English as an Additional Language (EAL)
 |
ASPIRE - LEARN - FLOURISH
The Aspire Learning Federation is made up of two schools - Elm Park Primary School and R J Mitchell Primary School in the London Borough of Havering.
At Elm Park Primary, we are committed to supporting pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) by creating an inclusive and nurturing environment that values linguistic diversity.
We are proud to have over 25 languages spoken by our pupils, parents and staff.
Whether your child is a confident speaker of English (as well as their home language), or if they have very little English, they are considered to be an EAL learner. We recognise that there are many cognitive advantages to being bilingual and how important it is to support pupils at each stage of language acquisition in order for them to access the language demands of the curriculum.
When new pupils and families with EAL join Elm Park Primary, we strive to ensure that they have the best possible start through our induction process.
Our induction process includes;
- information gathering and passing information onto class teachers,
- support for families with translated written information provided where possible,
- preparing the class for the arrival of the new child,
- identifying & allocating a peer buddy (matched to the pupil’s home language where possible),
- completion of an initial ‘Language Link’ assessment to identify areas of strength and difficulties
In class, children have access to a visual timetable with simple pictures of the events of the day. Communication fans are available should a pupil require the use of non-verbal cues to meet a need e.g. they are feeling unwell or need to use the toilet.
We are fortunate to have over 20 ‘Young Interpreters’ from Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 who are bilingual or multilingual pupils who take pride in being able to support their peers who may have limited use of the English language.
We aim to support EAL parents to communicate effectively with the school by utilising our school community of bilingual or multilingual parents who volunteer to translate on behalf of the school. The school will contact translation service providers as necessary as required for more sensitive matters.
We assess our EAL learners according to their English language skills as well as how they are performing within the national curriculum throughout each academic year. Attainment and progress of EAL pupils is regularly reviewed by class teachers and school leaders to support progress and outcom
