Book A Consultation
Frame

English as an Additional Language (EAL/ELL)

Don’t Know If This Is the Service You Need? Book a Free Advice Session with Louise

Collaborative EAL/ELL Networking at Fairgreen International School

On Friday 15th September, 2023, we were welcomed by Mr Pearce, Principal, at Fairgreen International School to collaborate around the topic of EAL/ELL. 

Support students learning in English, when their mother tongue is different.

 

With thanks to Leah Vahanian, EAL Lead at Fairgreen and Joanna Galvin EAL Lead at Hartland for working with me to host the first Network Meeting of the 2023/24 Academic year.  Joined by 55 staff from across the Middle East, Leah and Joanna provided us with insight into best practice at their schools.  The purpose of networking is not to lead from the front, but to allow everyone a voice.  Conversation and contribution was rich and new friendships and relationships were formed.

Read on to find out more about the event, and the responses to some of the questions posed.

If you are interested in the next event please follow me on Linked In and we will share when the date and location is firmed up.

presentation slides

Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-1
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-2
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-3
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-4
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-6
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-7
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-8
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-10
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-13
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-14
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-18
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-17
Fairgreen-ELL-Sep-15

Use These Guidelines and Ideas – Do Not Cut and Paste – Put the Text Into Your Own Words and Into the Context of Your School

Question 1: What are your roles and responsibilities in school?

  1. Policy

  2. Admissions and on entry assessments

  3. Curriculum Support – push in and pull out

  4. Parent Engagement

  5. Family Support 

  6. Parent Teacher Conferences

  7. Professional Development of Teachers

  8. Learning Walks

  9. Individual ELL Plans / Passports

  10. Maintaining the ELL Register

  11. Tracking of student progress and tracking data

  12. Extra curricula activities

  13. Social clubs

  14. Co-planning / modifications / resources

  15. ELL Leadership (team meetings, mentoring, coaching, observations)

  16. Learning Support Assistant and Teaching Assistant training

  17. Observations of students

  18. Resources and Ordering

  19. Networking and staying on top of research / bring new things into school

  20. Ensuring core IELTS training and strand implementation

  21. Delivering or developing interventions (games based and pathways)

  22. Qualification routes

  23. Exam access accommodations

  24. Teaching

  25. Celebrating successes

  26. Introducing and developing the use of technology

  27. Cultural advice and support

  28. Cultural and Heritage Celebration Events

  29. Teacher Wellbeing checks 

Question 2: What have you implemented, whole school, to improve policy and practice?

  1. Whole staff training by Louise Dawson 🙂
  2. ELL Toolkit
  3. Strategies for planning
  4. Whole staff information leaflets
  5. Development of profiles and plans
  6. Data tracking systems
  7. Identification systems
  8. Highlighting responsibilities to staff
  9. Edukey used for profiles https://edukeyapp.com/account/login
  10. Provision Map used for profiles https://www.provisionmap.co.uk/
  11. Inclusion Policy
  12. EAL / ELL Policy
  13. Exam Access Policy
  14. Adaption to Admissions Policy
  15. ‘Every teacher is an inclusion teacher’ approach
  16. EAL students are not ‘inclusions’ responsibility
  17. Capped intake at certain grades due to capacity
  18. Recommendation of external support programmes
  19. Training for all assistant staff
  20. Enabling students to learn alongside their friends
  21. Support parents with systems
  22. Understand cultural differences for behaviours
  23. Third Culture Kids environment and understanding
  24. CALA teaching process and approach
  25. Visuals are non negotiable
  26. Implementing English as a Second Language qualfiications
  27. Implementing Home Language qualifications (such as GCSE Russian)
  28. Language Weeks
  29. Buddy systems between children, families and schools
  30. Makaton sign of the week
  31. Creating an action plan for development

Question 3: What data are you collecting and how are you using this to improve learning and teaching?

  1. GL CAT4 (verbal, quantitative, non verbal, spatial) 
  2. NGRT New Group Reading Test 
  3. WIDA https://wida.wisc.edu/
  4. MAP https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/
  5. GL Progress Tests (English Math Science)
  6. GL PASS Data Pupil Attitude to Self and School
  7. IDL IDL
  8. Internal subject data
  9. Achieve3000 (See resources section for a link)
  10. Accelerated Reader (See resources section for a link)
  11. LAS Links (See resources section for a link)
  12. Lexia (See resources section for a link)
  13. Bell Foundation (See resources section for a link)
  14. Common Lit (See resources section for a link)
  15. Pearson : interview and observation 
  16. Teacher made assessments
  17. iSAMS / Engage / SIMs / Nexsquare to inform teachers of languages
  18. ‘Flags’ on school information systems
  19. ACERs 
  20. Star Reader https://www.renaissance.com/products/star-reading/
  21. Kids Inspired ESL  https://kid-inspired.com/
  22. FlashAcademy https://flashacademy.com/
  23. Phonics Screening

Question 4: How have you engaged with your second language community (parents and wider)?

  1. Welcome emails in Home Language
  2. EAL/ELL Family Welcome Pack
  3. Coffee / Networking Sessions (support, home strategies, techniques for questioning, materials, progress, phonics training reading workshops, resource explanation)
  4. Meet the team events
  5. Seesaw App https://web.seesaw.me/
  6. Half termly newsletters
  7. Half termly follow up meetings (in person if possible)
  8. Language weeks
  9. International Days
  10. Home language social media
  11. Inviting parents into school to read to students in their home language
  12. Celebrate achievements
  13. Multilingual texts in the library and around school 
  14. Junior and Senior research centres celebrating diversity
  15. Cultural events
  16. EAL Parent Committee

Question 5: What resources (lesson materials or furniture/environment) do you use or recommend?

  1. IDL IDL
  2. Alinea Suite Alinea-Suite
  3. Nessy Nessy
  4. TextHelp Texthelp Read&Write
  5. Clicker 8 Clicker 8 / DocsPlus
  6. YouHQ Wellbeing youHQ
  7. Learning Village https://www.learningvillage.net/
  8. Achieve3000 https://www.achieve3000.com/
  9. Fun English games
  10. ReadTheory https://readtheory.org/
  11. LanguageNut https://www.languagenut.com/global/
  12. Lexia https://www.lexialearning.com/
  13. Accelerated Reader https://www.renaissance.com/products/accelerated-reader/
  14. CommonLit https://www.commonlit.org/en
  15. RazPlus https://www.raz-plus.com/
  16. Busy Things https://www.busythings.co.uk/
  17. Bell Foundation https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/
  18. Rewordify https://rewordify.com/
  19. Microsoft Language Accessibility Tools
  20. Google Translate
  21. Google Lens
  22. WordWall https://wordwall.net/
  23. Lexonik https://lexonik.co.uk/
  24. ReadWorks https://www.readworks.org/
  25. TeachingEnglish https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/
  26. Storynory https://www.storynory.com/
  27. EALStar https://www.ealstar.co.uk/
  28. EAL Hub https://www.inclusionhub.co.uk/hub/eal/
  29. LASLinks https://laslinks.com/
  30. Twinkl https://www.twinkl.ae/
  31. Kids Box https://www.kidsboxapps.es/
  32. Interactive Books https://earlylearningideas.com/interactive-books-for-kids/
  33. Boom Cards https://wow.boomlearning.com/
  34. Fiction Express https://en.fictionexpress.com/
  35. Widget Online https://widgitonline.com/en/home
  36. Makaton https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKVXkfPQceP9thH1k8FRZsg
  37. National Geography
  38. Storyline Online
  39. Upstrive https://upstrivesystem.com/
  40. Read Write Inc.
  41. Super Sonic Phonics
  42. Pobble 365
  43. Once upon a picture
  44. DuoLingo
  45. Pebblego
  46. Reading Eggs
  47. Immersive Reader

Environment

  1. Ensure it is language rich (signs, labels, visual timetables, images, work wall, vocabulary lists, displays)
  2. Reading corners
Padlet

Join the Conversation – add your ideas

Click here to open the Padlet

Recommended Reading

Long Term Success for Experience Multilinguals

Authors: Tan Huynh and Beth Skelton

Buy Now from Amazon for
189 AED

Open chat
1
Hello
Can we help you?