u/natalini17

Hi all! My son is 2y10m and is half English half Portuguese. We live in England. Since birth my husband (Portuguese) has spoken to him only in Portuguese (OPOL).
I understand Portuguese but don’t speak it, but husband never has to switch to English to ‘include’ me because I understand what is being said
My son very clearly understands Portuguese well: responds appropriately to questions and instructions, will translate what is said to him in Portuguese into English.

He says a handful of Portuguese words (some things he only says in Portuguese). I would guess maybe 20 words. He is quite verbal in English and says 3-4 word sentences.

How do we actually get him speaking Portuguese rather than just passively understanding? We have a couple we are friends with who are English/french with the dad being French. Their 10yo understands French but does not speak it. I would be very sad if my son wasn’t able to produce Portuguese (some of his family members don’t speak or understand English)

Is this normal at his age for English to completely dominate? Will it improve just by continuing OPOL? Or is there something we can change/encourage?

I received an email from the Student Loans Company informing me that I was due a refund as I had overpaid (I’ve had two maternity leaves very close together).

I’ve checked my P60s against the SLC income thresholds for the relative tax years, and I have actually overpaid every year since 2021:

(Forgive the table formatting unsure if this will work from mobile)

I received a further email after requesting my refund saying k was entitled to £168, which just reflected the 24/25 and 25/26 tax years. I asked about the 22/23 and 23/24 tax years where I had significantly overpaid. I was told that because my income was over the threshold, even if I significantly overpaid compared to my earnings, I am not entitled to a refund for those years. Has anyone had any luck disputing this? The 23/24 tax year I only earned £370 over the threshold yet paid £442 in SLC deductions