Published Article

HeadlineWeekend school to open for Harrow’s Romanian community

Short HeadlineRomanian supplementary school opening in Harrow

Standfirst'We need a place where every Romanian can find help, guidance, reconnect with their cultural origins' says UK charity.

Harrow’s first Romanian supplementary school, The Mihai Eminescu School, is due to open this Saturday.

It follows a successful open day that saw members of the Romanian community and wider Harrow residents get involved in the day’s events.

Miorara Petrisor, founder of the Romanian supplementary school, said they are “creating an environment where our study can preserve the wealth of cultural and traditional Romanian heritage”.

Visitors were involved in dancing, arts and crafts, as well traditional activities. These included making martisors, a spring token adorned with red and white entwined cord. The significance of this item dates back almost 8,000 years ago.

Speaking on the importance of a cultural space like this, Miorara wants to “show to our children that it’s OK to know our origin. This is the problem, so many parents, they don’t speak Romanian with their children because they don’t have time.

“When they go to Romania, they don’t know cultural themes and traditions such as the martisor or when Romania’s National Day is (1st December 2024).”

The school will begin teaching small groups, with children aged 4-7 and then 8-12.

The school doesn’t just benefit children, according to Miorara, but also the parents’ confidence and immersion into the British community.

“English is a second language sometimes, so sometimes parents don’t understand, they can’t fit into some groups.”

Joy Collins, CEO of Securing Success also attended the events. The charity is funded by John Lyon’s charity which supports the development of supplementary schools in Harrow.

Ms Collins said, “Supplementary schools are vital to support identity and self-esteem.

“Supplementary schools help black and minority ethnic groups (BME) succeed academically.”

The school will serve the UK’s biggest community of Romanian speakers

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, 7.5% of Harrow’s population speak Romanian, which is the largest of all Romanian communities in the UK.

In recent years, Romanian has become the UK’s third most commonly spoken language. It saw the biggest increase over a ten-year period from 68,000 people to 472,000 people.

Last year, the community in Harrow held a three-day festival celebrating Romania’s national day which is celebrated annually on 1 December.

ROConnect, the organisation behind the event, is a UK-based charity, focusing on preserving Romanian tradition and culture. It acts as a “bridge between people and nations”.

Steffie Banu, founder and CEO of RoConnect, told City News that in terms of doing more for the community, she is collaborating with Harrow council members to create the first Community Centre in England.

“We are all dreaming of the day we will have our own little space, a cultural space to share with our community but also with the lovely British family that have received us with such love and open arms.”