EAL – English as an Additional Language

The type of help and support we offer depends on a number of factors, including the length of previous education, whether the student is literate in their first language, their level of English and how long they have been in the UK.  The department has a number of interventions in place to support our students and some of these are:

• Key Stage 3 Induction Course – a course for newly arrived students which covers all the National Curriculum subjects, except Religious Education.
• Mentoring – staff in the department offer individual support to our students, ensuring they are able to successfully manage their work with support.
• Community Language Examinations – Please see Ms Feeney for more information on sitting community languages exams.
  These exams can only be taken in Year 11, however, practice papers can be provided in Year 10.
• Support Materials – The EAL department offers support by purchasing key revision materials for students to use at home.  Also, there is a range of dictionaries available for students to use in school, during lessons, including Picture Dictionaries.  Additionally, a range of books and texts are available for students to borrow.

If your child is literate in his/her first language, it is important that you continue to support them in using/developing your home language.  You can help your child by using your home language to discuss school work and also to encourage them to read newspapers in both your home language and in English.  Some of the most successful EAL students are those who are literate in their first language.