The EAL Team
Teachers:
Anne McGinness- EAL Secondary 0.6FTE
David Fletcher- EAL- Primary/ BGE 0.8FTE
Within the ASN Outreach Service there are teachers who support EAL pupils and their teachers in nursery, primary and secondary school. An ASN Co-ordinator manages the work of the team and may be contacted for further information or any English as an Additional Language (EAL) discussion.
There are many children and young people in Stirling Council establishments who have English as an Additional Language (EAL). This diversity is welcomed and all staff aim to support children and young people with EAL to achieve their potential. When a new pupil arrives in school the priority initially is to provide a welcoming
environment where the child and family feel supported. Parents may also have EAL and interpreter services can be arranged to exchange information helpful to school and family. The ASN Outreach Service has a written guide for schools on how to support parents at this meeting The school will complete the EAL Additional Enrollment Information form.
Who Do the EAL Team Work With?
Requests can be made for support from the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Team, if appropriate, following discussion with the team around the child. The decision to request support is made at a Staged Intervention meeting. If the request is agreed, an EAL teacher will join the existing team around the child in planning appropriate support. Further information can be found in
the ASN Outreach Service EAL policy on Stirling Council web site. Children and young people acquire language best through interaction with peers and adults. For this reason, EAL pupils are supported mainly in class where the teacher implements appropriate strategies to encourage English language acquisition.
These include:
• Interactive learning opportunities with good role model English speakers.
• Differentiation of work to support individual needs.
• Visual supports to enhance lessons.
• Inclusion in groups with support staff as appropriate.
• Referral to EAL teacher for assessment and identification of next steps in learning.
EAL support booklets are available for educational establishments from the ASN Outreach Service. EAL pupils need not automatically be referred to the EAL team. The school support for learning/secondary ASN teacher will initially be involved using all the strategies given in the ASN Outreach support booklets.
What will the EAL Team Do?
The EAL teacher will support the school and the pupil by:
• Providing staff development as required.
• Suggesting appropriate resources and strategies to meet the needs of pupils.
• Assessing pupil as required and identifying next steps in learning.
• Attending meetings as required.
• Working directly with EAL pupils who have ASN.
• Supporting transition and networking of EAL pupils.
What might support from the EAL Team Look Like?
Making the curriculum accessible whilst assisting in the acquisition of English can be challenging. It is unlikely that the exam structure will be appropriate for new EAL pupils so class teachers should encourage them to acquire English within the context of subject areas. The EAL Team can support them to do this. Support may include input and advice on:
• Flexible Timetabling
• Buddy / Peer support
• Grouping
• Vocabulary extension / Wordlists / Wordwalls
• Forward Planning / Lesson planning for EAL pupils
• Differentiation
• Visuals
• Resources / Dictionary
• SfL / SLA support
• Support with reading
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualifications
• Time out / Clubs / Groups
• Assessment
• SQA arrangements
• Interpreter services
• Use of ICT with EAL pupils
