How long does it take to complete a Kalamna Stage?

In keeping with UK standards, each Kalamna stage consists of a certain range of school years and correspond to key learning milestones:

· Stage 1 begins at any age, up to four years of age

· Stage 2 is one year and is designed to coincide with a child’s first year of formal schooling

· Stages 3 and 4 take on average two -three years and mark the end of primary school age.

· Stage 5 is our secondary school level, working towards a formal exam such as GCSE Arabic, provided children have covered the previous stages and are at that level.

How do you determine what age is appropriate for which stage?

At Kalamna, we take a differentiated approach allowing our teachers to adopt flexible grouping and tailor instruction to meet individual needs. When a student first joins Kalamna, they will be assessed and assigned to a stage based on their level of language awareness and learning needs.

In Stage 1, there is no reading nor writing so it is suitable for children who haven’t started school; Stage 2 covers the alphabet so is best suited for children just starting school or a child that hasn’t yet done the Arabic alphabet; Stage 3 is where we cover our proprietary Kalamna Phonics™ programme and typically targets students aged 5+; Stage 4 is for students who have completed the phonics programme and typically targets students aged 7+. Stage 5 is for students 12 years and older.

What language are the classes taught in? 

Our teachers are all multilingual and prepared to teach in a mix of languages to facilitate the students’ engagement and understanding of the content of the class.

Do you teach native and/ or non-native Arabic students?

Since we first started teaching Arabic to children in 2015, we’ve welcomed both native and non-native students and our classes typically have a mix of the two. While we notice that our students who have Arabic spoken in the home make faster progress, our courses are designed to cater to both.

One of the biggest challenges with learning Arabic is the many dialects. How does Kalamna address that?

We cater to different dialects through an intentional focus on the common language between all dialects and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). We’re particularly proud that our current family of teachers and students has a strong representation of different dialectal backgrounds. They include Egyptian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian, Algerian, Syrian, Iraqi and Moroccan.

How long is a semester or term?

We deliver 30 classes per academic year with each semester running for an average of 10-12 weeks. We encourage each our teachers to follow the academic calendar of the country in which they teach.

How frequently are Kalamna classes held?

Classes are held once a week throughout the academic year.

How long does each class run for?

All classes are one hour in length except for stage 1 and stage 2 classes which run for 45 minutes. 

How big is a Kalamna class?

For optimal class interaction, class sizes range between 5-10 students. Larger classes of up to 15 students are only permitted where at least one additional teaching assistant or parent is present.