English as an Additional Language (EAL) at Hendrefoilan
At Hendrefoilan, approximately 21% of our school population are EAL learners. Inclusion, diversity and opportunity are integral to our school community. We believe that language should not be a barrier to learning but a beneficial tool to our pupils and school.
What is an EAL learner?
English as an additional language (EAL) learners are from a minority ethnic background and will have a first language that is neither English or Welsh. Not all minority ethnic learners will be learners of EAL. Many UK born bilingual/multilingual children may not define themselves as EAL, especially if their first language is no longer their dominant language. Such learners may only understand their first language and not speak it frequently, if at all. However, based on the definitions above and for the purposes of data they are still included as EAL learners.
Bell Foundation
Swansea schools support the use of the Bell Foundation EAL ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK as a tool for assessing and supporting EAL pupils. The guidance enables teachers to set effective targets and develop a learning journey for an EAL pupil. At Hendrefoilan we use this to complement our teacher assessment, which can be seen in our Assessment Policy. https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/
Learning Village
The Learning Village is an image-based English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme for learners in English-medium schools. It follows a blended approach, from independent learning online to offline small group teaching and differentiation in class.
Hendrefoilan EAL learners use Learning Village in class and during intervention time to support their language acquisition journey. https://www.learningvillage.net/
Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support in Swansea
Websites for EAL pupils
Parent Guide to the Curriculum for Wales (CfW)