English as an Additional Language
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
At Britannia, we are proud of the rich diversity within our school community and warmly welcome pupils who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL). We are lucky to have links to 20 different countries and 25 different languages through our children.
We believe that every language is valuable, and we celebrate the different cultures, experiences and perspectives that our children bring to school. We recognise that learning English takes time and that pupils can thrive academically while developing their English language skills.
We work closely with families to ensure that pupils feel welcomed, supported and valued from the moment they join our school. We also encourage children to take pride in their home language and cultural heritage, recognising the many benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism.
Our commitment to the 4Rs: Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Reflection is at the heart of our approach. We show Respect by celebrating different languages and cultures, encourage Responsibility through active participation in learning, develop Resilience as children gain confidence in using English, and promote Reflection by encouraging pupils to think about their learning, recognise their progress and identify ways to continue developing their language and communication skills.
We are committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of their first language, feel safe, included and able to achieve their full potential.
How are EAL pupils supported at Britannia?
Our staff provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment where pupils are encouraged to participate fully in all aspects of school life. Through high-quality teaching, visual resources, practical learning experiences and opportunities for talk and discussion, we help children develop confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English.
Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) are assessed using the national English proficiency framework across the four key language domains of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Assessment information is used to monitor progress and identify appropriate levels of support to ensure pupils can access the curriculum and achieve their full potential.
Support for EAL pupils is tailored to individual needs and may include the use of scaffolded resources, such as sentence stems, writing frames, vocabulary banks, visual aids and dual-language materials, to promote increasing independence in learning. New vocabulary may be introduced through pre-teaching activities to help pupils understand key concepts before lessons. Additional strategies may include targeted small-group or individual support, opportunities for structured talk and collaborative learning, the use of visual timetables and practical resources, teacher modelling of language, repetition and reinforcement of key vocabulary, and adapted classroom activities that support language development alongside curriculum learning. Our EAL pupils are also supported through our Young Interpreter Scheme, where required.
We recognise and value the linguistic and cultural strengths that EAL pupils bring to our school community and strive to create an inclusive environment in which all children feel confident, supported and able to succeed.
Young Interpreter Scheme
The Young Interpreter Scheme® provides peer support to pupils who are learning English as an Additional Language. This benefit pupils who are new to English and EAL pupils who need support with their English.
What is it?
The Young Interpreter Scheme offers training for learners aged 5-16 to develop the skills
needed to help new arrivals with English as an Additional Language feel welcome and settled in their new school environment. The scheme also develops the confidence, communication and leadership skills of the Young Interpreters. For schools it’s a way of celebrating diversity and multilingualism.
Who are Young Interpreters?
Making the scheme available to both bilingual and monolingual learners is very powerful in developing empathy amongst English speakers towards some of the challenges and difficulties that pupils new to English may be facing. Therefore, our Young Interpreters can be speakers of English only or speakers of other languages.