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New to English can be supported in many different ways. Here's one school's approach:
Assessment
All learning is based on assessment. Children arrive and sit a baseline assessment. After analysis of result children are provided with appropriate provision. Interim progress reports on progression in EAL, phonics and writing are reviewed every half term.
Beginners
Beginner EAL Learning Intervention (EAL Intervention)
They follow ‘Teaching English an An Additional Language 5-11: A Whole School Resource’ which offers survival language intervention for the early days. This replaces the in class Literacy lesson for a short period until children are able to access the next two steps. Progression in English for beginners is reassessed every half term to check on progress.
Intermediates
Intermediate new arrivals curriculum language support (out of class)
This support provides additional vocabulary and language structure support for those children attending differentiated Literacy in class.
EAL differentiated curriculum support (in class)
Working closely with an EAL teacher to provide language learning differentiation for intermediate learners.
Phonics
All new arrivals are assessed for phonics and provided with differentiated out of class lessons. Reading (with phonic based readers) is part of this. Progression in phonics is reassessed every half term to check on progress.
One to one support:
Where specific EAL needs are identified (for example, after a big write) the EAL teacher will work one to one with children to support their progress with these needs.
Staff Training
Staff training is provided for all staff in integrating language learning objectives alongside curriculum objectives to support all levels of EAL learner in class.
August is the time to take that well-deserved break from school, colleagues, and learners, and to rest, have fun, and hopefully enjoy some much-needed sunshine. Without a doubt, summer is when many teachers around the world recharge their batteries before the craziness and delight of the new academic year start all over again.
If you have the opportunity to use a bilingual support partner to help families who have learners working from home, it may be useful to prepare a list of questions for this staff member to ask. Bilingual support is extremely useful when making contact with parents who speak little or no English.
Marking and feedback is a crucial part of any teacher’s workload, and is essential for EAL learners. The importance of good-quality marking and feedback has been evidenced by many academic professionals, notably William & Black (1998) and, more recently, William (2018) and Hattie (2012). Hattie discusses the idea of rigorous approaches to marking and feedback, stating that through assessing learners, teachers themselves learn about their own impact: “As a professional, it is critical to know they impact.