EMA
Intent
At Earlham Primary School we recognise that children who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) have particular strengths and needs. They often have a rich language experience and can use their skills in one language to enhance their understanding of another. With encouragement, literate EAL pupils will be able to transfer their skills, thereby assisting their literacy development in English. However, whilst acquiring English, EAL learners also need to be provided with opportunities that will support their access to the wider curriculum. The school will use a range of interventions to support children who join the school with low levels of English as well as classroom support and strategies as part of quality first teaching. We are committed to ensuring that provision is made to meet every child’s needs to ensure equal access to the curriculum and that children who are members of Ethnic Minority groups/have EAL achieve their full potential.
Overview and Implementation
Whilst pupils are acquiring English, we endeavour to ensure that the curriculum is accessible by:
- Developing schemes of work and curriculum plans that are culturally relevant to the school community and promote a positive attitude to linguistic and ethnic diversity.
- Teaching EAL pupils alongside monolingual peers in the mainstream classroom.
- Using accessible starting points and practical tasks in our teaching and activating prior knowledge.
- Using a range of visual support including real objects and graphic organisers to support understanding.
• Teacher modelling and scaffolding activities with ample opportunities for practice and refinement of skills.
We aim to assist EAL learners in their acquisition of English, their access to the broader curriculum and their social development by:
- Grouping EAL learners with competent English speakers.
- Providing good models of spoken English and encouraging improvement by example.
- Acknowledging literacy inaccuracies as developmental.
- Promoting the use of collaborative learning activities.
- Teacher modelling of language with ample opportunities for repetition.
- Focused speaking and listening activities.
- Scaffolding writing, reading and recording.
- Providing consistent visual aids
- Utilising the Learning Village language scheme