Rethinking the ‘one community – one home, heritage, and community language’ model: diversity in complementary education

Karatsareas, P. 2026. Rethinking the ‘one community – one home, heritage, and community language’ model: diversity in complementary education. Language and Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2026.2679261

TitleRethinking the ‘one community – one home, heritage, and community language’ model: diversity in complementary education
TypeJournal article
AuthorsKaratsareas, P.
Abstract

Greek complementary schools (GCSs) in the UK are widely understood as institutions for maintaining Greek language and culture among the Greek Cypriot and Greek diasporic communities in Britain. However, recent migration and mixed marriages have significantly diversified their populations. This mixed-methods study provides the first sector-wide mapping of the languages spoken in UK GCS communities beyond Greek and English and of the national origins beyond Cyprus and Greece among pupils’ families and teaching staff in 2024/2025. A school-level online questionnaire investigated pupils’ family backgrounds and linguistic repertoires. The questionnaire was completed by 32 schools (51.6% of all UK GCSs), yielding quantitative estimates for 2,736 pupils (40.9% of sector enrolments). Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 respondents representing nine schools. Survey findings show substantial heterogeneity. Pupils from mixed-heritage and non-Greek Cypriot/Greek backgrounds accounted for nearly half of enrolments on average. Parental origins spanned over 47 countries, with the UK and Albania most frequently reported, while 25 additional home languages were reported, most commonly Albanian. Interview data corroborate these patterns but suggest that diversity is often institutionally muted within Greekness-centred environments. Albanian heritage emerged as a salient site of tension, alongside examples of pupil agency and locally developed inclusive practices.

Keywordshome, heritage, and community languages
complementary schools
multilingualism
equality, diversity, and inclusion
Greek
United Kingdom
JournalLanguage and Education
ISSN0950-0782
1747-7581
Year2026
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2026.2679261
Web address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500782.2026.2679261#abstract
Publication dates
Published online29 May 2026
FunderUKRI (UK Research and Innovation)

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