CHELLASTON ACADEMY EAL POLICY 2015-2016 EAL Students Page 1 of 8 26/11/2015
Introduction This policy details our arrangements to recognise and meet the needs of students who are learning English as an additional language i.e. students who have a home language other than English/Welsh and who are in the process of learning to use English as an additional language through immersion in the National Curriculum and the broader life of the school. Throughout this policy, and in other related policies and documents, these students are referred to as EAL students, EAL learners or ESL students. EAL- speakers who may speak several languages and who are also learning English ESL- English as a second language Context Approximately 4% of Chellaston Academy s population of students has been identified as EAL students. 16% of that group has been recognised as new arrivals, and the remaining students belong to advanced speaker category, having been recognised as ESL students. Only the new arrivals receive additional support and are looked after by the school s EAL Coordinator. Our EAL students generally come from a range of ethnic groups. Our EAL students generally have different linguistic backgrounds. Our EAL students are generally from families who settled in the UK some time ago and families who moved to the UK in the recent past with a wide range of backgrounds. Our students do not always arrive in school having had some exposure to English language and indigenous culture. Our EAL students do not always arrive in our school with some prior experience of school. Our EAL students do not always arrive in our school with some developed literacy and numeracy skills in their home language. EAL Students Page 2 of 8 26/11/2015
Policy Aims: EQUALITY To be proactive in removing barriers that stand in the way of our EAL students learning and success. DIVERSITY To meet our responsibilities to our EAL students by ensuring their equal access to the National Curriculum (and other educational opportunities) and the achievement of their educational potential. BELONGING and COHESION To provide our EAL students with a safe, welcoming, nurturing environment where they are accepted, valued and encouraged to participate. Objectives: To give EAL students the knowledge and skills to use spoken English to communicate with others in a variety of curriculum and social contexts. To give EAL students the knowledge and skills to use English to understand and produce written texts. To give EAL students the skills and confidence to use a variety of strategies to enhance understanding and to express meaning clearly. School s Duties and Responsibilities for EAL: Ensuring that EAL students have full access to the National Curriculum. Collecting information about students educational, linguistic and social background. Undertaking self-evaluation of EAL provision/policy. Developing an action plan to meet the needs of these learners. Monitoring achievement and attendance, setting clear targets and outcome measures for EAL learners. Monitoring school grouping policies to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to achieve. Ensure that all assessment policies link statutory assessments with additional assessments of students acquisition of English. Ensure that EAL learners placed on the school s Special Needs register have genuine learning needs. Promoting ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, for example in the curriculum, assemblies, displays, resources and dual language texts. Seeking opportunities to extend and develop links with minority ethnic parents. EAL Students Page 3 of 8 26/11/2015
Underlying Principles Our EAL students are entitled to opportunities for educational success that are equal to those of our English/Welsh speaking students. EAL students are not a homogenous group; their needs vary according to a range of factors. We provide a range of teaching and learning activities to meet curriculum demands and different learning needs/styles. Well-planned, mainstream lessons in appropriately organised mainstream classrooms provide the best environment for the acquisition of English by EAL students. The multilingualism of our EAL students enriches our school and our community. To become fully competent in the use of curriculum/academic English is a long process; students require long-term support. Having a home language other than English or Welsh is not a learning difficulty. EAL students are not placed on SEN registers or taught in SEN groups unless they have special educational needs. Admission Procedures The school is part of Derby City Council s Secondary Strategy Programme- a legal agreement- and admits students based on number of transfers from Bemrose Language Centre offered to the school. The school is required to admit up to 10 student per half term, according to the agreement, (see Appendix 1). After receiving the new transfer information, the school arranges an induction meeting with the student, parent/carer and interpreter if needed, and collects the following information: Country of origin Date of arrival in UK Student s first language and ability of use Other languages spoken at home by student Cultural/religious background Student s level of literacy in these languages Links with students already in school Medical conditions Parents/guardians concerns Student s educational background - names, addresses and contact details of previous schools - number of years in school - subjects studied - any breaks in education - any reports or certificates EAL Students Page 4 of 8 26/11/2015
We do not attempt to contact schools in the country of origin of students who are asylum seekers or refugees. Parents/carers and students are taken on a tour of the school and introduced to key personnel. Parent/carers and students are provided with appropriate information about the school, and receive the school s journal and any other eligible help. Care is taken to ensure we know how to say names and how to address parents and students appropriately. During the induction process the school also receives a Student s Learning Profile and Language Assessments with work sampling from the Bemrose Language Centre to ensure appropriate needs are met during timetabling and grouping processes. The induction process allows students a gradual immersion into school life, including a part time school attendance for the first few days - up to two weeks of an induction period. Placement in Teaching Groups/Classes We recognise that EAL students, who may be new to English and to the UK, need continuity and security as they start our school. We therefore aim to make an early decision about teaching group/class placement and only amend it depending on the progress and settling in of the students. EAL students: have access to the whole curriculum are taught with their peers are placed in groups where they will see models of good behaviour are placed in groups with fluent English speakers who will provide them with good language models are placed in as high a group as possible i.e. with their intellectual/academic equals are not automatically placed with SEN students are not subjected to standardised reading tests receive additional TA support in class receive additional English support as part of the EAL intervention KS4 are given opportunity for a TEFL English course, as part of their Curriculum Studies learning EAL Students Page 5 of 8 26/11/2015
Teaching and Learning The School and the Staff: Plan for and provide appropriate stimuli for language development Encourage EAL students to use English by generating opportunities for active participation in lessons Assign specific roles in group activities to ensure active participation by EAL students Encourage EAL students to develop communication strategies such as asking for clarification Consider our own language use and provide suitable contextual clues for EAL students Are aware that our school culture and environment (e.g. teaching; learning; procedures; routines and practices) may differ from the school culture that our EAL students are familiar with Plan for and provide specific intervention time for students with EAL needs Are aware that an EAL student s social language (normally acquired in around two years) may be much more advanced that their academic language (which can take 7-10 years to reach QCA 1 Levels 2-8) Allow EAL students to use first language when it will be beneficial to their learning and communication needs Teach topic/subject whilst providing relevant vocabulary, structures and other opportunities to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills Provide good language role models for social interaction in learning activities When necessary, provide spoken and written, curriculum-specific, language models for EAL students e.g. writing frames Provide a secure, but intellectually challenging, learning environment Support Language development through sensitive and informative feedback on grammatical accuracy, social rules of use (formality, politeness etc) genre features and characteristics (narrative, reports etc) Promote language and study skills and attitudes that enable EAL students to become independent learners Encourage parents /carers participation in EAL students learning 1 QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the authors of A language in common: Assessing English as an additional language publication, National Curriculum 2000. EAL Students Page 6 of 8 26/11/2015
EAL Assessment/Record keeping and Information Transfer The initial assessment of EAL students level of English language acquisition is carried out at the beginning and end of the students introductory course at Bemrose Language Centre. The school maintains an EAL register and regularly (termly) assesses EAL students level of English development in 4 skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening, according to QCA levels, making a record of those assessments. That record for each student is maintained through their school career. Student EAL records are kept on class tracking results and in the EAL department. The QCA progress tracking is also available on the whole schools shared area. EAL records contain: Initial assessments from Bemrose Language Centre QCA progress tracking Termly EAL reassessments with all evidence Public examination results Support provisions Behavioural concerns and interventions Achievement records Teachers feedback on students progress Whole-School Practice When appropriate, the language and learning needs of EAL students are addressed in the school development plan. Curriculum planning (at all levels) takes account of the learning and support requirements of EAL students. All staff who teach and support EAL students understand their roles and responsibilities. EAL advisory, guidance and support materials are available in school. They are located in the EAL Department. Time is allocated to discuss issues related to EAL, including reviewing, planning and assessing work and progress. Advice is regularly sought from the Derby EAL Network and agreement reached as to how the school can most effectively support EAL students within the means available. Staff have opportunities for EAL professional development. EAL Students Page 7 of 8 26/11/2015
EAL and SEN In our school a distinction is made between students who are learning English as an additional language and students who are learning English as an additional language and have special educational needs. Appropriate time is made available for the SENCO and EAL staff to work together to respond to the requirements of EAL students with special educational needs. Home/School Links and the Use of Community Languages The school acts proactively to remove barriers to accessing school information and events, by working with the Secondary Strategy Team, which provides regular home/school support and some interpreting services. Some EAL possess relevant language skills, which ease communication with the students. EAL students are given opportunities, whenever possible, to enter for GCSE examination in their home languages. The range of languages in use in the school and local community is reflected and celebrated around the school. Policy Date: July 2015 Date of Review: July 2016 Approved by Governors: EAL Students Page 8 of 8 26/11/2015