English as an Additional Language

EAL means a child who speaks a language other than English at home.  This may apply to a new arrival who is learning English for the first time, or a child who was born in the UK.

At St Peter’s Church of England Aided School we are proud to welcome a culturally diverse population within our school family.  We want to give hope and opportunity to every child. We always encourage our EAL children to retain their home language whilst learning English and support them every step of the way during their time here at secondary school.

Statistics

St Peter’s has 22 different languages including Bengali, Malayalam, Polish, Romanian, Tagalog (Filipino) and Vietnamese to mention but a few! There are 149 EAL students with a range of support needs from ‘New to English’ to ‘Fluent’.

Support

Every pupil has different needs with regards to the support they need to navigate the curriculum.  This can include 1:1 intervention to build confidence speaking and writing in English, In-class support, translated books and resources, homework support, vocabulary building.  When students join us with little to no English we are also supported by Babcock who provide many resources including a valuable translation service. 

Parents Evenings

When you are attending a meeting with a teacher and you need translation services we are able to provide support if you let us know in advance.  Please inform your child’s tutor in the first instance.

Bilingual Book Borrowing Service in EAL Room F053

If you have any unwanted reading books written in various languages suitable for 11-16 year olds that you would be willing to donate we would be very grateful.  It is really important for EAL learners to keep using their home language.  Reading is an excellent tool to help with this.  

GCSE in Home Language – Would you like your child to take a GCSE in their home language?  There is a fee, preparation lessons to complete and an exam.  To find out if we are able to offer this fantastic service for your home language please contact the exams office via email on exams@spexe.org.  All we ask is that you wait until your child reaches year 10 before making this enquiry but it’s a great idea to start a conversation with your child before Year 10 so they can fully consider this opportunity.    

Young Interpreters Scheme (YIS):  This is a 6-week course for new or current learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL).  Their role is to support and liaise with families for whom English is not the mother tongue during parents evening, open days or school tours. The students would not be required to interpret anything confidential.  It is a high-profile responsibility and open to years 8,9,10 and 11. 

At the end of the course, your child will be awarded a badge and considered a languages ambassador for everyone speaking more than one language in school.   Benefits for the students are it builds confidence, puts their language skills to fantastic use and participation looks great on a CV to potential employers when they leave school.

EAL Support beyond school

EAL support continues beyond school and Exeter College run a course entitled ‘ESOL Yes’ (see information leaflet below).