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Jack Hunt School and Pearson holds GCSE Urdu Teachers Conference

18 schools across the UK sent their GCSE Urdu teachers to Jack Hunt School on 31 January for training on the new GCSE Urdu Specification.

18 schools across the UK sent their GCSE Urdu teachers to Jack Hunt School on 31 January for training on the new GCSE Urdu Specification. Sharon Czudak the Qualification Product Developer, Academic and General at Pearson was the keynote speaker.

 The day started with light refreshments and an introduction to the day by Mr Nawaz (Deputy CAL of MFL, Head of Urdu and Community Liaison Officer). Sharon Czudak then started the training with GCSE speaking skills and discussed the strategies required for teaching writing skills. Prior to the working lunch that included British and Pakistani cultural dishes, Alex Ford (Deputy Headteacher) welcomed all the guests. Alex said, “It is wonderful to see many teachers from across the country come together for this high-quality training”.

The afternoon session was focused around reading and listening strategies with interactive activities. A question and answer session produced some excellent learning points for all teachers. A group of A Level Urdu students from Jack Hunt School offered superb support throughout the day, led by Ali Shehzad, a lead specialist teacher. The students were helping delegates throughout the day by setting up the event, serving food, arranging goody bags sent by routes to languages and being on hand throughout the day. The attendees of the event appreciated the effort the students put into the day, stating that they were a credit to both the staff and school.

At the end of the conference, the National Council for the development of Urdu presented a shield to the keynote speaker Sharon Czudak for her time and commitment. Mr Nawaz also received a shield in recognition of his commitment to promoting the teaching of Urdu in the UK from the National Council for the development of Urdu. 

The chair of the National Council for the development of Urdu gave a vote of thanks to the school management and said that the Urdu teachers and NCDU are grateful to have continuous support from Jack Hunt School to hold such valuable conferences there. He also praised Jack Hunt School A level Urdu students for their support throughout the day.

The Headteacher Pamela Kilbey said, "Thank you to Mr Nawaz and Mr Ali Shehzad for their work to keep the reputation of Jack Hunt School, The MFL and Urdu department especially, so high nationally”.

Thank you also to all the following sixth form students involved with making this day a success:

  • Raihaan Ahmed
  • Hamzah Mahmood
  • Konain Nawaz
  • Aarzoo Rashid
  • Aneesah Sajaad

~Muhammad Nawaz