English as an Additional Language (EAL)

The term 'EAL' is used to describe a diverse group of learners who speak English as an Additional Language and are exposed to another language. At Christ Church, we believe that an additional language is a valuable asset to your child’s education. We recognise and value the home languages and backgrounds of the pupils who are learning English as an additional language. We strongly believe that children should be proud of the languages they speak and we celebrate and recognise the diversity that we have within our school.

Christ Church EAL Policy

Enhanced Admissions Process

At Christ Church, we understand that starting a new school can be daunting. Our rigorous admissions process allows us to obtain in-depth information about each child, so that our EAL leaners are supported effectively the moment they enter the school. The information obtained, allows us to personalise the provisions that we put in place for each individual learner to create a smooth and transition into the school. Upon entry to school, all parents/carers are invited to discuss their child’s prior education to provide an accurate profile of their child. If necessary, a translator will be sought. Mrs Phillips, our EAL Lead, and class teachers will liaise with the parents/carers of newly arrived children with EAL to ascertain prior experience of English and first language competence. We also work closely with Wirral Minority Ethnic Advisory Service (MEAS), which is an invaluable service liaising between school and home to assess children's learning, act as consultants and support the admission of new arrivals. For more information about MEAS, please click here.

Transition Policy

Language Buddies

At Christ Church, we also have a group of pupils that act as 'Language Buddies', who welcome new children with EAL and meet with them regularly to make sure that they are settling in well at school. 'Language Buddies' will be of a similar age to our new arrivals and will be able to model good language and linguistic knowledge and behaviour expectations. All our 'Language Buddies' are reliable and friendly and will confidently include our new pupils in classroom activities, as well as promoting friendship, social and emotional well-being.

Please meet our Language Buddies below:

Language Buddies (ID 1322)

Najwa

Bangla

Najwa

I am looking forward to being a language buddy because i am excited to be able to help my new friend if they have any questions.
Irene

Malayalam

Irene

I am excited to be a language buddy because I love to speak different languages.
Jayce

Yoruba

Jayce

I enjoy helping people.
Eliyanah

Shona

Eliyanah

I want to make new friends in our school.
Kimberley

Yoruba

Kimberley

I enjoy speaking my other language and I enjoy helping people.
Muntadar

Arabic

Muntadar

I want to help new people in our school if they don't speak English.
Artenisa

Albanian

Artenisa

I want to be a language buddy because I like learning languages.
Fathima

Malayalam

Fathima

I want to be a language buddy because it’s so interesting to learn more languages.
Nanki

Punjabi

Nanki

I want to teach people and help them.
Lilia

Russian

Lilia

I want to be a language buddy because I like to help people learn and be really good at my language.
Hanna

Polish

Hanna

I want to be a language buddy because I like learning new languages.
Rhama

Tamil

Rhama

I want to be a language buddy because I like helping people when they can’t speak English.
Lucas

Spanish

Lucas

I will make people feel welcome at our school
Nanki

Punjabi

Nanki

If someone who speaks Punjabi moves to our school I can help them to feel welcome.
Chipo

Shona

Chipo

If someone moves schools and their English isn’t strong I can help to support them.
Lucas

Spanish & Romanian

Lucas

I’d like to teach people how to speak my languages.
Jorge

Spanish

Jorge

I want to celebrate my language with other people.
Eswar

Malayalam

Eswar

I love learning languages and I want to show other people that they can too.
Abeeth

Sinhala

Abeeth

I love helping people. If someone from my country comes and they don’t speak English, I can help them feel welcome.
Aradhya

Malayalam

Aradhya

I want to help people that speak Malayalam understand what their teachers are saying.
Lida

Sorani

Lida

I want to be a language buddy because I can help people learn English and make them feel happy here.
Senolee

Sinhala

Senolee

I am very excited to be a Language Buddy because if anyone wants to speak or understand a bit more than English I can help them!
Stephen

Yoruba

Stephen

I am very excited to be a Language Buddy because I can help people speak Yoruba or Enaumai.
Agnes

Malayalam

Agnes

I am really looking forward to being Language Buddy and help people understand my own culture.
Talin

Portuguese & Arabic

Talin

I am excited to be a Language Buddy because if someone new comes to the school and if they can speak one of my languages, I can help them.

Supporting Your Child at Christ Church

EAL Teaching Principles at Christ Church

Support with transition in which peers play a central role in supporting and facilitating integration for new pupils;
Communicate effectively with home to improving the outcomes of EAL learners and support new families to be part of the school community;
Ensure the learner understands what to do for their home learning tasks.
Make class letters/school information accessible through the use of clear language and short sentences;
Use specific resources and manipulatives such as books and dictionaries in other languages and vocabulary resources and visual prompts;
Seek support from external agencies in Wirral, such as Minority Ethnic Advisory Service (MEAS);
Use of visuals in the form of pictures, photographs to help make sense of new information;
Develop language acquisition through key phrases rather than key words.

EAL Across the Curriculum at Christ Church

During their time at our school, our pupils with EAL are closely monitored for their progress in the curriculum and the acquisition of English. Pupils with EAL will undertake an initial assessment with MEAS and this information subsequently informs the EAL support that we put in place for each child. The assessment outcome is used to inform teaching strategies within the classroom and develop bespoke support intervention.

We aim to provide the majority of support in the classroom, so that children feel engaged as a member of the class and receive teacher-modelled language. In class we use visual aids, bi-lingual dictionaries and translation devices, at a level our children can access to support their learning. We will also support your child by placing them next to a great model of English in the classroom and our curriculum, resourcing and lesson delivery will also provide a rich language environment for your child. For EAL learners, as with other groups of learners, our teachers adapt their lessons accordingly, to ensure all learners get the most out of their lessons and can achieve their full potential.

Supporting EAL Across the Curriculum

EAL Interventions at Christ Church

All children new to English will take part in an personalised programme for phonics and reading and this enables our children to make rapid progress in their language acquisition.

English as an Additional Language Intensive Programme (EALIP) interventions are delivered several times per week to identified children with EAL. EALIP is a structured language programme designed to support children who are learning English as an additional language.
EALIP activities are stimulating and engaging and support children through addressing specific grammar weaknesses and builds English language acquisition.

Additional intervention support is designed to facilitate pre-teaching, closing of gaps and confidence building for our EAL pupils. We use a variety of resources to support our pupils, including home language and bilingual books.

Supporting Your Child at Home

Using Your First Language

At Christ Church, we recognise that it is very important for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) to continue to use their first language at home.

First languages help families share values, traditions and cultural identities. If children can speak and write in their first language, they can make new friends in their community and keep in touch with family and friends in their own country or region.

Speaking another language can also help with the acquisition of the English language, because the application of grammar and pronunciation in a first language is also beneficial to English grammar and pronunciation.

Speaking more than one language improves thinking skills, memory and brain health. Furthermore, employers value people who are good at languages, opening up future job opportunities.

FAQs on Bilingualism

Supporting Home Learning

Help your child with their home learning and homework:
- ask your child questions and talk about the topics studied in your first language
- encourage your child to use a bilingual dictionary to translate words
- encourage your child to write down any new words in English and/or their first language to help them remember them
- encourage your child to ask their teachers if they do not understand something
Read with your child at home. Reading in any language is a valuable skill. Reading together in either your home language or in English is one of the best things you can do to help your child progress in their learning.
Join a class to help you improve your English. Some schools run English classes for parents. You can find ESOL classes in your local Further Education College. If you can't join a class, or want to learn independently, you can find English practice from the British Council by clicking here.

Guidance for Parents

The Bell Foundation has created short, easy to understand guides about helping children to learn. They have been written for parents of students who speak English as an Additional Language:

Guidance for Parents - Arabic

Guidance for Parents - Bengali

Guidance for Parents - Bulgarian

Guidance for Parents - English

Guidance for Parents - Urdu

EAL and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)

MEAS can also help to ascertain whether a child with EAL has a special educational need, or whether the language barrier is holding their progress back. Children with EAL can have a range of cognitive skills and aptitude for language. It is also possible for an EAL pupil to struggle with diagnosed (or undiagnosed) learning difficulties, including dyslexia, ADD/ADHD or a motor skills difficulty like dyspraxia. English is a particularly tricky language for learners with dyslexia to master given its irregularities.

Communication with Parents

Upon entry to school, all parents/carers are invited to discuss their child’s prior education to provide an accurate profile of their child. If necessary, a translator will be sought. Class teachers will liaise with the parents/carers of newly arrived children with EAL to ascertain prior experience of English and first language competence. Newsletters and other written materials will take account of whether the family understand communications in English. Parents/carers are informed through progress report meetings and informal meetings of progress and any issues of concern. Parents/carers will be supported through workshops, 1:1 meeting, reading materials and coffee mornings.