This occasional publication collates samples of current good EAL practice in local
Primary and Secondary schools. Its purpose is to inspire the continuous extension of good practice and to help schools achieve continuous
improvement of their provision for pupils from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds (BME), including those who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL).
Following widespread and positive feedback to volumes 1 and 2, we are now pleased to present volume 3.
Our thanks go to all contributing schools; a list of these is provided
at the end of this booklet. Please note, however, that individual schools’ contributions will be non-attributable for the purposes of this booklet.
EMTAS hopes that local teachers will find the following pages
‘an enjoyable read’ and would also be interested to receive feedback from local readers.
Angelika Baxter
EMA Adviser (cross phase)
Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service
Crays Hill Primary School
London Road
Crays Hill
Billericay
Essex CM11 2UZ
Tel/Fax: 01268 531291
Email: angelika.baxter@essex.gov.uk

Making EAL learners visible
A primary school now has a permanent display entitl ed ‘All are welcome at our
School’. The display shows photos of pupils who were happy to talk about their diverse BME heritages. A thread links each photo to a country as shown on a world map. A flag of each relevant country is also shown and there are two speech bubbles by each photo
– one showing a message in English, the other showing the same message in the child’s home language. Parents were also involved in putting this display together, e.g. by helping their children write in the home language.
A primary EAL Co-ordinator created a small display panel on each country of heritage now represented across the school. Pupils enjoyed preparing materials for ‘their’ panel, e.g. including a fan (Spain) and examples of calligraphy
(Mandarin). Both children and adults in school have found the displays a positive and inspiring talking point.
Involving parents
A local school invites BME parents to attend a range of lessons
– e.g. PE, Art – to make it easier for BME parents to get to know the English school system and to become more closely involved with their children’s education.
Another school has created opportunities for parents to work with their children in classrooms at certain times. Opportunities to emphasise the value of each home language are built into this programme. P upils’ English language acquisition has been supported and further enhanced in this way.
EAL learners as a resource for their school
A KS 2 teacher incorporates new pupils’ home languages into day-to-day classroom activities alongside phrases from the school’s MFL (French). Pupils have enjoyed these activities which have also helped newly arrived learners of
EAL to feel welcome in school and to make contributions from day one, thus supporting confidence together with access and achievement.

Multilingual Welcome Tree
A primary school asked all parents to the creation of a ‘welcome tree’ by writing messages onto leaf shaped paper in a wide range of languages. This display has proved extremely popular with staff, parents and pupils.
Can’t say it out loud? Try singing it!
A primary school was concerned about a learner of EAL who was not confident to communicate verbally except through whispering. Noticing that the pupil was musical, the EALCO arranged for group chanting/group singing, e.g. .at the end of an activity or around a story with a repeating chorus line. By the following term the pupil had become much more confident speaker of English in school.
International Day with a difference
International Day at one local school has stalls from each country represented in school – including a scones and cream stall run by English parents. All stalls have been very successful with staff, parents and pupils.

A primary school has facilitate d a ‘skills exchange’ between all parents and pupils. For example, White British parents and pupils taught Irish dancing while parents/pupils from the Indian subcontinent taught dances of countries including
India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Performances were recorded on video with a view to uploading video clips onto the school website.
Raising staff awareness of students learning EAL
An EAL Co-ordinator has created an EAL display in the staffroom, featuring individual learners and also including copies of class work completed by learners of EAL. In this way the profile o f the school’s EAL cohort in school is being raised in positive and supportive ways.
Personalising EAL learning
Starting with a ‘one new word a day’ strategy for learners of EAL, a primary school has now extended this vocabulary building exercise as follows. Each EAL learner at KS 2 creates his/her personal dictionary using a highly personalised

small-size, portable exercise book. Pupils are allowed to decorate this book any way they wish. Learners now collect new words during the school day and may also ask staff for definitions of words they do not understand. Each word, once defined, is entered into the dictionary.
In addition, some more advanced learners have asked for whole phrases or idioms for their dictionary, thus enabling them to build their understanding of
English usage in specific curricular contexts.
In addition, KS 2 learners are encouraged to keep a separate personal dictionary for maths terms.
Expecting beginner learners of EAL?
A school now produces a personalised, structured exercise book to support pupil induction. Drawn together from a variety of sources, the pages of this book include ‘survival English’ phrases with explanatory pictures, English names of numbers/ letters among other components, together with plenty of space for learners to record their work on any of these. There are also pages for independent use by pupils, e.g. to record vocabulary which is of personal, as well as academic, interest. In this way the resource, which can be modified to suit
KS 1-4, promotes and enables independent learning at an early stage of EAL
Acquisition.
(Once compiled for relevant groups of learners, , this resource can then be reproduced using colour photocopies).
Language Mats in all our languages
Language mats are now available in a wide range of languages, for use with primary MFL as well as EAL. One school’s EALCo has downloaded all relevant bilingual mats from the internet. The mats are on display in the EAL area and further copies have been given to class teachers who are now using the mats on desks and/or as part of classroom wall displays This initiative now forms part of the school’s ongoing drive to support the integration, as well as the English language acquisition, of pupils learning EAL.
Best practice on teaching EAL learners to read
Look at the languages of your children within your school. Borrow age appropriate bilingual story books
–fiction or non-fiction - in English plus relevant home languages from the local library, the Schools Library Service or the
EMTAS library. Also borrow language related books as available. Record each book in individual pupils’ reading records as the book can be shared with the family. Use the book at home as a tool for learning. We had really good response from the families! (EAL Co-ordinator)

Contributors:
Beckers Green Primary School, Braintree
Holly Trees Primary School, Brentwood
Holt Farm Infant School, Hawkwell
Janet Duke Primary School, Basildon
Springfield Primary School, Chelmsford
St Anne Line Catholic Infant School, Basildon
The Willows Primary School, Basildon