English as an Additional Language

Stonyhurst is blessed with pupils of many different nationalities. We have pupils from Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Korea, France, Germany and the Ukraine.

This policy is a statement of the aims and strategies in place to ensure that EAL pupils at Stonyhurst St. Mary’s Hall fulfil their potential.

The EAL Department aims to develop:

The pupil’s ability to communicate effectively in English in different situations.
The pupil’s understanding of the spoken and written language.
Linguistic ability.
Insights into Britain and its culture.
An understanding that the multilingualism of our EAL pupils enriches out school and our community.

The EAL Department has the following objectives:

To encourage each pupil to excel and to achieve his or her full potential in all areas of their lives at St. Mary’s Hall (SMH)
To assess the needs of each individual pupil and provide support to reflect their strengths and weaknesses in order to grow in line with the Jesuit tradition.
To assess on arrival all pupils for whom English is not their first language and determine their standard so that strengths and weaknesses can be found. Differentiation: to provide EAL pupils with support in other academic subjects, at a level and in a way they can understand so that they can access the curriculum as soon and as effectively as possible, in parallel with gaining language skills useful in both social and academic life.

To monitor their progress and record it. This information is located in Staff Resources.
To prepare and enter EAL pupils for the Cambridge ESOL examinations which are widely recognised for work and study purposes. This is useful preparation for higher level exams these pupils may want to take after leaving SMH.
Inclusion: to ensure that EAL pupils settle well into the SMH academic system by liaising with all the other departments at school.
To create an atmosphere suitable for pupils to share not only good things with members of staff, but to feel able to ask for advice and support should the occasion arise.

Teaching Strategies:

Classroom activities have clear learning objectives and use appropriate materials and support to enable pupils to participate in lessons.
Key language features of each curriculum area, e.g. key vocabulary, uses of language, forms of text, are identified.
Enhanced opportunities are provided for speaking and listening and use of role play. Pupils have access to models of spoken language from staff and peers which help them to learn well.
Additional visual support is provided, e.g. posters, pictures, photographs, objects, demonstration, and use of gesture.
Additional verbal support is provided, e.g. repetition, modeling, and peer support.
Use is made of collaborative activities that involve purposeful talk and encourage and support active participation.
Explanation is provided before, during and after reading and writing activities.
Scaffolding is provided for language and learning, e.g. talk frames, writing frames, pictures.
Provision of appropriate materials in all subjects such as simplified notes and worksheets, dictionaries and keyword lists. Videos, maps, I.C.T. also give crucial support.