EAL update 2
For the first time, all schools are being required to assess the English language proficiency of their EAL pupils and to include this data in the school census returns to the DfE. The reason for this is that the current definition of EAL does not distinguish between pupils who lack a basic command of the English language versus those who are bilingual and have mastered English sufficiently to access the curriculum.
‘A Language in common’ (attached) has been used up to now for the assessment of EAL learners in most LEAs.From this term, many LEAs will be promoting the use of the EAL Assessment Framework developed by the Northern Association of Support Services for Equality and Achievement (NASSEA). The NASSEA EAL Assessment Framework has been made to support practitioners and their pupils. This is a purchasable resource so is not free to download.
New English language proficiency codes and their description:
- New to English
May use first language for learning and other purposes. May remain completely silent in the classroom. May be copying/repeating some words or phrases. May understand some everyday expressions in English but may have minimal or no literacy in English. Needs a considerable amount of EAL support.
- Early Acquisition
May follow day to day social communication in English and participate in learning activities with support. Beginning to use spoken English for social purposes. May understand simple instructions and can follow narrative/accounts with visual support. May have developed some skills in reading and writing. May have become familiar with some subject specific vocabulary. Still needs a significant amount of EAL support to access the curriculum.
- Developing Confidence
May participate in learning activities with increasing independence. Able to express self orally in English, but structural inaccuracies are still apparent. Literacy will require ongoing support, particularly for understanding text and writing. May be able to follow abstract concepts and more complex written English. Requires ongoing EAL support to access the curriculum fully.
- Competent
Oral English will be developing well, enabling successful engagement in activities across the curriculum. Can read and understand a wide variety of texts. Written English may lack complexity and contain occasional evidence of errors in structure. Needs some support to access subtle nuances of meaning, to refine English usage, and to develop abstract vocabulary. Needs some/occasional EAL support to access complex curriculum material and tasks.
- Fluent
Can operate across the curriculum to a level of competence equivalent to that of a pupil who uses English as his/her first language. Operates without EAL support across the curriculum.
N. Not yet assessed
Raising Achievement in Bangladeshi Pupils (2013-2015)
A pilot project in some Lancashire schools showed that the achievement of Bangladeshi pupils was raised across most ‘measures’ by a focus on the development of oracy across the schools, a strengthening of Parental Partnershipsand the development of parental confidence (the use of English language in order for mothers to support pupils' learning and education), the development of the cultural understanding of the staff about both Bangladeshi and Pakistani traditions and heritage and the Improved use of appropriate English for learning by all school staff (raising awareness of the need for correct modelling by all staff in all schools).
The findings of this project show that the above strategies still remain important tools in raising the barriers to learning that EAL pupils face. Sharing the importance of these whole school approaches to raising barriers with your ATs might help them appreciate the importance of the whole school approach in tackling such issues and might help them see that they are not expected to ‘work in isolation’ In the classroom when supporting pupils with EAL needs. In addition, this will help to raise their understanding of strategies used to impact on EAL pupils’ learning.