Good Practice Case Study: Tredworth Junior School

last updated:July 2009

This case study shows how a junior school developed policy and practice to ensure equality of access to the curriculum for all pupils, including those for whom English is an additional language (EAL). The school adopted a whole-school approach that included direct language support from a specialist teacher. The whole-school approach was based on creating a learning environment that encompasses a varied range of teaching and learning strategies, multicultural and multilingual resources and displays, and whole school celebrations that embraced a wide range of world cultural events.

Aim
Specifically the school aimed to provide effective learning opportunities for all pupils, by setting suitable learning challenges, responding to diverse learning needs, and overcoming potential barriers to learning.

Factors underpinning work with bilingual and multilingual pupils
The school recognised a number of background factors as being key to progress for EAL pupils, including:

• recognition of the importance of home language
• treating racism and bullying seriously
• strong home/school and wider community links
• learning environment that is sympathetic to a variety of cultures
• resources, which include bilingual materials; and
• curriculum, which portrays positive images and role models.

The role of the EAL specialist teacher
The school received language support (currently 0.5) from an EAL teacher from the Ethnic Minorities Achievement Service (EMAS). The EAL teacher liaised with the school multicultural education co-ordinator. The involvement of the EMAS teacher in school planning occurred at all levels, as appropriate to meet the needs of EAL pupils.

The role of the EAL specialist teacher included:

• initial assessment of language stage of EAL pupils
• monitoring of EAL pupils' progress
• in consultation with class teachers, collaborative planning and target setting for EAL pupils including both curriculum and EAL specific objectives; and
• direct support of pupils' language development both in class and withdrawal (1:1 or small group) as appropriate, for language development and enrichment.

A key role of the EAL specialist teacher was to provide class teachers with advice in a number of areas including: differentiation of work for EAL pupils, curriculum materials, classroom strategies to support EAL learners in the classroom and implementing inclusion statements for EAL pupils, refugee and asylum seeker pupils, ethnic minority pupils and EAL pupils with SEN.

Curriculum planning
The school recognised that the needs of EAL pupils in accessing the curriculum had to be carefully planned. Specifically teachers aimed to ensure that:

• the language and learning needs of pupils were clearly identified and provided for
• the language and learning demands of the curriculum were analysed and appropriate support provided
• visual support was provided for key concepts
• planning included opportunities for first language activities in the classroom; and
• the support requirements of pupils were identified.

Classroom practice
This was based on a number of elements, including:

• teachers having high expectations of all pupils regardless of ethnicity, gender, or social background
• activities being matched to pupils' needs and abilities with a clear sense of progression.
• developing oracy and literacy through: awareness and utilisation of the children's first language expertise; provision of scaffolding/writing frames; and using story props.

Developing pupils’ language skills
The school planned to raise pupils’ language skills through a number of activities including:

• collaborative activities that involve talk
• opportunities for giving feedback to others; and
• opportunities for structured group work that encourages participation, and models the skills pupils need to develop.

Creating a learning environment
Teachers planned to use displays in the classroom and around the school to reflect linguistic and cultural diversity. Dual language textbooks would be available and in use where appropriate. To help pupils access their learning, teachers used a number of visual approaches based on:

• videos
• maps
• posters
• pictures
• objects; and 
• ICT.

EAL pupils and special educational needs
The school was keen to ensure that pupils whose first language was not English were not automatically understood to have special educational needs, whilst accepting that EAL pupils could have SEN. The school recognised both the importance of, and the difficulties involved in, the early recognition of SEN in EAL pupils. Assessment of SEN in EAL pupils involved the EAL specialist teacher as well as the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The EAL specialist teacher was responsible for ensuring that home language did not prevent the parents/guardians either from accessing information on their child’s special educational needs, or from putting forward their point of view.

Liaison with parents
For parents of EAL learners this was taken into consideration by:

• providing a welcoming environment, actively seeking to put parents at their ease in what may be an unfamiliar setting
• monitoring letters and newsletters sent home, to check that language used is clear and straightforward
• reading through letters (where appropriate) with children before they are taken home
• provision of translations of school documents in community languages, where appropriate
• encouraging parental attendance at parents' evenings and participation in other school functions, eg. school assemblies, PTA activities, fêtes, sports days
• informal contact with parents in the school playground to reinforce communication
• inviting parents into school to help with class activities, eg reading, cooking, class outings
• encouraging parental involvement with shared reading scheme and homework, which may be specifically language based; and
• encouraging parental involvement on governing body.

Assessment and target setting
Monitoring EAL learners' progress and development was shared between mainstream teachers and the EAL teacher. Individual pupil profiles were kept updated with relevant information and regular assessment tasks to monitor children's progress. This assessment also informed curriculum planning. Pupils were encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning by setting their own targets for achievement or assessing their own progress.
The school also carried out a structured programme of ethnic monitoring to observe the performance of different groups in relation to academic achievement, and uses the results to assess whether its provision is ensuring equal educational achievement by all groups. 

What impact did the strategy have?
Data published by the DCSF showed steadily improving aggregate scores for English, mathematics and science. OFSTED particularly singled out reading levels, science achievement and family learning as worthy of mention.

Reference
Gloucestershire County Council: Tredworth Junior School