EAL & ESOL
BackEnglish as an Additional Language (EAL) & English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Our Department Vision
The vision for the English as an Additional Language (EAL) department is to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes the integration of EAL students into mainstream lessons while providing tailored support for those who require additional assistance.
The EAL department aims to foster a sense of belonging and ensure that all EAL students can fully participate in school life and feel part of wider society. Integration into mainstream lessons is a key focus, as it encourages social interaction and allows students with EAL to learn alongside their peers. This integration helps them develop language skills, build relationships, and enhance their understanding of British culture.
The EAL department collaborates closely with subject teachers, providing them with strategies to support EAL learners in their classrooms. This collaboration facilitates the inclusion of language and cultural considerations within mainstream lessons, enabling students to engage with the curriculum effectively.
For students who require additional support and are unable to initially access mainstream curriculum lessons due to language barriers, the EAL department provides targeted instruction. These lessons address their specific language acquisition needs, vocabulary development, and comprehension skills. The goal is to gradually transition these students into mainstream classes as they become more proficient in English.
The department promotes multicultural understanding, encourages interactions between EAL students and their peers. This contributes to a harmonious and inclusive school environment.
Furthermore, the EAL department intends to support the academic development of those students who are in mainstream lessons and identified by their teachers as having significant weaknesses or areas of improvement in skills of English such as handwriting, spelling, writing and reading comprehension.
The Curriculum Leader may be contacted via email enquiries@copthall.barnet.sch.uk
Curriculum
Every new student who comes to Copthall is assessed on their ability to read, write and speak in English. Some students with English as an Additional Language need extra provision and we create a personalised timetable for each of these students, offering between two and eight hours of extra support per week. During these hours they receive small-group interventions which aim to accelerate their acquisition of English and ensure they can be reintegrated into all curriculum lessons as soon as possible.
For students with no or little English at KS4, the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualification is an alternative learning pathway. It strengthens the students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in English and helps provide them with the basic language skills required to succeed in their other subjects.
Students take an ESOL exam at the end of each academic year during KS4, and the highest levels are the equivalent of a GCSE qualification. ESOL enables students to become more confident with their command of English, and it also equips them with the basic communicative tools to study, live and work in the UK.
Extra-Curriculum
Every year at Copthall we celebrate International Mother Tongue Day (IMTD). In the lead up to the day there are usually a series of competitions such as treasure hunts. This allows us as a school to celebrate the linguistic diversity within it, and raises awareness of the variety of languages spoken within our walls.
This is further celebrated in our annual International Evening, which coincides with IMTD, featuring a fashion show, dance performances, a food fair and “learn-my-language” stalls.
In order to introduce our newer students to aspects of British culture and life, we organise visits to London landmarks and cultural sites, although these cannot always be guaranteed.
Careers & Employment
The ESOL qualification is specifically geared towards preparing our EAL students for various aspects of adult life and employment. We also regularly welcome previous EAL students back to work within the department as teaching assistants in order to gain vital work experience and have the chance to impact the lives of the next EAL generation.
Recommended Reading
Within the department we have subscriptions to Reading Eggs and Flash Academy, which the students can use from home to practise their English.
As a department dedicated to improving students’ English, we also recommend every and any English-language book, music and film they can get their hands on!
Useful Links:
https://ealresources.bell-foundation.org.uk/parents/speaking-your-home-language
https://esol.excellencegateway.org.uk/
http://britishcouncillearnenglish.org
http://britishcouncilealnexus.org
http://britishcouncillearnenglish/teens
http://britishcouncilesolnexus.org
http://bbclearnenglish.org
http://englishmyway.org
https://agendaweb.org/
Facilities
At Copthall we have two dedicated EAL rooms which are designed for small-group instruction. One of these rooms doubles as a computer room where students can take advantage of our online subscriptions and develop IT skills navigating the computer in English.
We also possess a small range of bilingual dictionaries which some students may use with them in curriculum lessons to aid their learning.
| Subject Documents |
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| ESOL specification |
| EAL provision |
| Parent Guidance on Home Language |
