The Inclusion Service EAL practitioners and teachers provide support to children and young people who are learning English as an additional language.
Their aims are:
- To support EAL learners to access the National Curriculum at an age appropriate level
- To support EAL learners in their acquisition of English language skills across the curriculum
- To assess and monitor progress in developing English as an additional language for all pupils receiving EAL support at both primary and secondary phase
- To develop partnership teaching and other appropriate methods of supporting EAL learners
- To provide training for subject/class teachers in strategies that will address the needs of EAL learners
- To support EAL learners through their first language, wherever possible, and signpost interpreting services to schools and parents of EAL learners.
Planning and working together
Within the Inclusion Service there are a small number of teachers and bilingual practitioners.
Bilingual practitioners have an important role to play in liaising with families to assist with the admissions process, ensuring that schools have clear information about pupils’ previous educational experiences. This then enables class teachers to plan for children’s continuing linguistic, cognitive and academic learning in mainstream classes.
The EAL teachers support mainstream teachers with differentiating planning to enable EAL pupils to access the national curriculum and continue to develop cognitively, academically, linguistically and socially.
Training is offered to all schools to develop teachers’ and teaching assistants’ skills in meeting the needs of pupils learning EAL. This can be tailored to meet the needs of the school.
Schools with higher numbers of EAL pupils may have support on a more regular, continuing basis in order to meet the needs of later stage learners as well as new arrivals. This support is negotiated with the Area Team Managers and the Inclusion consultant.
How pupils get support
The school will complete a FSM01 referral form and ask for a parental signature to confirm that consent for involvement from the Inclusion Team has been given.
Usually support from a bilingual practitioner will be offered. We will endeavour to offer first language support where this is possible. This is usually for a limited period and is reviewed to determine whether further sessions are required. Alternatively, or in addition, an advisory visit may be offered by the Inclusion consultant or teachers.
Record keeping
The Inclusion teachers and practitioners for EAL maintain and update language development records for the pupils they are involved with using the NASSEA language development criteria. These are shared with mainstream class teachers. Reports on progress are written at the end of the academic year, or when a programme of support finishes.
Contact us:
Inclusion Team (EAL)
1st Floor, New Town House
Buttermarket Street
Warrington, WA1 2NJ
Judith Hackett - tel: 01925 443151(email: jhackett@warrington.gov.uk) or
Janna Welsby - tel: 07718 193220 (email: janna.welsby@serco.com)