EAL news
EAL resources
We have added links to two resources on our EAL resources page, under 'Other EAL resources':
- Black History Month is October: view the padlet of resources
- This padlet includes information for Anti-Bullying Week, 15-19 November 2021: One Kind Word
- Anti-racisim: there is also a padlet of resources to help your school become anti-racist
Norfolk schools take part in the Young Interpreters scheme
Schools across the county are being encouraged to take part in an innovative scheme aimed at helping children who are new learners of English to feel safe and settled.
The Young Interpreters Scheme helps schools to welcome new children and young people into the school community by training existing students to be a friendly face to help out as the new arrivals settle in. This includes children arriving as refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeker children (UASC).
Since the scheme launched, four schools have already taken part with a further 27 due to take part in training events set up by the council's English as an Additional Language (EAL) Service in the coming months.
The scheme's training is aimed at primary and secondary school children who are either bilingual or have an empathetic outlook, so they can most effectively help in welcoming new children to the school and supporting them during their induction period. The young interpreters will be trained to help in social situations, showing the new children around, explaining cultural differences and how school procedures work.
Alison Mobbs, Headteacher at Lynn Grove Academy, said:
"We are absolutely delighted to be engaging with the Young Interpreters scheme. It provides a really practical way for our bilingual learners to contribute to our community and a is great way to celebrate our linguistic diversity."
John Fisher, former Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said:
"The Young Interpreters Scheme is a brilliant tool for us to help welcome vulnerable children and young people into Norfolk, supporting them to settle quickly and build friendships with their peers. As more schools take part in the training, we're confident this will continue to have a positive impact on our school communities and the children and families they're working with."
The training is provided to schools by the council's EAL Advisory Service, in collaboration with Hampshire EMTAS. Young Interpreters meet together to prepare resources that can help a new arrival, such as maps of the school site, useful visuals, translated lists for science or maths etc, list of clubs, and other useful resources, and discuss likely issues that might arise and how they can be overcome.
The EAL Advisory Service has also made INTRAN's Language Line freely available to schools. This offers over the phone interpretation services to schools in Norfolk and has seen 1016 calls made to by schools since April 2020. The line allows schools to work directly with translators to access support in communicating with young people and families in their school community.
Dawn Inger, Designated Safeguarding Lead for Clover Hill VA and Nursery school All Angels Federation, said:
"Using language line means that as a school we can easily communicate with our families who struggle to understand English. Using the service is so easy, the translators are calm, they listen to your requests and we get the answers we need from our families. It's a service that makes my job as DSL/pastoral support easier."
More information
The cost is £70 to join the scheme and have access to the Training Moodle.
The EAL Advisory Team will hold network meetings, starting in September, for participating schools.
For further details contact tanya.ingram@norfolk.gov.uk
11 June 2021 - A day of welcome
A Day of Welcome (PDF) [452KB] is a day of solidarity and learning in schools that aims to build a culture of welcome and understanding for refugees and asylum seekers. (Update: the 2024 Day of Welcome is on Friday 14 June.
Norfolk Virtual School for Looked After and Previously Looked After Children Newsletter
Virtual School newsletter, Issue 7 - Summer Term 2021 (Word doc) [37KB]
Complementary Schools, GRT Services and EAL training
EAL newsletter edition 4: Autumn - December 2020 (PDF) [229KB]
This edition explores complementary schools, our GRT provision and the EAL training courses provided by the EAL Advisory Service.
Norfolk Virtual School
EAL newsletter edition 3: Summer - June 2020 (PDF) [337KB]
To ensure safeguarding and equal access to education during the period of lockdown the Norfolk Virtual School is providing FREE access to INTRAN's telephone service (Language Line) for schools to use to contact their vulnerable families.
EAL, Teachers' Standards and ITT
EAL newsletter edition 2: Spring - March 2020 (PDF) [528KB]
The Teachers' Standards (2012) states that it is the responsibility of all teachers, whatever their subject, to "adapt their teaching to the strengths and needs of all pupils" including those with EAL. The EAL service delivers ITT to PGCE students on how EAL teaching and learning takes place in classrooms and school.
The EAL service and People From Abroad Teams (PFAT) partnership
EAL newsletter edition 1: Autumn - October 2019 (PDF) [420KB]
PFAT oversees a scheme which takes very vulnerable families who have fled from the war in Syria and are now living in poor and dangerous conditions in neighbouring countries and resettles them in Britain.