English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Lakenham is a very diverse and multicultural school with approximately 40% of our children at any time speaking English as an additional language, over 40 languages spoken.
Staff are used to children joining with a range of ability with English and getting them settled into school. The diversity allows our school family to be compassionate and understand that not everyone is the same. At times, this means that challenges around cultural differences are used as learning points.
Our teacher and governor for responsibility for EAL has ensured that there is continual upskilling of staff.
Click here for EAL useful links
KNOWING MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE is an ADVANTAGE in life
Children who know two languages are BILINGUAL children.
As a group they are:
✔ more creative and flexible in their thinking
✔ more aware of how languages work
✔ more sensitive to subtleties in communication
✔ better at perceiving and analysing visual patterns
This makes bilingual pupils:
- better at learning more languages
- have positive self esteem and be secure
- more tolerant of linguistic/cultural/ethnic differences
- able to communicate with a wide variety of people
- more employable
Truly bilingual people can read and write in two languages. These students do well at school and college, often better than children who speak, read and write only one language.
It is important that you expose your children to the written pattern of your own language and encourage them to learn how to read and write in the language they can understand and speak.
PARENTS AND CARETAKERS
✔ TALK in your first language
✔ LISTEN to your children speaking in your first language
✔ READ with your children in your first language
✔ SHOW your children the written pattern of your first language
✔ ENCOURAGE your children to read and write in their first language
✔ READ books together
✔ WRITE to friends and relatives
Simple advice about how to encourage reading can be found on the website:
