Mother Tongue Other Tongue was devised by staff at the Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Routes into Languages North West in 2012. It has since been adopted as a Laureate Education Project and rolled out across the country. In June 2024, in what has become an annual event, Gresham’s pupils from Years 9, 10, and 12 wrote poems for the competition.

There are two categories:

Mother Tongue – pupils whose first language is not English, or who speak another language at home, are encouraged to submit a poem or song in their mother tongue. This can be an original or a ‘remembered’ piece. It can be written in any language, except English. Entries are judged on a short paragraph in which pupils explain the piece and its significance to them.

Other Tongue – pupils learning another language in school are encouraged to get creative with their other tongue and submit an original poem for the competition. 

Massive congratulations to the following pupils who have been shortlisted for the final:

Other Tongue

Year 9: Lachlan M

Year 10: Lottie H and Connor M

Year 12: Eva O

Their poems will feature in the Mother Tongue Other Tongue anthology, published later this year and pupils will receive a copy. Their entries will also go forward to the final competition, and judging will take place at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge in March as part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas.