‘To possess another language is to possess another soul’
Charlemagne
Support for students who are learning English as an Additional Language
Students at New College Leicester come from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of language
skills. We are proud to be part of a multicultural city, such as Leicester, and believe our college
reflects the society within which we live. We take every opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity
of our students.
New College Leicester has, at present, 907 students on roll out of which approximately 234 are
learning English as an additional language. Over 50 different home languages are spoken here.
We are proud that our recent Ofsted inspection recognised the commitment our staff make to
ensuring that every student who is learning English as an additional language is able to access the
curriculum and achieve their potential.
“Those pupils who are new to learning English are well supported in lessons through a range of
different methods” Ofsted July 2016
Students who are learning a language and learning in another language face a number of
challenges.
At New College Leicester we aim to –
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Provide a welcoming environment in which our students will learn most effectively.
Conduct rigorous baseline assessments to enable teaching and support staff to best meet
the needs of the individual student
Provide appropriate support to students learning EAL.
Plan and teach lessons using learning styles most appropriate to EAL learners.
Provide an inclusive curriculum.
Promote home languages in the college and classrooms and use these to aid students
learning.
Provide opportunities for students to sit GCSE’s in their home language
Monitor students’ progress regularly and establish links with parents/carers to update them
of student progress.
Use creative methods to assess students in class and set targets based on these
assessments.
Ensure students are making progress and are able to access the college curriculum.
Support students who are at risk of under achieving.
Celebrate student’s achievements in class.
We help our students to learn English through a variety of teaching and learning methods.
Our aim is to provide students with strategies to enable them to become fluent speaker of
English and to access the college curriculum.
At New College Leicester we are committed to providing appropriate support for all students with
EAL.
New Arrivals
We define new arrivals as students who have not had a consistent education in this country for the
past two years. This means they come with either no, or very little, understanding of English. They
may be literate in their home language and many have some experience of English but will require
support to acquire fluency in English and to access the school curriculum.
We have adapted the New Arrivals Excellence Programme to meet our students’ specific needs.
Students new to college will be introduced to a tutor group buddy who will help the new student to
settle into college life by showing them around the college, explaining the rules and routines of
school helping them make new friends and ensuring these students are not excluded from activities
in and outside the classroom. A welcoming environment in every classroom helps the student to
settle in quickly and class teachers ensure the displays in class promote students language and
culture.
Planning and Teaching for students learning EAL
Teachers and support staff teach lessons taking into account strategies to support bilingual learners.
Teachers promote an inclusive environment in class, and use a wide range of multisensory
techniques to ensure students are included within every lesson.
All staff are provided with regular evidence based training in how to meet the specific needs of all
EAL learners.
We have strengthened our links with De Montfort University resulting in a well-structured volunteer
programme which enables our learners to be further supported within the classroom and gain an
understanding of further education and the British education system.
Monitoring and Assessment
Students new to the college are thoroughly assessed to ensure that potential barriers to learning
can be quickly identified and individual students’ needs met.
We have a dedicated team of staff to ensure that every student learning EAL is able to fully access
the college curriculum. Within our dedicated inclusion team we have an EAL teacher and bilingual
teaching assistant. This enables us to strengthen our relationships with parents/ carers and the
wider community.
If you require further information regarding support for your son/daughter please contact Ms E
Maguire – EAL Coordinator or Mrs K Simpson – Head of Inclusion/SENCo.