Shaftesbury Junior School
We care, we share, for the future we prepare
English as an Additional Language
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
At Shaftesbury, we are very proud of how many of our children can speak more than one language (2, 3 or sometimes even 4!) and of how many different languages are spoken at school. Quite a few of our pupils are either new to country or at the early stages of learning English. Although these children are below the expected standard in English, they make good progress whilst they are with us and we work very hard to ensure that this is the best possible progress.
We have two dedicated EAL leaders, Ms Gowers in Y3-4 and Mrs Chilton-Thomas in Y5-6, who support our EAL children in learning English.
When a pupil with EAL arrives at our school, they have an induction with an EAL leader and a full assessment to establish their English needs. This is passed onto their teacher and any additional support is arranged by the EAL leader.
Language of the Month (LotM)
Our children speak over 40 languages in school and we love to celebrate this diversity by learning a little of the language and culture of some of these. Our bi-lingual speakers help to promote this and love to show off their skills, as well as teach their friends some of their language.
Last academic year we learnt - Italian, British Sign Language (BSL), Polish, Romanian and Arabic.
Other languages learnt this academic year are - Spanish, Lithuanian and Gujarati.
Current Language of the Month: Latvian
Our new language of the month is Latvian.
Here at Shaftesbury, we have 4 Latvian speaking pupils (February 2023).
Latvian is one of oldest European languages.
Latvian is one of the most archaic/oldest European languages and it has conserved many features of the over 5,000-year-old Proto-Indo-European, which is the ancestral language to all European languages. There is also a strong similarity between many words in Latvian and in Sanskrit (the sacred language of Hinduism and Buddhism).
Latvia holds one of the largest song and dance festivals in the world.
Latvian Song and Dance Festival is celebrated with over 40,000 participants, it is recognised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), as a World class culture phenomenon, while choir singers and conductors are recognised as celebrities in Latvia. Latvia also has one of the largest collections of traditional folk songs in the world, numbering over 300,000.
Indonesian Delegates
On Monday 24th October 2022, Indonesian Delegates arrived at our school to look at how children learn English. This included a tour of the school and interaction with lessons. During the visit, both staff and children were filmed and spoken to in Arabic about how they learn. The focus was on how English as an Additional Language (EAL) children learn and contribute to lessons at our school. After the tour, a question and answer session was held with EAL leads and senior management.
European Day of Languages
On 26th September, European Day of Languages was celebrated at Shaftesbury Junior School. We meet and greet each other in our own language, celebrate the linguistic diversity of our school and the community around us and have a assembly to promote our many languages spoken.
The Council of Europe and the European Union, jointly organised this day to encourage language learning across Europe.
International Conference
Although the UK is no longer in the European Union, at Shaftesbury we still believe keeping strong links with our European neighbours is important. To that end, some of our Y4 & Y6 pupils have been involved in presenting a workshop at a conference that hosts delegates from all over Europe. This year, the conference was held in Portugal. Unfortunately, we were not able to be there in person but we did present our workshop on peer learning using technology via Zoom. Our pupils did an amazing job on both the project and the workshop and made us incredibly proud.
The links below show some of the work that has been put into this project. With special thanks to Mrs Patel and Miss Morgan for all their hard work and support.
For more information on the international conference (Creative Approaches to Democracy Education), please click here: CANDIICE
Y4 & Y6 Presenters
Previous EAL events
Czech Republic visitors
During June 2017, we were visited by delegates from the Czech Republic to see how EAL (English as an Additional Language) is taught, along with the diversity, multiculturalism and language acquisition of the school. They were very impressed with children attending the school, who spoke twenty-seven different first languages and the provision given to them.
We were also very proud of our children who welcomed our visitors in their own languages and were observed and asked questions during the visit. Delegates were also shown around the school and observed a Year 5 class lesson along with attending a question and answer session and observing an EAL lesson by Mrs Chilton-Thomas.
A huge thank you to all children and staff for their support during this visit.
French TV visit
Thursday 6th April 2017, a Year 3 EAL group were filmed during a language development session with Mrs Chilton-Thomas. The children were their usual inquisitive selves, asking questions and supporting each other. We looked at foods from around the world, where different foods come from and discussed how they arrived in England.
We continued the lesson with children drawing, labelling and describing their favourite food from the countries their home countries.
Following on from the lesson, some children were asked questions about their religious beliefs and how they learn. Mrs Chilton-Thomas was filmed talking about teaching strategies, the beliefs of the group and how children integrate with children from other religions.
A huge thank you to all children and staff for their support during this visit.
Norwegian delegate visit
26 September 2016, Shaftesbury was visited by the Mayor of Drammen, Norway and his executive team along with a representative from the St. Philip’s Centre Ltd Leicester. The focus was on supporting children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) and how this is integrated and monitored into everyday school life.
The delegates were shown a presentation and given assessment sheets and the NASSEA framework to demonstrate record keeping, this followed with them observing an EAL lesson with Mrs Chilton-Thomas, then a question and answer session followed about how the children learn.
A St. Philips Centre representative wrote- The whole programme seems to have been much appreciated and they were given much to think about on their return to Norway.
A huge thank you to all children and staff for their support during this visit.
One World Week
Here at Shaftesbury we have celebrated One World Week for many years. Countries are chosen to relate to our intake and activities are designed around this.
Children have had many opportunities to discuss their customs and cultures from around the world. Foods and sport activities are included as well as climate and diversity studies.
One World Week 2021
The theme was
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A JUST PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD.
Across the school year groups worked on climate change including -
- COP 26
- Rainforests
- Polar Regions
- Oceans and plastic pollution
- Deserts
https://www.oneworldweek.org/
Our One World Week Celebrations
