English as an Additional Language (EAL) Policy

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Key Elements of the AFS EAL Policy
3. Assessment
4. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
5. Strategies for Teachers
6. Learning Support and Able, Gifted and Talented Students
7. Parental/Community Involvement

1.0 Introduction

1.1 At AFS, all students and staff must feel accepted and valued. For students learning English as an additional language (not the one they primarily use at home), it is important that we recognize and respect the role and importance of that primary language, while also enabling each student to use English as their main vehicle of learning at AFS. AFS is a bilingual school in which students learn in English and Arabic every day as part of its American and Bahrain Ministry of Education program; this policy addresses the additional support needed by students for whom English itself is still developing. [NEEDS AFS INPUT: confirm AFS's EAL/ELL support model]

1.2 This approach must be seen alongside the school's Educational Equal Opportunities Policy and Learning Support Policy.

1.3 This EAL policy aims to promote awareness of the school's obligations and to support all of the procedures to be considered in meeting the needs of students who have English as an additional language (EAL), and thereby help them to access education at AFS fully and to raise their achievement.

2.0 Key Elements of the AFS EAL Policy

2.1 EAL students are entitled to the full AFS programs of study, and all their teachers have a responsibility for enabling them to learn English as well as other subject content.

2.2 Effective learning requires attention to the language embodied in each curriculum area. Meanings and comprehension must not be assumed but must be made explicit.

2.3 Language is central to identity. Therefore, the primary languages of all students (and staff) should be recognized and valued. Students should not be discouraged from maintaining their primary language, as long as this is not to the exclusion of others, and it is used where appropriate in lessons (for example, Arabic, Islamic studies, and citizenship).

2.4 Although many students will acquire the ability to communicate on a daily basis in English quite quickly, the level of language needed for academic study is much more complex and can require continued support for a lengthy period.

2.5 Language develops best when used in purposeful contexts across the curriculum. When planning lessons, the language needs of EAL students must be identified and included in planning.

3.0 Assessment

3.1 All EAL students are entitled to standard AFS assessments.

3.2 Progress in the learning of English should be regularly assessed and monitored. Assessment methods should be checked for cultural bias, and action taken to remove any such bias.

3.3 Sensitive consideration must be given to the appropriateness of testing EAL students, particularly in the early stages of English acquisition.

3.4 Where appropriate, classroom assessment accommodations for EAL students (for example, the use of dictionaries, additional time, or simplified instructions) are decided by teachers in consultation with school leadership.

4.0 Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

4.1 Academic targets for EAL students must be appropriate, challenging, and reviewed regularly.

4.2 Planning for EAL students will incorporate curricular and EAL-specific objectives. Subject coordinators and grade-level leads [NEEDS AFS INPUT: confirm AFS academic leadership titles] must ensure that these approaches are regularly monitored; units of study must take account of the linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds of students and their families.

5.0 Strategies for Teachers

5.1 Classroom activities should have clear learning objectives and use appropriate materials and support to enable students to participate fully in lessons.

5.2 Key language features of each curricular area — key vocabulary, uses of language, forms of text — should be identified.

5.3 Enhanced opportunities should be considered to provide for speaking and listening.

5.4 Additional visual support should be considered — posters, pictures, etc.

5.5 Additional verbal support should be provided — repetition, peer support, etc.

5.6 Use should be considered of collaborative activities that involve appropriate talk and which encourage participation.

5.7 Support should be provided for language and learning — writing frames, etc.

6.0 Learning Support and Able, Gifted and Talented Students

6.1 EAL students will not automatically receive help from the school's learning-support team, but will have the same rights of access to it as other students, should they need it.

6.2 Able, gifted, and talented EAL students will have the same rights of access to such programs or opportunities as other students (see the Able, Gifted and Talented Policy).

6.3 EAL students who also have special educational needs will have the same rights of access to such programs or opportunities as other students.

7.0 Parental/Community Involvement

7.1 Teachers and support staff will encourage parental and community involvement; this may take the form of:

7.1.1 Providing a welcoming induction process for newly arrived students and their families or guardians.

7.1.2 Using plain English and translators and interpreters, where appropriate and available and subject to appropriate checks, to ensure good spoken and written communications.

7.1.3 Identifying the linguistic, cultural, and religious background of students.

7.1.4 Recognizing and encouraging the use of the primary language, under appropriate conditions.

7.1.5 Helping parents or guardians to understand how they can support their children at home.