Red Oak Primary School, Lowestoft

EAL at Red Oak

Intent

Red Oak Primary School is committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for all pupils. Our curriculum determines and underpins the whole ethos of our school. At Red Oak, our aim is to ensure that all new students, including those with English as an additional language, settle quickly into school life; are encouraged to participate in the daily routines which will assist in their development of the academic aspects use of English and the use of language as a social interaction.

We recognise that the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and wellbeing of all children are important and we celebrate the fact that a number of our children speak more than one language. Children who are learning English as an additional language have skills and knowledge about language similar to monolingual English-speaking children and their ability to participate in the full curriculum may be in advance of their communicative skills in English.

Implementation

Our EAL children are assessed on entry to the school and throughout their time with us. This helps us to establish their initial level of understanding and to set targets which will ensure progress. From that point the children’s Speaking; Listening and Understanding; Reading and Writing are reassessed regularly and new targets are set as required. Those children who are new to English may be assessed on a more regular basis, in order to keep a closer eye on their progress, and to ensure that their targets are constantly updated, in the expectation that they will make rapid progress once they are exposed on a daily basis, to the English language.

Impact

Because of our early and ongoing intervention, children are supported in their learning, at appropriate levels across their primary career. Our EAL assessment and monitoring procedures facilitate the children’s learning in all other areas of the curriculum. By the time pupils leave Red Oak, they are able to establish and conduct a conversation in English with English peers and to access the parts of the curriculum that underpins their future learning.

While we enable our EAL children to excel, they enrich our school through their different cultures, religions, languages and their experiences of the world. They become valuable and valued members of our school community, taking an active part in both school and after-school activities.

How we are currently continuing to improve EAL at Red Oak:

• The Bell Foundation assessment materials will be utilised to inform target setting and planning.
• Termly monitoring of the four domains of language will assess progress. 
• EAL Hub expert materials will be used to assist in teaching.
• Targeted interventions provided by an expert EAL tutor will ensure that new to English pupils will make good progress with language acquisition.