Notes from EAL Co-ordinators’ Meeting November 2008

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EMAS update

• Numbers of new arrivals speaking English as an additional language (EAL) continue to rise – 309 since September 2008.
• EMAS are offering schools advice, guidance and training on the New Arrivals Excellence Programme materials produced recently by the government.
• EMAS has produced an Induction Guidance Pack for schools giving advice on procedures for admission, information that needs to be collected and suggesting strategies for class teachers for welcoming and settling new arrivals learning EAL. This has been emailed to all schools and is also available on the EMAS website

EAL or SEN?

• This is a difficult area where pupils are sometimes over identified i.e. underachievement is assumed to be because the pupil has learning difficulties when in fact the progress is slow due to the pupil’s lack of English. Or pupils are under identified i.e. SEN issues are not identified early enough because underachievement is assumed to be because the pupil is learning EAL.
• Several publications were discussed which can help schools to identify whether problems are due to EAL or SEN (see bibliography below).
• Ways of identifying pupils who are underachieving were discussed including mapping progress against expected progress of pupils learning EAL.

Resources

• New materials from Cricksoft were demonstrated. Software using Clicker 5 – At School, At Home and In the Street – are aimed at pupils with very little English to help them learn basic vocabulary and short phrases and to begin to learn reading and writing skills. These materials may be useful for schools that have a number of pupils new to English (for further information see ·www.learninggrids.com)

Maths and EAL

• Michael Park looked at the language of maths that can prove confusing for pupils learning EAL e.g. subject specific vocabulary, general vocabulary that also has a maths meaning and the language needed for reasoning and explaining
• Strategies for teachers to implement were discussed e.g. providing visual support and modelling activities, promoting speaking and listening skills through maths games, pair and group work to elicit discussion about maths problems, providing pupils with key words to be translated into their first language. Participants tried out games from the booklet produced by the Maths Consultants – the Bare Necessities – available from Melksham PDC cost £3.00

Christmas around the World

• EMAS Bilingual Assistants described how Christmas is celebrated in the Philippines and in Poland and how New Year is celebrated in Russia

EAL/SEN bibliography

'Assessing the Needs of Bilingual Pupils' by Deryn Hall publ. by David Fulton 2001 (2nd ed) ISBN 1-85346-799-5

• A good basic introduction to the issues around this. It includes a clear summary of the 5 hypotheses for hypothesis testing, a very basic L1 assessment format and some general support strategies.

'Bilingual Pupils with Special Educational needs-Assessment and Intervention' by Razia Alpren and Judith McCall Publ. by Herts. County Council Tel: 0152 830215/830317

• A much more detailed analysis of available tests and their advantages/disadvantages with special emphasis on Specific Learning Difficulties.
• There is an excellent Intervention strategies section which puts the EAL and SEN strategies side by side, allowing the SENCO/class teacher to target support more appropriately.

'Distinguishing the Difference SEN or EAL?' By Susan Rosamond, Imtiaz Bhatti, Marion Sharieff, Karen Wilson Publ. by Birmingham Advisory and Support Service ISBN 1-898244-72-3

• Based on a large longitudinal study of pupils with EAL. A used FAQ section at the front with useful academic research backup for findings. The three large case studies are quite interesting, but the key area is the section of matrices which allow schools to plot their pupil against national averages. There is also a corresponding Pupil Assessment Report which looks in detail at issues affecting EAL pupils and their progress.

Last updated: 30 November 2009