English as an Additional Language (EAL)

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes

Here at Millfields Primary School we are proud to welcome families from a wealth of different cultures and backgrounds and we greatly value the rich diversity of our school community.

EAL is defined as: ‘a child whose first language is not English’ encompassing children who are fully bilingual and all those at different stages of learning English.

EAL children may be:
- Newly arrived from a foreign country and school
- Newly arrived from a foreign country, but from an English speaking school
- Born abroad, but moved to the UK at some point before starting school
- Born in the UK, but in a family where the main language is not English
- Seeking Asylum or have refugee status

All pupils need to feel safe and secure, accepted and valued in order to learn. This includes valuing every learner’s home language and background. As a school we recognise that bilingualism is a strength that pupils with EAL should be proud of, that it is important to raise an awareness of the different languages and cultural backgrounds our pupils have and to celebrate these in many ways. Every child, regardless of their EAL proficiency, will be able to achieve and access learning within the classroom alongside their peers and will be supported, along with their family, to extend their English knowledge. During their time at our school, our EAL (English as an Additional Language) pupils are closely monitored for their progress in the curriculum and their acquisition of English.

English as an Addtional Language (EAL) Leader - Mrs Katie Thompson

English as an Addtional Language (EAL) Link Governor - Miss Emily Mills