RELENTLESS TEACHING AND LEARNING

EAL stands for English as an additional language and is a term used to describe students who speak one or more languages and are now learning English.

 

Bilingual means that students speaks more than one language at home or is exposed to more than one language at home. It is important to remember that a student who is bilingual may not read and write in all the languages they speak or in fact, be fluent in the languages they speak or are exposed to.

 

Advanced learner of EAL refers to students who have gained a good level of fluency in English, but who may need continued support to maintain and develop their English. This may include support in areas, such as, broadening vocabulary, more complex grammar, use of idiom, the nuances that are implicit in all languages and general confidence.

 

Minority ethnic group describes groups other than the white British majority.

 

The figures:

 

As our school welcomes lots of new students every year the numbers of students who are EAL, refugees, from particular ethnic or language groups and backgrounds the data is always changing, but we can give you some approximate figures.

 

Our school fluctuates between 10%-15% EAL each academic year.

Our biggest language group is Urdu and Panjabi and the biggest ethnic groups is Pakistani, around 55%.

25% of our EAL students come from Poland,

We have very small, number s students from Portugal, Vietnam, Albania, Turkey, Russia, Africa, Hungary, Slovakia, and Italy.

 

EAL INTERVENTION BREAKDOWN

 

• EAL department disseminates any relevant student information to all staff. New students are provided with induction classes once or twice a week depending on needed( EAL 1 and 2 –twice or more times a week)

• All new students to have success to additional support if needed for transition to a UK school.

• All students at EAL Stage 1, 2 and 3 are automatically be placed in an intervention group with their own year group where timetables permit

• All students at EAL Stage 4 and above are monitored and supported- one to one sessions, homework club, coursework assistance, collaboration with any literacy programmes.

• All students have access to exam arrangements for bilingual dictionaries and extra time if applicable.

• EAL students in general are assessed for EAL stage on a termly basis to monitor progress.

• An EAL students register is be kept or all EAL assessment.

• EAL department monitors progress and highlights students who are not making satisfactoryprogress due to possible SEN needs, including arranging home language testing to assist any assessment process

• EAL department liaises with class teachers to maintain effective communication over any EAL student issues.

• EAL department reviews their own training needs and progress to make sure that they are offering the best advice, support, teaching and training to students and staff.

• EAL department maintains good links with subject areas to monitor differentiation and support in classes.

• EAL department provides all staff with access to EAL training to ensure that EAL students are differentiated for in class and that teachers are aware of all the issues facing an EAL student in school.

• EAL department maintains materials/information useful to staff on the school system-timetables, intervention class lists, EAL register, ethnic, cultural, language breakdowns, training materials, resources, EAL strategy.

• EAL departmentoperates an open door policy to staff for any advice needed regarding EAL students.

 

 

Main Objectives

 

• To provide additional intervention for all students who require a high level of support to develop their English.

• To ensure that all our EAL pupils participate in the life of the school and

gain access to appropriately planned and prepared curricular provision.

• To ensure that our EAL pupils attain curriculum levels and public

examination grades appropriate to their abilities.

• To seek and make use of appropriate advice, guidance, support and training.

• To monitor the progress of our EAL pupils’ acquisition of English, of their general achievement and of their attainment in public examinations/end of Key Stage assessments.

• To give EAL pupils the knowledge and skills to use spoken English to

communicate with others in a variety of curriculum and social contexts.

• To give EAL pupils the knowledge and skills to use English to understand and produce written texts.

• To give EAL pupils the skills and confidence to use a variety of strategies

  to enhance understanding and to express meaning clearly

   

  Key Principles of additional language acquisition.

 

 

• EAL students are entitled to the full National Curriculum programmes of study and all their teachers have a responsibility for teaching English as well as other subject content.

• Access to learning requires attention to words and meanings embodied in each curriculum area. Meanings and understanding cannot be assumed but must be made explicit

• Language is central to our identity. Therefore, the home languages of all students and staff should be recognised and valued

• Language demands of learning tasks need to be identified and included in planning

• Teaching and support staff play a crucial role in modelling uses of language.

• A clear distinction should be made between EAL and Special Educational Needs.

• All staff are responsible for the well-being and progress of EAL students.