EAL

The term EAL is used to describe a diverse group of pupils for whom English is an additional language. An EAL learner includes anyone who has been exposed to a language other than English during early childhood “and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or the community”.

All of these students have the right to access education.

Our EAL department is underpinned by the following key ideas:

1. Bilingualism and multilingualism are an asset – the school as a whole celebrate the diverse community of students and teachers – the ability to use more than one language is a valuable skill that learners who use EAL bring with them, regardless of whether they are New to English or not. Learners actively use the languages they already know to learn English.

2. Cognitive challenge should be kept appropriately high – high expectations around cognitive challenge should be maintained. Access to the curriculum is needed, but this does not mean reducing the level of challenge of the content.

3. Learners’ proficiency in English is closely linked to academic success – Research has found that proficiency in English is the strongest predictor of academic achievement.

At Kingsthorpe College, we want to nurture EAL students and maximise their opportunities by giving them the best proficiency in English and access to the curriculum. We will do this by:

• Creating a welcoming and nurturing environment with a specialist staff input for newly arrived students from another country/school.

• Supporting students who are New to English and Early Acquisition with a personalised timetable due to varying levels of provision.

• Providing ongoing support to other EAL students who may have higher levels of English, focus on GCSE English Language and Literature content as well as continued termly monitoring.

• Using CATs screening, reading and spelling age assessments and maths ability assessment.

• Relaying information to all relevant teaching staff regarding individual abilities.

• Activating prior learning.

• Providing a rich context to help students make sense of information.

• Making English explicit in the classroom.

• Developing student independence.

• Advising colleagues on best practice as well as trainee teachers and new staff with strategies according to levels of proficiency, which covers listening and understanding, speaking, reading and writing.

• Ensuring students are provided with appropriate examination support, extra time and word-to-word bilingual dictionaries.

• Offering home language exams to Year 10 and above at Higher GCSE Level and A Level qualification in Year 12.