Children in class five have been learning about language with the help of Napoleon Katsos, pictured at the back, co-odinator of Cambridge University's bilingualism network.

In a school where 37 per cent of its pupils speak more than one of 26 languages, a Cambridge University initiative is helping to ensure children, parents and teacher appreciate the value of the mother tongue.

Studies show there are many benefits for children who manage two languages, including enhanced memory, attention span and cognitive flexibility.

Now academics from the university’s theoretical applied linguistics department are working with Arbury Primary School where home languages include Russian, Tagalog (Philippines), Polish, Lithuanian, French, and Bengali to ensure bilingual children don’t lose their second language.

Dr Dora Alexopoulou said: “When my son started school his teacher said because he has English as an additional language, his vocabulary was behind the other kids.

“At the same meeting, the teacher told me seven other kids – one third of the class – were also bilingual, so I thought they had probably been told the same thing, and it was worth having a proper discussion with parents and teachers about these issues.”

It led to the Cambridge Bilingualism Network (CBN) being set up, to raise awareness, among schools, teachers and parents, of the benefits of growing up speaking more than one language.

The initiative, set up in 2010 with colleague Dr Napoleon Kastos and other Cambridge Researchers, has formed links with teachers in schools in Wisbech, Huntingdon and Luton where there are large numbers of bilingual children.

Dr Kastos said: “There is a lot of research at the theoretical level which could help people who work and live with bilingual children, but it was only accessible to specialists.

“What we’ve done is take it to the community and make it useful.”

A new leaflet outlining the challenges and benefits of bilingualism will be published next year and distributed to schools.

Mr Kastos said: “It takes a huge commitment on behalf of teachers and parents. The message we are trying to get across is that bilingualism is a gift and it needs to be nurtured.”

Kathy Whiting, a Year 2 teacher at Arbury, said the support CBN gives the school is “invaluable”.

“We have lots of strategies for all the children to try and support them with their additional language,” she said.

“In the past there has been a tendency for children to arrive and think, ‘we are here now so we might as well speak English’. Children may end up with two weak languages if their home language is not encouraged.

“It opens up the other children’s eyes that there are kids from all around the world. There is a lovely sense of tolerance and respect at this school.”

The work done at Arbury Primary ranges from simple things like getting all the children to count and learn to say hello in different languages to holding Christmas events which celebrate different cultures which has led to children sometimes holding their own ‘language schools’ in the playground at lunchtimes.