EAL

EAL is defined as:   

‘A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.’ (DfE Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics July 2020) 

EAL children may be:  

• Newly arrived from a foreign country and school  

• Newly arrived from a foreign country, but an English-speaking school  

• Born abroad, but moved to the UK at some point before starting school  

• Born in the UK, but in a family where the main language is not English  

• Seeking Asylum or have refugee status  

EAL children will need varying levels of provision so that they can access all aspects of the curriculum. 

At Earlsdon Primary we currently have over 90 EAL children in school, who speak over 20 different languages. The top 3 languages spoken are Arabic, Bengali and Chinese (accurate as of academic year 2021-2022).  The languages of our school are celebrated through ‘Language of the term’. 

We aim to deliver a broad, balanced curriculum so that the needs of children for whom English is an additional language are met and that pupils reach their full potential. Through careful monitoring and assessment, we support EAL children who are at risk of under-achieving through specific language interventions. We value bilingualism as a positive and life-enriching asset and feel passionate that all children should feel welcome when arriving at school,  whatever their educational and cultural background.

Language of the Term

To promote our vision of enabling children to be responsible and successful global citizens and to celebrate the fabulous diversity of our school community, each term we celebrate a new language. There are over 30 different languages spoken by families at Earlsdon Primary! During each term, staff and children learn some basic phrases in the target language and use these around the school.