Supporting EAL New Arrivals

What do we do to support your child?

Here are some of the strategies we use in school to help children that are New to English:

EAL Buddies

A Buddy will:

• Speak the same language as the new child if possible (If this is not possible we choose a child that will model good English and is confident and friendly)
• Make the new child feel welcome
• Show the new child around the classroom and point out the important places for example: cloakroom, toilets, book bag box
• Introduce the new child to different friendship groups
• Explain learning activities to the new child
• Be a friend and check the new child is happy
• Feedback to the class teacher

Group activities 

• We work in small groups to learn in English in different ways with different adults. We like to use story books and creative activities to help us. We practise reading, writing, speaking and listening and Mathematics.

Language of the month 

• We explore a new language each month by learning key words and using these in different ways. We like to do the register in different languages!

A multicultural school

• Our school has lots of different cultures and faiths. We explore all of these and make sure the children understand the importance and significance of everyone’s cultures and beliefs. We celebrate all of these faiths in lots of different ways!

Experiences

• We try to provide the children with experiences they may not have come across so far. We do this through our English themes and the International Primary Curriculum.

Targets 

• The EAL Team and class teachers work together to track the children’s speaking and listening skills as well as there reading, writing and Mathematics skills. We then set targets that allow the children to take the next steps in their learning.

A language rich environment  

• As a school we make sure key vocabulary is taught and displayed around the classroom. We use lots of different visual resources to make sure all children can access the curriculum.

The EAL Toolkit  

• Staff at our school use the EAL toolkit to help them teach New to English children in lots of different ways!

What can you do to help your child at home?

Here are some top tips:

1. Read lots of books – make sure you explore the pictures and the story, encourage your child to name the different objects in the picture
2. Use the schools reading strategies – ‘Look at the first letter, make the sound, cross check with the picture’ or ‘Look at the letters, make the sounds, blend the sounds together.’
3. Explore the environment around you – go on walks and talk about what you can see
4. Play different language games – snap, pairs, Kim’s game
5. Encourage your child to talk as much as they can in English
6. Watch and listen to English stories