The first day of school is always nerve wracking but for students who have only just arrived in Australia the experience is even more daunting especially when English isn't their first language.
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Thanks to the introductory English centres (IEC) operating in four ACT primary schools and the secondary version at Dickson College the transition is made more smoother
But as Canberra's population has grown so too has demand for the service, operating for several decades and, in response, a sixth centre will begin at Gungahlin's Palmerston District Primary School from 2015.
Ahmad Al Rowais, 17, from Saudi Arabia and Dada Merritt, 18, from Haiti, are among more than 500 IEC students expected to graduate into mainstream schooling by the end of this year.
Both admit they were nervous stepping into the classroom on their first day but, several months in, they will reluctantly say good bye to the friends they have made.
"The teachers are very kind and lovely; they help us," Ahmad said.
Ahmad and his younger brother arrived in Australia several months ago with his family when his father was posted to the Saudi embassy.
He said the language and the different culture were the biggest hurdles.
Dada arrived in Australia from Haiti in May when she was adopted from an orphanage.
Both will go on to separate colleges next year.
Like the 154 other students enrolled at Dickson's secondary IEC in 2014, the students also got a taste of the wider school curriculum with PE, art, science and maths lessons.
The secondary IEC's executive teacher Ros Phillips said the centre was like a "little United Nations" and, although the backgrounds and nationalities varied throughout the year, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Afghani were common languages spoken by the students.
"At any time we'd have between 20 and 30 languages being spoken," she said.
"We've got migrants, diplomats, refugees, people here to
"It can enhance the classroom having a lot of languages students can use while they're learning English… [but] we only speak English in the classroom."
The time each student spends at the IEC depends on their needs but ranges from two to three terms for primary students and secondary students are assessed into a three-level program for one, two or three terms.
Ms Phillips said the prime function of the short-term program was to support students learning English before they slotted into mainstream schools but it also focused on their welfare as they settled in, with Australian customs "quietly" embedded in the curriculum.
Dickson College principal Kerrie Heath said the secondary IEC added to the diversity of the college.
"The numbers of cultures and language groups adds a huge richness to the school," she said.
In 2014, the northside primary IEC at North Ainslie Primary School had the largest cohort of students with 122, followed by the southside IEC at Hughes Primary School with 114, Belconnen's IEC at Charnwood Dunlop Primary School had 99 and at Tuggeranong's at Wanniassa Hills Primary School there were 53 students.
An Education and Training Directorate spokesman said demand fluctuated depending on immigration trends but demand had grown in areas of Canberra that had experienced population growth.
New enrolments occur throughout the year as students arrive but 36 secondary and 77 primary students will continue in the IECs in 2015.
Ms Heath welcomed the establishment of the fifth primary IEC in Gungahlin.
"Many of our new families move to new areas and we certainly have some older siblings here whose younger siblings will benefit from that closer proximity so it's very exciting," she said.
