A mother is opening a Polish Saturday school in Hounslow because she says there are too few facilities for her fellow countrymen and women living in the borough.
Agnieszka Miedzinska and her friend Agnieszka Chojnacka are the co-founders of the new school, which is due to run at Kingsley Academy, in Cecil Road, Hounslow, every Saturday beginning on September 20, from 9.30am to 1pm.
Ms Miedzinska, who has two daughters, aged two and five, said it was important for Hounslow’s estimated 9,000 Poles (according to the Office for National Statistics in 2011) to celebrate their national culture and practise speaking their home tongue.
The Saturday school will initially cater for 60 children aged three to eight, she said, but she hoped to eventually establish a Polish community centre for those of all ages.
“There’s nowhere in Hounslow that’s designed just for the Polish community to be in touch with Polish culture and events. At the moment you have to travel to Hammersmith or central London,” said Ms Miedzinska, who lives in Central Avenue, Hounslow, and grew up in Zamosc, in south-east Poland.
“We want to start as a private school and later on to create a Polish parents’ association, where parents can meet to talk, exchange ideas and help each other with legal issues.”
For more information about the Saturday school, you can call Ms Miedzinska, who already runs Polish story and rhyme sessions at Hounslow library, on 0796 1582 839.
