English as an Additional Language (EAL)

At Bignold Primary School, we are extremely proud to be a vibrant, multilingual community. This year, 50% of our pupils speak English as an Additional Language (EAL). Our school community represents a rich tapestry of cultures, languages and lived experiences and we celebrate this every single day.

EAL is not just something we ‘support’ - it is something we celebrate at Bignold. Our pupils’ languages strengthen our school identity, enrich classroom discussion, and help create a global outlook from an early age.

50% of our pupils bring a language other than English into our school.
Our community speaks approximately 50 languages.
Pupils’ languages are valued as strengths that help them succeed academically, socially and culturally.

The Department for Education defines a pupil’s first language as any language other than English that a child was exposed to during early development and continues to hear at home or in their community. If a child grew up with more than one language (including English), but one of those languages is not English, the non‑English language should be recorded as their first language, regardless of how fluent they are in English now.

Please ask for an interpreter! We can provide this service face to face, online or over the phone.

Our universal offer:

Strategies used to support children with EAL include:

Using visuals when introducing new vocabulary
Displays to support learning
Instructions given in small chunks
The use of scaffolds and prompts
Labelled resources including picture symbols
Visual timetables to guide through the day
Lots of speaking opportunities, including talk partners

Where needed, we can provide access to PenPals in a range of languages. These play back audio when they touch printed books, posters and stickers, giving a multisensory reading experience.

Young Interpreters

At Bignold Primary School, we are proud to participate in the Young Interpreter Scheme®. The scheme provides peer support to pupils and families who are international new arrivals and who are learning English as an Additional Language.

Our school community speaks around 50 languages and over 50% of our children have English as an additional language. As a school, we have huge potential for pupils of all ages to use their skills and knowledge to support new learners of English so that they feel safe, settled and valued from the start.

All our Young Interpreters undergo specific training to prepare for their important role and are selected on the basis of different personal qualities they may have. Our Young Interpreters at Bignold range from year 1 to year 6 and help children in the school who are new to English feel that they belong. Young Interpreters meet 2/3 times a half term to continue to develop their skills.

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Top tips to support at home:

Talk to your child regularly. Ask questions, share stories and play games! This will help your child to develop knowledge, language and vocabulary.

Show that all languages spoken are of value! Children who speak their home language well can explore ideas and think in both languages, increasing their confidence in learning. We encourage parents to speak and read at home in their first language.

Useful links:

World Stories is a growing collection of stories from around the world. The collection includes retold traditional tales and new short stories in the languages most spoken by UK children

WorldStories

Unite for Literacy is designed for children to experience the joy and power of books
on their path to becoming a lifelong reader. They offer a selection of books which can be narrated in a range of languages.

Unite for Literacy

If you would like support to develop your English, the British Council offer some free courses:

Learn English Online | British Council