This is our last newsletter before the summer break. While we have embraced Zoom and launched a new webinar series this year we were really pleased to begin visiting schools in person again this term and look forward to more of the same in September. Wishing you all a healthy and happy break.
In this newsletter
- What the 2021 School Census tells us about EAL pupils
- Free resources
- Muslim achievement – webinar
- The EAL Quality Mark
- Find out about updates to our online course catalogue
- Can your school provide a case study in promoting race equality and tackling racism?
What the 2021 School Census tells us about EAL pupils
During 2020 the proportion of pupils with English as an additional language in state schools dropped very slightly (by 0.2 percentage points) and for the first time since records have been kept, but since 2016 the percentage of pupils with English as additional language in schools has increased everywhere except London.
Resources you can access for free
The free resource downloads section of our website includes:
- Tackling misconceptions about EAL pupils
- Questions to ask parents of a new arrival
- Strategies for different types of newly arrived pupils
Muslim achievement – webinar
We were delighted to host Lubna Khan, Sajid Gulzar and Raza Ali (all Muslim headteachers) along with Rukhsana Yakoob and Robin Richardson at our recent Muslim achievement webinar. You can see the webinar on our YouTube channel.
The EAL Quality Mark
The EAL Quality Mark is a self-assessment tool for schools supported by a visit from one of our assessors. A sign of its growing popularity is that four of our last five blogs have featured schools winning the Gold Award for the EAL Quality Mark. The most recent winner was North Ormseby Primary Academy. When we asked pupils what they thought was the best thing about the school, there were different words in the answers (I feel accepted, I am valued, people are kind to me, the adults always have time to help you) but the same message. When we told the principal what his pupils had said, we saw the beginnings of a proud tear in his eye.
You can find out more about the EAL Quality Mark in this recorded webinar featuring seven schools with the EAL Quality Mark.
More of our courses go online
Our range of short online courses (requiring approximately 12-15 hours of study) are available to complete at any time:
- – EAL for Teaching Assistants
- – EAL and SEND
- – EAL Beginners in the Classroom
- – Leading EAL in Secondary Schools
- – Leading EAL in Primary Schools
- – Early Years and Diversity
- – EAL, Ofsted and the Legal Context
- – EAL in an International School Context
- – Plurilingualism
- – The Achievement of Pupils of Caribbean Heritage
- – EAL in Wales (the latest addition to our course catalogue)
Our six unit online EAL course, accredited by the University of Greenwich, is now in its ninth year. We will welcome the next cohorts on 15 May and 15 June. Email contact@theealacademy.co.uk to request a booking form.
Look out for additional online courses we will launch over the next few months:
- Advanced EAL learners
- EAL and Science
- EAL and Maths
Promoting race equality and tackling racism in schools
Our friends at Equaliteach have been commissioned by to write a book on Promoting Race Equality and Tackling Racism in Schools, which will be published in summer 2022. They want this book to be full of relevant case studies and lived experience and for that reason are reaching out to ask for teachers to spend 5-10 minutes filling in a questionnaire to share their experiences of racism in schools and any barriers and obstacles that they have come up against during their time in education. The questionnaire can be found here.
If you would like to discuss any of our courses or resources, please get in touch (you can email me or call me on +44 (0)20 3488 2700). Most of all, stay safe.
Rebecca Smith
The EAL Academy
e: rebecca@theealacademy.co.uk
t: +44 (0)20 3488 2700
w: http://www.theealacademy.co.uk