EAL (English as an Additional Language)
At Alderwood 4-16 School we ensure that all children are valued equally, regardless of ethnic background or family heritage. We recognise and address the needs of all pupils, including those who have English as an additional language. As a school we pride ourselves on providing support for all EAL students through the different key stages as well as recognising and celebrating our diverse community. For a full overview of how we support our EAL students please refer to our EAL School policy, linked at the bottom of this page.
If you have any questions or would like to meet to discuss anything related to EAL please arrange a meeting with Lisa Price from the Infant and Junior Site or Joanna Michniak-Cigdem at the Senior site. Appointments can be arranged through the relevant receptions.
Supporting families with communication.
As a school we understand how difficult it can be for parents who are not confident in understanding English to keep up with communications sent. We are constantly seeking ways to improve this so everyone feels part of our school community. Please see some suggestions below that may help:
Translation tool on our website:
At the top right corner of our website there is a language tab, if you click on this you can change our website into a variety of languages. This will work on all information provided on the website, but not for uploaded documents.
Translating documents sent:
There are a number of ways that you can translate documents that you are sent. If you have a smartphone there are a number of apps that can use your camera to translate, for example google translate. Within these apps you can choose the ‘camera’ option to view documents in any language chosen.
If you have access to a laptop/PC you can download a document into google translate.
EMTAS
EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service) support Hampshire schools with EAL students. They offer a range of services such as staff training, pupil support and they can aid us with parent communication. EMTAS run a language phoneline, there are 20 languages available and anyone is welcome to call the phonelines during the hours stated on their website. If the bilingual assistant you speak to is unable to answer your query they will contact the school so we can help. For more information click here (EMTAS phone lines (Term time only) | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk))
We are very proud that in May 2024 we were awarded Gold by EMTAS as part of their EAL Excellence Award. As part of this process the Infant, Junior and Senior School sites were observed and assessed against the following 5 areas:
- Leadership & Management
- Pedagogy & Practice
- Data, Assessment & Progress
- Teaching & Learning
- Parental & Community Engagement
This is a great achievement for the school and shows the hard work and dedication from all staff and pupils.
For more information on EAL at our Primary site click HERE, for information relating to our Senior Site click HERE
