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.
Learning Village Parents Open Afternoon
The Three Little Pigs
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.
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.
Hear what the children have to say….
“I really enjoy the practice games, they help me to understand my learning.”
Khadiza
“I like the Learning Village because it helps you with your learning in a fun way.”
Julia
I enjoy learning on the Learning Village because it has excellent facts about the topics we study and fun learning games.”
Kuba
“I love the Learning Village because you get to have fun with your learning.”
Ksawery
Please browse our gallery to see GGA’s Learning Village in action.
What is English as an Additional Language?
The Department for Education has published guidance on the definition of EAL (English as an Additional Language), it says: A pupil’s first language is defined as any other language than English that a child was exposed to during early development and continues to be exposed to in the home or in the community.
At Goldington Green Academy we have a significant number of pupils who use English as an additional language. We recognise that cultural and linguistic diversity is a rich resource for the whole school. We also recognise that pupils’ achievement is linked to a welcoming environment in which they feel valued and confident.
What support is available for pupils whom have English as an additional Language when they first arrive at Goldington Green Academy?
New pupils are made to feel welcomed with a class buddy. The class buddy will help the pupil by helping them get used to the routines of the class and the school. They will give them help and advice if they get stuck or worried. In class they will sit next to the pupil, help explain the work, support them if they get stuck, encourage them to talk and tell them when they do things right, they will be a friend whilst the pupil is getting used to their new school environment. At play/lunch times their buddy will talk and play with them and also help them to make new friends. Buddies gives pupils a chance to make new friends and help them feel settled in their new school. Having a Buddy makes the pupil feel more confident!
How will my child access the curriculum?
At Goldington Green Academy we believe in an inclusive education for all our learners. All school staff are aware of the linguistic needs of individual EAL children. Staff are fully trained in how to support bilingual pupils and how to plan effectively for pupils who are learning English as a second language. Teachers are aware of some of the difficulties that pupils may face in the early stages of acquiring English and plan accordingly. We know that English is best learnt through the curriculum and all pupils are encouraged to play as full a part as possible in all class activities. All teachers build strategies into their planning to support the language development of EAL pupils and structure lessons appropriately. We focus on speaking and listening and opportunities so that the pupil can use the language in collaborative, nonthreatening context which will enhance progress in all areas of the curriculum. We encourage pupils in the early stages of learning English who are literate to record their work in their mother tongue, transferring to English as they become more proficient. EAL pupils are taught subject specific vocabulary for mathematics, science, history and geography units as well as for other subjects where appropriate. Every child is supported to access the curriculum and reach their full potential. We aim for all our pupils to be confident speakers and writers of English in all areas of the curriculum.
Other additional support?
Mrs Wilson the EAL Manager works closely with the class Teachers and Teaching Assistants to support all EAL learners in school. The EAL Manager supports children within the classroom to help them access the curriculum and develop their social skills. Structured intervention is also provided to help develop the pupil’s basic interpersonal and communicative skills. All staff have access to dual language resources to support the children’s language development and understanding.
Assessment
At Goldington Green Academy we assess all pupils new to English using the NASSEA (Northern Association of Support Services for Equality and Achievement) Toolkit. The assessment toolkit is a cross –curriculum tool to help practitioners to observe, document and accelerate the ways bilingual pupils start to use English as a tool for learning. The toolkit helps to target language development through listening, speaking, reading and writing. It helps practitioners to inform their planning and target the pupil’s next steps. Once the pupil has met the age related expectations they are then assessed using the schools chosen assessment materials.
All pupils’ progress is monitored termly to ensure that pupils are able to reach the highest possible standards in their work and behaviour. The NASSEA document is passed on to the receiving school when the child moves schools.
School Parent Partnership
At Goldington Green Academy we believe every parent has the right to know how their child is being educated so we have developed an induction procedure to inform parents about the school and to promote good home/school links. On admission to the school parents are invited to attend a new parent afternoon. If necessary a mediator can be arranged to translate information. A welcome booklet is created in the parent’s mother tongue and parents are invited to meet with the EAL Manager to discuss any concerns or requests. This is an informal meeting to make both the child and parents feel welcome in our school. Throughout the year we celebrate a number of festivals observed around the world. We encourage all children and families to share their culture, language and religion through the use of our Heritage bag. During the month of February we celebrate our annual Multi-Cultural Week whereby we invite visiting artists to teach the children about different cultures and traditions from around the world. If you would like to share your culture or traditions with the school, please feel free to contact myself via the school office or by email which can be found on the school website.
Parent notice - Dual language Books available to borrow
We have recently invested in a range of Dual Language Books, Best Sellers, Dictionaries for our parents/carers to borrow from our newly language development room. Every story can be read or listened to, page by page, in the home language selected. For children with little knowledge of English, instant access to books ensure that they become active learners immediately. They could go through books in their home language - either reading or listening to the text being read aloud. Currently we have over 17 different languages to choose from.
If you have any questions about our EAL provision please do not hesitate to contact myself (Mrs Wilson) or our Headteacher Mrs Skingsley.
We have just received the EAL Academy - English as an Additional Language Quality Mark (Gold -2016) for our EAL provision. Click here
Mrs Wilson
EAL/ Equality and Diversity Manager
