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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.

General care

  • Is everyone in the family well?
  • Do you understand the rules about going outside?
  • Are you going outside every day?
  • Are you meeting up with friends and family?
  • Is there someone who can help you if you need anything?
  • Are you worried about anything?
  • Have you got enough food and/or medicine?
  • Do you know how to contact the emergency services?

Accessing school work

  • Is your child working at home?
  • Is this easy?
  • Does ____ have access to a computer or similar device?
  • Does ____ have access to WiFi?
  • Do you have access to email?
  • Does ____ have a quiet space to work?
  • Does ____ have their school books at home?
  • Do you have paper and pens at home?
  • Do you have any story books at home?
  • Is ____ working every day on school work?
  • Do you know how to contact your school?

We’ve created an easily downloadable list of these questions to ask parents when calling home, which you can download by clicking on the button below.

Further learning - Blog

Created: Wed 11th May 2016

In the last edition, we considered the importance of not using a Whole Language approach in isolation as a primary method of literacy instruction, but rather ensuring that a systematic, skills-based approach is used to guarantee reading and writing progression for second language learners. This begs the question, which systematic approach should we use? The two systematic methods adopted by most practitioners for first language learners are the Analytical or Analytic Phonics approach or the Synthetic Phonics approach.

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Created: Thu 1st Sep 2022

A wide reading programme is promoted as a key vehicle for learners of English as an additional language (EAL) to improve their English language skills and become successful readers in English. Typically, such a programme involves learners being exposed to an extensive variety of reading materials both as independent readers and in structured sessions facilitated by a teacher or teaching assistant.

Created: Sat 30th May 2015

In previous articles we discussed the need for learners to obtain Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS). These skills need to be the initial focus of learning alongside curriculum content in the early days. Class teachers are required to make significant adjustments to their programme of learning which is not an easy task, especially for those teachers who are new to teaching foreign languages.