about dementia and COVID-19.

The Alzheimer's Society publishes certain publications about dementia in a range of languages.

Healthtalkonline has videos of interviews with people from different black and minority ethnic backgrounds describing their experiences of having mental health problems, including some in languages other than English.

EACH has produced Asian Women, Domestic Violence and Mental Health - A Toolkit for Health Professionals (PDF, 398KB) which aims to disseminate culturally appropriate best practice for professionals working with Asian women experiencing domestic abuse and violence and enable better care of physical and mental health consequences among this risk group.

Every Mind Matters provides free advice and guidance on maintaining and improving mental health, including translated videos.

Urgent mental health support can be accessed through the NHS 24/7 crisis lines.

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Migrants may be at increased risk of mental health problems as a result of their experiences prior to, during, or after migration to the UK. Some vulnerable migrant groups may be at particular risk of psychological distress and mental disorders.

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Find out about our partnership with the Refugee Council, which helps young refugees and asylum seekers to thrive in the UK.

Surviving to Thriving is a unique partnership project between the British Red Cross and the Refugee Council.

The project supports refugees and asylum seekers aged 11 to 25 in Birmingham, Leeds and Peterborough who don't have parents or guardians in the UK. It provides life skills, advice, mental health support and leadership opportunities to help them rebuild their lives and thrive in the UK.

British Red Cross:

one-to-one specialist case work around the specific needs of the young people

regular group sessions designed to create social networks while increasing their knowledge, skills and confidence

help to access services and support young people need

support to change minds, policy and practice, working together with the VOICES network.

To find out more:

To learn more about what the project has achieved, please download our impact report.

You can also watch 16 incredible short films made by the young people about their experiences.

Refugee Council:

group and one-to-one therapeutic counselling

a range of therapeutic approaches, including drama therapy and art therapy

support addressing trauma and restoring wellbeing.

Surviving to Thriving gives you all the help and direction you need to know about your situation, and how you're going to be able to live here in the UK.

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Surviving to Thriving | British Red Cross

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Find out about our partnership with the Refugee Council, which helps young refugees and asylum seekers to thrive in the UK. Surviving to Thriving is a unique partnership project between the British Red Cross and the Refugee Council.

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The YoungMinds Welcome film shows the experience of an asylum seeking child, and young person, as they share their thoughts about what helped them during this difficult time in their life. You will also hear the experiences of a parent, teacher and a foster carer of asylum seeking and refugee children. The voices and experiences in this film came directly from professionals we worked with or in our network, as well as participants on the YoungMinds Welcome training courses.

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Resources for foster carers, social workers, school staff and any professionals who are supporting asylum seeking and refugee children across England.

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Wakefield Council, providing information on local services including education, social care, culture, leisure, waste, planning, transport and roads to Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract, Ossett, Normanton, Knottingley, Featherstone, South Elmsall, Hemsworth and other localities in West Yorkshire, Eng…

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Did you know...

89% of people reported an increase in their ability to manage their money after receiving support from the Cash Wise team...

The Cash Wise team can help you get your finances in order with a full financial health check.

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89% of people reported an increase in their ability to manage their money after receiving support from the Cash Wise team... The Cash Wise team can help you get your finances in order with a full financial health check.

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Food Banks In Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford

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Find out what food banks operate in Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, what they are requesting and take action.

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BBC Learning English - BBC Learning English - Homepage

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Learn English with these free learning English videos and materials from BBC Learning English. This site will help you learn English and improve your pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary knowledge.

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Pencils, a pencil sharpener and eraser

Welcome to Literacy!

My name is Kersti Börjars and I am a professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester. Together with one of our students, Alex Webb, I have put together these web pages about language.

'Linguistics' you may wonder, what on earth is that?! Well, sometimes the word 'linguist' is used for people who are good at learning foreign languages, but that is not the way we use it here.

Linguistics is the study of language - that includes things like the history of language, the meaning and structure of words and phrases, what sounds are used in languages and what the similarities and differences are between all of the 5000-6000 languages in the world!

How did you become a linguist?

For most people it is a little accidental how they end up in a particular job. This is certainly true for me; I became a linguist by accident!

I grew up in Sweden and when I was at school there I liked a lot of different subjects. We did three foreign languages; I did English, German and a tiny bit of Russian. However, I also really enjoyed maths and the scientific subjects.

I then moved to Holland and ended up going to University there, to study English language and literature. I went to The University of Manchester as part of this course. It was meant to be for just the one year, but I came back again and 20 years later I am still here!

Asking questions about the language you hear around you is a really good place to start studying. How do people pronounce things? What words do they use? Why do they put the words together exactly the way they do?

There are so many different kinds of interesting questions for linguists that we need your help. Why don't you became a linguist too and help us out with these questions. Let's start here with your literacy work!

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Introduction - The Children's University of Manchester

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Welcome to Literacy! My name is Kersti Börjars and I am a professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester. Together with one of our students, Alex Webb, I have put together these web pages about language. 'Linguistics' you may wonder, what on earth is that?!

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How To Raise Bilingual Kids | Articles. Podcast. Community

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BilingualKidsRock is a community of parents raising their kids multilingual. Education for children and parents. Useful tips, articles and podcast.

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Here are a couple of audio files with the Hello and Goodbye songs that are used in Teddy Talk session.

Use any song, but it's important to include names and ask how they are:
Hello Song
Hello, hello, how are you? Piotr, Piotr

Hello, hello, how are you? How are you today?

(Wait for a response, thumbs "I'm good" or thumbs down "I'm not good")

Goodbye Song (to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)

Now it's time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye

Now it's time to say goodbye, goodbye Piotr (or you could use the name of the objects going back into the bag)
Kodaly Hello Song
These songs have been slightly adapted from the songs used in Kodaly sessions. If you slap your knees and then clap your hands to the beat this is good for rhythm development too.

http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Hello-song.mp3
Kodaly Goodbye song
http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/goodbye-song.mp3

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New to English EAL Induction Pack for PRIMARY (Including Big Bear Banter)

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Combined resources from the Big Bear Banter and P4-7 Induction Packs. Now including lots of links for each topic to online resources eg. online

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Blog: EAL Children and the Early Years Sector - The Best Start?

In this blog, Professor Claudine Bowyer-Crane and Dr Silke Fricke look at the achievement gap for EAL pupils in early years, exploring the reality behind the misleading data and what this means for policy.

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The Bell Foundation - Changing lives and overcoming exclusion through language education

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The Bell Foundation is a charity which aims to overcome exclusion through language education by working with partners on innovation, research, training and practical interventions.

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Translated Letters for Schools (DGT EAZ)

Materials Signs (Polish/Latvia/Lithuanian/Portuguese) (Claire Humphreys)

Body Parts (Polish/Lithuanian/Portuguese) (Claire Humphreys)

Please also see the Primary Languages section
for language teaching resources and
also theWelsh Resources section for
material in and about teaching Welsh.

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Primary Resources: EAL & Bilingual Resources

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Primary Resources - free worksheets, lesson plans and teaching ideas for primary and elementary teachers.

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Do you use with Wakefield Library Service and are you aware of a free online language course available using the library to get login details (once you’ve joined it for free)?

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Do you use with Wakefield Library Service and are you aware of a free online language course available using the library to get login details (once you’ve joined it for free)?

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It focusses on developing basic to intermediate skills and is programmed to give explanations of how to progress through the course in a large variety of languages. There are well structured lessons available which include developing essential speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar skills.

Once joined, you can log on anywhere and use the course - library computers can be freely used as well if you have no other access.

Another purpose of it is to help people who want to prepare for a trip abroad and gain some basic language skills, so you can even brush up your skills ready for a holiday!

How to get a log-on for Transparent Language

It is FREE only if it is logged onto through the library service log in.

First join your local Wakefield Authority library then ask their help to get logged onto Transparent Language.

Following this, you can continue to use it wherever/whenever you wish to, but the libraries all have free internet to use during their opening hours.

It can be logged onto using a guest login if you want to investigate for yourself from home first.

Here is the link so you can see where to find it:

Wakefield Library - Wakefield Council

Scroll down to Discover our digital resources

Click on reference resources

then scroll down to learning and training courses to find Transparent Languages

For more competent readers starting to read, you can join Borrowbox to read to listen to lots of different books as well.

BorrowBox – Your library in one app

This is another resource which can be accessed free through joining the library.

Available to you is a world of books, including audiobooks which are great for listening to stories read in English-listening to the rhythms of new language, spotting phrases and even having pages of the actual book open as you read helps reinforce language skills. Audiobooks are especially good to use if pupils have already read the same books in their home language and have a good idea of the story.