Our Approach to EAL
At Leigh Academy Strood, we believe that linguistic diversity is a strength. Supporting students for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL) is a whole-school priority. Our mission is to ensure that every EAL student can communicate their ideas clearly, access the full breadth of our curriculum, and feel a deep sense of belonging within our academy.
We provide high-quality, scaffolded teaching across all subjects, where teachers explicitly model academic language and introduce subject-specific vocabulary. By building a bridge between a student’s home language and English, we empower them to become confident, independent learners.
Assessment & Personalized Pathways
To provide the most effective support, we use FlashAcademy, a digital learning platform aligned with the Bell Foundation EAL Assessment Framework. This allows us to accurately diagnose a student’s proficiency level (A- New to English to E – Fluent) and monitor their progress in real-time.
Based on these assessments, our most vulnerable EAL students are guided onto one of two specialised pathways:
- The Acquisition Pathway: Focused on “New to English” learners, this strand prioritizes essential survival language, foundational phonics, and the high-frequency vocabulary needed to navigate school life.
- The Developing Fluency Pathway: Aimed at students who are becoming more proficient, this strand targets academic language, complex grammar, and the skills required for extended writing across the curriculum.
Both pathways utilise targeted lessons and resources from FlashAcademy, ensuring that intervention is appropriately challenging and responsive to each student’s unique linguistic profile.
EAL Interventions & Enrichment
Our EAL provision is integrated into the wider literacy strategy of the academy, offering a blend of digital innovation and peer-led collaboration:
- FlashAcademy: Delivers tailored EAL support to develop phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and extended writing through an interactive, gamified platform.
- Language Leaders: Taking place on Friday mornings, this program develops academic vocabulary and spoken language. Older EAL students act as mentors, supporting those earlier in their English careers through games and structured talk to build confidence.
- Real-World Learning: We believe in developing communication skills in authentic settings. For example, in December, students participate in a Treasure Hunt at the Rochester Christmas Market, applying their language skills to navigate the community and interact with the public.
- Adaptive Technology: All students utilise their one-to-one digital devices to access the Read&Write toolbar. We also support students in using Google Translate and additional language keyboards to ensure their home language remains a tool for learning while they acquire English.
How to Support Your Child at Home
Parents and carers are essential partners in a student’s language journey. You do not need to be a fluent English speaker to support your child’s literacy development.
Maintain Your Home Language
- Keep Talking: Continue to speak, read, and tell stories in your first language. A strong foundation in a home language makes it much easier to acquire English.
- Dual-Language Reading: Encourage your child to read texts in both their home language and English to compare meanings and build vocabulary.
Utilising Digital Tools
- FlashAcademy at Home: Encourage your child to complete short, regular sessions on FlashAcademy to reinforce the vocabulary learned in school.
- Read&Write: Remind your child to use the Read&Write toolbar on their Chromebook for home learning tasks to help with pronunciation and translation.
Vocabulary & Communication
- Real-World Talk: When visiting shops or traveling, encourage your child to use English in small interactions to build their confidence outside the classroom.
- Celebrate Progress: Learning a new language is a significant achievement. Celebrate the small wins, such as learning five new words a week or successfully completing a task in English.