Supporting New Arrivals

Supporting new Arrivals

1 / Teach your class to say hello/words/phrases in the new pupil’s language. Learn to say their name correctly.
2 / Organise buddies, one child will find this tiring; train and reward the Buddies
3 / Meet the family to get background information, use an interpreter if necessary, and arrange for a tour of the school on the same day. Keep the parents/carers informed of progress, they will be anxious too.
4 / Prepare a box of activities, books, puzzles that the pupil can access easily and provide a rest from lessons
5 / All pupils learn best when they are in class with their peers, ensure that any pre-teaching withdrawal time is targeted, meaningful and time limited
6 / Group new arrivals with pupils who will be good language and behaviour models, not with the lowest ability children
7 / Understand the pressures and changes the pupil will be experiencing, this can be exhausting. Keep activities short, they may be tired or go through a silent period
8 / Find information out about their language, encourage the pupil to rehearse their learning in language 1 and provide bilingual dictionaries
9 / Use simple sentences or phrases to model language structures. Re-model language rather than correct mistakes and allow thinking time!
10 / Enhance classroom resources to enable the pupil to access learning, use visuals and graphic organisers. Ensure the environment reflects their cultural and linguistic diversity
… and lastly create opportunities for the new arrival to succeed every day e.g. handing out resources