On Saturday mornings across London, classrooms that are empty during the week come alive with colour, conversation, and carefully practised words that rarely appear in mainstream schooling.
Children sit in small groups repeating phrases, tracing unfamiliar scripts, and learning sounds that connect them to languages spoken at home, in temples, in grandparents’ living rooms Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Hindi.
For many of these students, this is not their main school. It is something they attend after a full week in mainstream education. But for families, these weekend language schools carry a significance that goes far beyond academics. They are spaces where identity, culture, and communication are quietly maintained across generations in an increasingly multilingual city.
In communities across London from Southall and Hounslow to Harrow and Tower Hamlets these schools operate in gurdwaras, temples, community halls, and rented classrooms and even living rooms. Many are run by volunteers or part-time teachers who dedicate their weekends to ensuring younger generations remain connected to their linguistic heritage.
For parents, the motivation is often deeply personal.
“I can speak my language, my parents can only speak it,” says Ayesha Rahman, a parent from Newham. “But my children were replying to their grandparents in English. That’s when we realised, they needed to learn properly.”
That gap between understanding a language and being able to speak it confidently is one of the central reasons these schools exist. In many households, English has become the dominant language among younger generations, even where heritage languages remain present in family life.
Weekend classes aim to bridge that divide.
Unlike formal education, weekend language schools are rarely focused on exams or grades. Instead, lessons are built around conversation, storytelling, songs, cultural traditions, and basic literacy. Teachers often adapt their approach depending on age and fluency, with classes frequently mixing children of different abilities.
For Shilpa Jain, founder and Hindi teacher and founder of Hindi Vindi in South Woodbridge, the motivation to begin teaching came from a personal experience within her own family.
“Inspiration came from my own daughter, when she was around 5 and she was reluctant to travel to India as she couldn’t communicate with family there, so I decided to teach her Hindi as I wanted her to connect with her roots. A lot of her confidence grew, and my friends approached me asking me to teach their children too which is why I started.”
She said that what began as a family solution quickly revealed a wider issue among diaspora communities.
“I could see this was a problem, children couldn’t connect with their grandparents, and I think this is the main motivation behind weekend schools and private lessons, connecting with family is so important.”
Her classes, like many weekend language schools across London, focus on building both confidence and practical communication skills in children who may understand a language but struggle to actively speak it.
Shilpa Jain says one of the most common challenges is motivating children who do not immediately see the relevance of learning a heritage language in an English-speaking environment.
“There are challenges, their parents push them, but after a couple of lessons they feel motivated. the children are out of their comfort zone because they don’t understand why they have to learn Hindi because everyone around them speaks English. I think it is important to help them see the value in learning.”
She added that exposure is often inconsistent outside the classroom.
“Lack of exposure is a challenge, but the problem is that sometimes they don’t speak it with family until they come to my weekly lessons which can be hard. My students are young they are a different generation, so I provide homework that involves watching videos and exciting things that keeps them interested.”
Teachers say this gap between understanding and active use is one of the main reasons structured weekend lessons have become increasingly important in diaspora communities. Weekend language schools across London vary in size and structure, but many follow similar patterns. Classes are often mixed ability, with some children able to understand spoken phrases but unable to read or write, while others are complete beginners. Teaching is usually built around repetition, storytelling, visual learning, and conversational practice rather than formal exams. Cultural learning is also central, with festivals, music, and family traditions frequently included in lessons.
Teachers say this sense of identity becomes increasingly important as children grow up balancing multiple cultural influences at home, school, and online.
“Children are growing up British, but also connected to other cultures at home,” says Farah Begum, an Urdu tutor in Ilford. “This is where they learn how to bring those parts of themselves together.”
In many households, grandparents remain the strongest link to heritage languages. However, as younger generations grow up in English-dominant environments, communication within families can become uneven.
Shilpa Jain says this is one of the most rewarding parts of her work when it improves.
“When my students can speak to their grandparents, they are happy about it. When their parents say they can enjoy the Bollywood movies together they say they feel happier and more connected and are no longer reluctant to travel to their grandparents if they live abroad.”
For many families, these outcomes are more important than formal fluency or academic achievement. They reflect a practical and emotional bridge between generations.
Despite their importance, weekend language schools face ongoing challenges.
Many rely heavily on volunteers and community fundraising to cover costs such as venue hire, teaching materials, and administrative support. Unlike mainstream education, they typically operate without consistent public funding.
London is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world, and South Asian languages form a significant part of that landscape. Yet for many young people, daily life is conducted almost entirely in English. Weekend language schools offer a space where heritage languages are actively practised rather than only understood at home. Some schools have begun incorporating digital tools such as apps, homework tasks, and recorded lessons to support learning outside the classroom. Others are modernising teaching approaches to better engage younger students.
Despite these changes, the underlying aim remains consistent: communication. For families like those attending weekend classes or hiring online tutors that means something simple but meaningful, being able to talk across generations without barriers. On a Saturday morning in London, in classrooms filled with repetition, laughter, careful pronunciation, and patient correction, those connections continue to be built.
One word at a time.
