Working with EAL families

Involving Parents in school

Sarah ThompsonEAL Advisory Teacher and Bilingual support co-ordinator EMAS Team.

November 2013

Welcoming an EAL family

Barriers for the family

Moving to a new country, area or new experience

Feelings of insecurity and loneliness, being misunderstood or unvalued

Sudden changes in family situation and/or culture shock

Different goals/expectations for their child

Previous education system had different style or emphasis

Experiences of Racism or alienation

Not seeing visual representations of themselves in printed materials

Basic interpersonal and communication skills (BICS)

Thanks for the book.2-3 years

Cognitive and academic language proficiency (CALP)

Using this formula, explain why the proposed increase in tuition fees is likely to restrict the access of

vulnerable students to higher education.

7-10 years

What happens when a family arrives in your school? Put yourself in the place of a parent with very little

English.

Discuss in groups:

•School publications/admin forms/procedures•How you collect background information about pupils and family•How do you get over the language barrier?

Welcoming an EAL family

What can we do?

Welcome notices, entrance signs, labels on doors

School booklets and information sheets simple, clear and uncluttered

Letters and newsletters with highlighted information

Visual daily routine photo book

Make an induction video that can be watched online

Access EMAS bilingual assistants, our directory of contacts or ask in local community for volunteer interpreters

An individual system for communication with the family- a home school contact book and/or regular meetings

Visit the home

Welcoming an EAL family

What can help? (cont..)

Set up an EAL Family Forum

Online language resources

Represent other Cultures in pictures and displays. Have books and tapes, stories and poems from other cultures

Display /use everyday artefact from all around the world.

Celebrate festivals and traditions

Ask parents if they would be willing to come into school to teach a few words of the home language, read a dual language story to the class or bring in pictures of

their country of origin

www.littlelearner.eu

Communication tools in Polish, Romanian and Lithuanian

Generic school letters in other languageswww.primaryresources.co.uk/letters/

Crick software Clicker

New to English

https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/school-life

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talk_to_your_baby

EMAS staff supported the school to run an EAL

parents meeting.

Some schools have regular drop in times and

have a different focus each week.

The topic at this meeting was KS4 options.

Parents and pupils came to discuss GCSE choices and get help with forms

www.cilt.org.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/

http://www.letterboxlibrary.com/

http://uk.mantralingua.com/

Our contact details

Ethnic Minority Achievement Service

Level 2

County Hall

Trowbridge

Wiltshire

BA14 8JNTelephone: 01225 718095

Email: emas@wiltshire.gov.uk