English as an Additional Language

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Statement of intent

In this policy, the term ‘English as an Additional Language’ (EAL) refers to young people whose main language at home is a language other than English.

Young People with EAL will face various difficulties throughout their academic life. A young persons aptitude for English will vary, but many will face barriers to learning, accessing the curriculum and reaching their full potential. Young people with EAL must learn in and through another language. In addition, they may come from different cultural backgrounds to their peers and face different expectations of language, education and learning.

This policy has been established to ensure all young people with EAL at the school are given the best chance possible to reach their full potential.
GEM School Hereford aims to:

• Welcome the cultural, linguistic, and educational experiences young people with EAL contribute to the school.
• Ensure strategies are in place to support young people with EAL.
• Enable young people with EAL to become confident, and to acquire the language skills needed to reach their full academic potential.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Provide a welcoming atmosphere for newly arrived young people with EAL.
• Assess the skills and needs of young people with EAL.
• Gather accurate information regarding children’s backgrounds, cultures and abilities.
• Equip teachers and support staff with the necessary skills, resources and knowledge to support young people with EAL.
• Use all available resources to raise the attainment of young people with EAL.
• Systematically monitor progress and adapt policies and procedures accordingly.
• Ensure all children’s languages, cultures and identities are represented in classrooms and throughout the school.
• Maximise opportunities to model the fluent use of English.
• Ensure young people with EAL are acknowledged for their skills in their own languages.

Legal framework

This policy has due regard to legislation and guidance including, but not limited to, the following:

• Childcare Act 2006
• Education Act 2002
• The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
• Data Protection Act 2018
• DfE (2014) ‘The Equality Act and schools’
• DfE (2018) ‘Promoting the education of looked after children and previously looked after children’
• DfE (2018) ‘Equality Act 2010: advice for schools’
• DfE (2018) ‘Mental health and wellbeing provision in schools’

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following school policies:

• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy
• Supporting Students with Medical Conditions Policy
• Admissions Policy
• LAC Policy
• Anti-bullying Policy
• Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Roles and responsibilities

The governing board and the board of directors will have overall responsibility for the implementation of this policy.  

The headteacher will be responsible for:

• Ensuring that those who are teaching or working with young with EAL are aware of their needs and have arranGEMents in place to meet them.
• Ensuring that teachers monitor and review progress during the academic year.
• Appointing a member of staff to lead on the school’s approach to supporting young people with EAL.
• Providing the EAL lead with sufficient administrative support and time away from teaching to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities.
• Ensuring that procedures and policies for the day-to-day running of the school do not directly or indirectly discriminate against young people with EAL.
• Ensuring that the approach to the curriculum includes how it is made accessible for young people with EAL.

The EAL lead will be responsible for:

• The induction of newly arrived young people.
• Conducting initial assessments of young people with EAL.
• Teaching small groups of young people with EAL and providing classroom support.
• Liaising with teaching staff on support for young people with EAL.
• Advising on strategies to support and include young people with EAL and on ways to differentiate work for young people with EAL.
• Encouraging and supporting young people to maintain and develop their first language.
• Facilitating use of first language national examinations.
• Developing relationships between the school and parents of young people with EAL.
• Securing and providing training to ensure staff development.
• Acting as consultants to staff on language-related issues and equal opportunity and race equality issues.
• Ensuring continuity of support and maintaining contact with other professionals involved, as well as parents and young people.
• Working closely with the SENCO to develop individual transition plans tailored to the specific needs of children with additional needs.

All staff members will be responsible for:

• Ensuring all written work includes the technical requirements of language as well as the meaning.
• Providing a good model of spoken English.
• Where possible, using a variety of types of text to explore their subject and through the varied use of English.
• Ensuring the inclusion of young people with EAL in their classrooms.
• Identifying young people with EAL who are experiencing difficulties and ensuring intervening measures are taken to aid the pupil.
• Planning activities that aim to ease young people’s anxieties and make them feel prepared for their next stage of learning.

Support

Where a young person with EAL is assessed as having little to no English, support will be provided in the form of induction classes. These classes focus on practical, everyday English. During the induction period, typically lasting six weeks but varying dependant on the young persons progress, they will still take part in PE, art and maths classes.

In-class support and small group work is utilised as soon as the young person can be successfully integrated into the classroom environment. The young person will still spend time with their intervention teacher on a daily basis. 

Inclusion

The school utilises a strategy of inclusion, and the positive and effective use of language. The strategy includes the following principles:

• There is an understanding throughout the school, for both staff and young people, that a limited knowledge of English does not reflect a lack of ability or knowledge. Appreciating a young person’s ability to speak their own first language is essential for building their confidence and self-esteem.
• The language development of young people is the responsibility of the entire school community.
• Diversity will be valued, and classrooms will be socially inclusive.
• Teachers will be knowledgeable about young people’s abilities in English and use their knowledge to inform lesson planning and schemes of work may be rewritten to accommodate low levels of English, whilst maintaining the subject content and level of challenge.

Initial assessments

When young people first join the school, they will undertake a timely initial assessment to gauge their English abilities in an informal manner that does not make the pupil feel isolated or inferior.

The assessment will be carried out using the form provided in Appendix 1.

Initial assessments are carried out by the EAL lead, and completed assessments are held on the young person’s profile.

Teachers of the young person will be allowed access to the assessment to inform their teaching and lesson planning. The young person and their parents may view the assessment at any time.

Classroom practice

Teachers have high expectations of all students.

Classroom activities will be matched to students’ needs and abilities with visual supports being utilised where possible.

Teachers will consider common misconceptions and language barriers, such as reading ‘3 x 3’, where ‘x’ is read as the letter and not a function and clarify meanings accordingly.

Where possible, the following practices will be utilised to improve students’ literacy:

• Utilisation of the pupil’s first language expertise.
• The provision of writing frames.
• The use of props.

Language skills will be developed through:

• Collaborative activities involving spoken communication.
• Feedback opportunities and conversations.
• Good models provided by peers.

Active participation will be encouraged by:

• Grouping students in mixed ability groups to develop language skills.
• ‘Expert’ readers and writers present in each group to provide assistance and model language.

Classroom displays will reflect cultural and linguistic diversity.
Assessment methods will allow students to show what they can do in all curriculum areas.
Bilingual dictionaries are available to aid students with EAL and dual language textbooks are available and used where possible.
Prior to any private tuition or one-to-one support, the pupil is informed of the purpose of the session and the objectives.

Access to the curriculum

The needs of students with EAL are considered by teachers when planning lessons. When planning lessons, teachers will ensure that:

• The language and learning demands of the curriculum are analysed and support is provided.
• Visual support is utilised to provide greater understanding of key concepts.
• There are opportunities for students to use their first language in the classroom.
• The support requirements of students with EAL are identified and the support is made available.

Working with parents

Liaison with parents is vital to the creation of a strong home and school partnership, which can ensure the development of students with EAL. To aid this partnership, the school will:

• Actively seek to put parents at ease by providing a welcoming environment conducive to productive discussions.
• Provide interpreters for meetings when needed.
• Ensure the language used in letters to parents is clear and straightforward.
• Where appropriate, have teachers read through the letter with students before sending the letter home, to ensure the message is clear.
• Where necessary, ensure translations of school documents are carried out and provided to parents of students with EAL. 
• Encourage parents to attend parents’ evenings and participate in school functions.
• Invite parents to school to help with class activities, such as cooking, reading and class outings, where appropriate.
• Encourage parents to become involved with homework through shared reading schemes and language-based homework.
• Plan activities in a way that ensures they do not clash with religious/community commitments.

Students with SEND

A child is not regarded to have SEND solely because their home language is different from the language in which they are taught at school.

A proportion of students with EAL may have one or more types of SEND and it is imperative that this is identified at an early stage. Assessments of SEN of students with EAL will involve EAL specialists along with SEND specialists.

Where appropriate, the school will arrange an assessment in the child’s first language and SEND support will be decided on an individual basis in the manner outlined within the school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy.

The school will ensure that the parents or carers of a pupil with SEND are not prevented from presenting their views throughout the process and are clearly informed at every stage.

Monitoring and review

The effectiveness of this policy will be monitored continually by the headteacher and the governing board and the board of directors of GEM Hereford. Any necessary amendments will be made immediately.

The next scheduled review date for this policy is stated on the version control rubric found of the front cover of this policy.

The school will establish a monitoring system that is backed up by performance measures and this will be reviewed following an incident.

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