English as an Additional Language
Intent – EAL at Hindhayes
Recent research to inform practice: In September 2019, the ‘School Inspection Handbook’ was released by Ofsted with a clear shift of focus on language and vocabulary acquisition for all pupils. This was further supported by the previously released Ofsted guidance video entitled ‘Vocabulary and Reading’ in December 2018. In the handbook it mentions that schools have a ‘sharp focus on ensuring that younger children gain phonics knowledge and language comprehension necessary to read, and the skills to communicate’. Alongside this Ofsted are looking for a ‘sharp focus on ensuring that children acquire a wide vocabulary’. Ofsted emphasise the importance of teachers modelling their own good use of language and vocabulary, ensuring they are reading to children, introducing new concepts with new vocabulary. They mention the idea that early years children need to develop vocabulary to use across the curriculum and how this is successfully achieved through stories, poems, rhymes, and non-fiction being regularly read to children. In the Ofsted video ‘Vocabulary and Reading’ Ofsted advise that educational programmes are set-up to focus on increasing children’s vocabulary, their understanding of words and their ability to use words in different contexts. They state the best way of developing vocabulary is by having a broad and rich curriculum and that it is essential that teachers know what vocabulary is going to be taught within this. Proven research states that the wider the vocabulary of a pupil, the more academic success they will achieve.
Developing EAL learners at Hindhayes: We aim to settle the children into school life as soon as possible and to encourage them to take part in daily routines and structures which will help them to develop an understanding of the academic aspects of English as well as the use of our language as a social interaction. We work with parents/careers to ensure a smooth transition into school, to carry out an entry interview to find out details about the child’s past school experiences, their preferred methods of learning, their previous exposure to English, and any traumatic experiences the children might have had. We celebrate the fact that a rising number of children attending Hindhayes school speak more than one language and take account of each child’s life experiences and needs when planning our curriculum. We acknowledge that children who are learning English as an additional language have skills and knowledge about language similar to monolingual English-speaking children and that their ability to participate in the full curriculum may be in advance to their communicative skills in English.
Read the full EAL curriuclum statement which is downloadable below.
