ABSTRACT
Raising language awareness within primary schools can consequently make a positive contribution to anti-discrimination education by helping members of the learning community to better comprehend the complexities of our multilingual worlds. A lack of knowledge about language, language acquisition and language learning on the part of their educators and/or peers may compound their difficulties in transitioning smoothly from their home languages to that of the school. Language education policies can be underpinned by ideological choices and viewed as instruments designed to achieve certain political goals. Looking at language education policies from a critical perspective, the notion of power and its relationship with languages needs to be considered. Observing, recording and analysing when, where and how teachers act as language policy arbiters is an important first step in understanding the challenges and opportunities of teaching in a linguistically and culturally diverse setting.
