OUTWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOLEnglish as an additional language
Outwood is an inclusive school community with high aspirations for all. We provide a broad and balanced curriculum that is carefully thought through so that it meets the needs of all our children and is relevant to the diverse backgrounds that makes up our community.The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and the National Curriculum are our starting points for planning which meets the specific needs of individuals and groups of children. When planning, teachers set suitable learning challenges and respond to children’s diverse learning needs. Some children have EAL requirements that could create barriers to learning.
The term “EAL” is used to describe a diverse and heterogeneous group of learners who speak English as an Additional Language. In England, such learners are defined as those who have been ‘exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English’ (Department for Education, 2019). More than 300 languages are spoken by children in the English education system with Polish, Panjabi, Urdu, Bengali (with Sylheti and Chatgaya), Gujarati and Arabic being the languages spoken the most in England after English (2011 British census). Here at Outwood, we celebrate our children and adults who speak over 16 different languages.
We have a large number of pupils who are fully bilingual and, in some cases, multilingual, as well as many who are developing bilinguals i.e. they are fully proficient in their first language and are developing skills in English. Every year, we also welcome pupils who are new to English. At Outwood we want all pupils to be aware of the richness and diversity of languages within the school, and we aim to ensure that bilingual pupils feel that their bilingualism is recognised as a very positive asse
Everyone within the Outwood community celebrate the importance of pupils continuing to use their own language at the same time as developing English skills. Research has shown that it is important for pupils developing English skills to maintain their home language. Skills and concepts develop in the first language and are then transferred to the new language. Language is a vital part of our identity and important for self-esteem.
There are some excellent websites which EAL pupils and their families can access to develop their English language skills.