English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Definition of English is an Additional Language

A pupil’s first language is defined as any language other than English that a child was exposed to during early development and continues to be exposed to in the home or community. If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may include English) during early development, a language other than English should be recorded, irrespective of the child’s proficiency in English.

Identification

A pupil may be identified as being EAL originally by their parents during the admissions process. This will include information such as their home language, country of birth, previous schooling and arrival date in UK. A pupil can also be identified as potentially being EAL by a class teacher or other adults working with the child. This will be followed by a discussion with parents and the child will be added to the EAL register.

Provisional Arrangements for children for whom English is an Additional Language

The school will provide:

• A welcoming environment where displays and posters reflect the different languages and cultures of our children
• The whole school will create an ethos of celebration of different cultures through events such as Multicultural Day and Black History Month.
• A whole school staff that promotes multicultural awareness and acceptance.

In class:

• Teachers’ planning meets the needs of all EAL pupils in their class, where it takes account of the linguistic, cultural and religious backgrounds of families.
• Teachers plan with their teaching assistant on how to support children in groups.
• Teachers have high expectations of all children with EAL.
• Teachers will identify early readers, and these children will be supported in their phonics and reading through tailored books and regular one to one reading with an adult.
• Enhanced opportunities are provided for speaking and listening across the curriculum, including both process and presentational talk.  Pupils have access to effective staff and peer models of spoken language.
• Additional verbal support is provided, e.g. repetition, modelling, peer support.
• Additional visual support is provided, e.g. posters, pictures, demonstration, use of gestures.
• Teachers provide a welcoming environment that reflects the different languages and cultures in their class through multicultural displays, signs/labels and posters in different languages.
• Teachers will create an ethos of celebration through ‘Language of the Week’ and celebrating different festivals using multicultural resources.

​Language of the Week

Children are given the opportunity to share about the language they speak within Language of the Week assemblies. Each week a new language is discussed, and the children are exposed to a variety of vocabulary including greetings, numbers, key phrases and more. At the end of each assembly, children are given challenges to explore, answer questions and complete their own research.