Pupils’ passions spark leadership lessons

Eden Boys’ School, Preston hosted pupils from Tauheedul Islam Boys’ High School for a leadership day which combined two of pupils’ greatest passions - an unlikely pairing of football and Arabic.

The ‘Football in Arabic’ theme provided an opportunity for the pupils to engage in a programme of enrichment activities whilst conversing exclusively in Arabic and using sport as a catalyst for developing leadership qualities. Internationally, Arabic is seen as one of the most important languages to master. With over 400 million native speakers and a further 100 to 200 million people for whom it is their second language, Arabic ranks as the fourth most widely spoken language in the world and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (UN).

15 pupils from each school participated in a crash course in football coaching, run by PE teachers and language specialists. Their goal was to learn the essentials of coaching whilst expanding their Arabic vocabulary and fluency of speech, with the sessions being delivered entirely in Arabic. Later, they were guided through a series of sessions on how the language can be effectively taught through the premise of sports, with pupils then tasked with preparing a coaching session for primary school children.