EAL
Here at St. James’ we are proud to welcome families from a wealth of different cultures and backgrounds, and we greatly value the rich diversity of our school community. We have pupils from all around the world and lots of different languages spoken, and therefore support for pupils with EAL is an integral part of our school.
Our pupils are all learning English at different stages, and teaching and learning in school reflects this. We want all of our pupils to become fluent in English – both at a social and an academic level, and we value the extent that families contribute to this.
Our Aim
St James’ Lanehead CofE (VA) Primary School aims to:
- Welcome the cultural, linguistic and educational experiences pupils with EAL contribute to the school.
- Ensure strategies are in place to support pupils with EAL.
- Enable pupils 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 pupils with EAL.
- Assess the skills and needs of pupils 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 pupils with EAL.
- Use all available resources to raise the attainment of pupils with EAL.
- Systematically monitor pupils’ 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 pupils with EAL are acknowledged for their skills in their own languages.
All pupils need to feel safe and secure, accepted and valued in order to learn. This includes valuing every learner’s home language and background. As a school we recognise that bilingualism is a strength that pupils with EAL should be proud of. As a school we recognise that it is important to raise an awareness of the different languages and cultural backgrounds our pupils have. Classrooms are socially and intellectually inclusive at St James’, valuing cultural differences.
Useful Websites
There are lots of valuable online resources that can help support learning English as an additional language, but please don’t forget the home language. A strong home language is absolutely crucial in helping pupils to learn English.