English as an additional language
Provision for schools in Northumberland with pupils on roll for whom English is an additional language (EAL) is part of the Cultural Diversity in Education Strategy.
A number of key documents have been published about teaching EAL learners, and they can be viewed and downloaded to print here.
Definition of EAL
English as an additional language (EAL) is the expression used in the UK to refer to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. The term bilingual is also commonly used to describe EAL pupils.
A newly arrived EAL pupil is assumed to have very little or no English at all. An advanced learner is one whose social English is fluent but who still needs support to develop their cognitive and academic language proficiency.
EAL pupils are not a homogenous group, nor do they arrive conveniently at the beginning of term times, nor do they necessarily give any warning of their arrival to schools. Providing the right kind of support at the right time to schools and therefore individuals is an on-going challenge.
EAL learners in Northumberland
Many of the EAL pupils in Northumberland are isolated bilingual learners. That means that they are learners whose first language is not English and who are learning in schools and settings where few (if any) of the other pupils share their first language. These learners are not a homogenous group. They have different linguistic, educational, ethnic, religious, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
They require specific support and have the same rights to an inclusive education as any other child learning in a school setting.
Support to schools with EAL pupils
A flexible and needs-based service has been developed which provides time-limited packages of support to schools whilst simultaneously building individual capacity through training, guidance and web-based resource development.
The aim is to raise standards, and that means focussing on teaching and learning rather than on developing central banks of resources.
The role of the EAL consultant
Sessions of consultant support will be allocated depending on:
- when the EAL pupil(s) arrived in the UK
- the year group of the EAL pupils(s)
- the number of EAL pupils requiring support in each school
- the level of English assessed using the QCA extended scales
- the deployment of teaching assistants/support available in the school, and
- the number of sessions of consultant support already delivered in a school.
Intervention strategies include targets for improvement, and all reviews will be based on evidence to assess the impact of the package.
