We are excited to introduce our EAL Team for this academic year. Our role is to support Primary students, who are learning English as an Additional Language and help them develop the language and confidence they need to access the curriculum, participate in learning and share their ideas.
We will be working closely with students and teachers across the school, with a focus on the four key language areas:
Speaking – developing confidence and communicating ideas
Listening – understanding instructions, discussions and classroom language
Reading – developing vocabulary, comprehension and literacy skills
Writing – expressing ideas clearly and developing academic language
Working Together – EAL support is most effective when we work together. Our team will collaborate with classroom teachers to:
- Identify students’ language strengths and areas for development
- Provide targeted small-group and individual language support
- Share practical strategies and resources with teachers
- Support teachers in making classroom learning accessible for EAL students
- Develop students’ academic and social language
- Monitor student progress and celebrate their achievements
- Help students become increasingly confident and independent learners
We also want to build a whole-school approach to EAL, where every classroom is a language-rich environment and every student feels that their home language and cultural background are valued.
How Can I Support My Child?
Language development happens everywhere, not just in the classroom. Small, everyday opportunities to use English can make a big difference. Read together – Encourage your child to read regularly and talk about the story, pictures, characters and new words.Talk, talk, talk! – Ask about their day, interests and opinions. Encourage them to explain their ideas and answer in complete sentences. Listen to English – Stories, audiobooks, songs and age-appropriate programs can help develop listening skills, pronunciation and vocabulary. Write for real purposes – Shopping lists, messages, labels, short diary entries or writing about something they enjoy are all valuable opportunities to practice. Keep using your home language – Your child’s first language is a strength! Talking, reading and discussing ideas in your home language helps build knowledge that can support English development too. Most importantly, encourage and praise – Don’t worry about mistakes. Encourage your child to have a go, use new words and communicate their ideas with confidence.
Our goal is simple: to help every EAL student feel confident, included and empowered to SHINE.
We are looking forward to working alongside our students, teachers and families throughout the year!
Meet the EAL Team:
Roshell Willis and Sarah Cooper