ABSTRACT
Immigrant communities in the UK have a long tradition of developing complementary schools, i.e., community-run programs held after regular school hours or on weekends that teach the home, or heritage, languages spoken by these communities. This chapter outlines the context in which these schools have developed: the patterns of immigration that have created the language ecology and the educational and political contexts in which they operate. Immigration trajectories, socioeconomic status, and political power impact different communities in different ways. London has long been a magnet for immigration. The east end of London in particular, with its employment opportunities and cheap housing, has traditionally been the point of arrival of new migrants. Using the concept of institutionalization developed by M. B. Miles, M. Ekholm, and R. Vandenberghe, the chapter explores the ways in which the schools have developed innovative approaches and curricula, engaged partners, and built networks, and created procedures for sustainability that are replicable in different communities.
