English Additional Language

Welcome to Goldington Green Academy’s Learning Village

What is the Learning Village?

The Learning Village is an online blended learning programme that supports pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL) The Learning Village is an image-base English as an Additional Language programme, therefore accommodating for learners of any language background. The programme provides three strands of learning. It teaches everyday survival language, to help learners with functional social language. It includes a full phonics programme (Letters and Sounds scheme), and also academic and technical curriculum language to support learners with accessing the curriculum. The Learning Village helps the learners to develop their vocabulary and understanding of English language structures.

How do the children learn on the Village?

The Learning Village identifies three essential elements of the teaching and learning process for EAL learners which is:

Learn:

Listen, read, say, check, hide, write & review

Practise:

Complete practice games

Assess:

Complete an assessment of the learning

Once the children have completed the learning process the programme then generates their results. This is monitored closely by the EAL team to identify any difficulties that the children may be experiencing with their learning.

How long have you been using this programme?

This programme was implemented in 2020. Since then we have seen remarkable rates of progress made by the children with their learning.

Do you use any other programmes to support your EAL learners?

The Learning Village is just one of the tools that we use to help promote independent learning and develop the children’s understanding of the curriculum. We use other schemes of work to develop the children’s English language acquisition. Our resources are of a high quality and are specific to supporting EAL learners. We use a wide range of supplementary materials such as dual language books and dictionaries.

Hear what the author and Director of the Learning Village, Caroline Scott had to say about GGA’s engagement with the programme..

Goldington Green Academy, is one of the most engaged Learning Village schools worldwide, with 30 learners enrolled on the Primary ‘Village’ programme.

The learner progress at Goldington Green is high, at an average of 40%. Mrs Wilson and her team are fully trained and supported in their use of the programme and regularly engage with Across Cultures in webinars and informal Afternoon Tea sessions.

We recently carried out a case study. We took a look at the progress, triumphs and challenges of three individual learners at the school. Whilst each learner is unique, the experiences of these three learners were likely to be mirrored across the learning community. The research provided a window into the real-life experiences of learners engaged in the global Learning Village programme. The children made excellent progress from their starting points.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year,
from all the staff and children in the Learning Village.

Learning Village Updates Autumn Term 2024

Over this last term, there has been many exciting developments within the Learning Village. We now have our very own mini international library. Our books include stories from around the world that have been written by authors from diverse multicultural backgrounds. These stories offer glimpses into various cultures, from heart-warming family tales to adventures set in different corners of the world, making them invaluable resources for nurturing core values of unity and respect. We also have a wide range of dual language books that are based on the languages that are spoken at home by our families. The children are encouraged to take these books home to share with their families.

All the children have worked very hard this term. Each child was presented with a certificate to congratulate them on their achievements.

Future Developments

We are still aiming to develop an outdoor learning space within the Learning Village area. We hope that we will be able to achieve this by the middle of the Spring Term.

Please visit our gallery below to see the fun that the children have had with their learning.

Learning Village Updates Summer 2024

What a busy and exciting year we have had in the Learning Village!

We have four new residents, our gold fishes. The children named them Goldie, Midnight, Shadow and Ocean. Over the year, they have grown in size and continue to hold the children’s attention when they visit.

In the summer term, we held an Open Afternoon for the whole school. Children from across the school had an opportunity to explore the Learning Village. They viewed the resources and learned about the ways we support children who have English as an additional language. This event was very successful and feedback was very positive. One pupil asked if they could sign up to be a member of the Learning Village!

We have continued to invest in our Learning Village library by purchasing new books to add to our collection. The children’s interest has grown and they take dual language books home regularly to share with their family members. We offer a wide range of these books and we will continue to invest further in this area in the new academic year.

In the spring term, Cassandra Stanley (a local arts and crafts artist) visited the Learning Village and delivered an Easter Craft workshop for our Year 4 pupils who attend the Learning Village. The children had a wonderful day making Easter cards for their families.

Future developments

We are aiming to develop an international mini library as part of the Learning Village in the new academic year. The books will be available for children to take home in their chosen language to share with their family members.

Please visit our gallery below to view the fun we have had with our learning.

Learning Village Parents Open Afternoon

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The Three Little Pigs

Learning Village Update 2023

Over the last academic year there has been a lot of exciting developments within the Learning Village. We have now relocated to the Victorian part of the school building which has now been officially named the Learning Village. The children are so happy with their new environment and look forward to attending.

We have fishes! Yes, you heard right. We now have two beautiful little goldfishes who the children named Dory and Nemo to complement our new learning environment. The children have really taken an interest in them. They are always checking to see if they are happy and well. The fishes enjoy observing the children during their learning.

We have started our socially speaking lunchtime club to encourage children (especially new children) with meeting other children within their year groups and beyond.

We continue to invest in our Learning Village library. Books now include a wide range of dual language books based on the languages spoken at home by our families. The children enjoy taking books home to share with their families.

I am very proud to announce that Goldington Green Academy was reassessed and accredited with Gold for the EAL (English as an Additional Language) Quality Mark in March 2022. The Assessors report reflects the continued journey that our school has been on since we received our first award in 2016.

Future developments

We are aiming to develop an outdoor learning space within the Learning Village. Last summer some of the children attending wrote a letter about some of their ideas for what they would like to see within this area. Hopefully we will be able to commence work in the latter part of the Spring Term.

During the Summer Term, parents whose children attend the Learning Village will have an opportunity to visit and explore the resources that we use to support the development of their children’s English Language acquisition. They will also be able to observe some of the strategies we use to support their children with reading.

Please visit our gallery below to see the children in action and their new learning environment.

Re-accreditation Report

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