CHAPTER 6

Working with pupils who speak English as an additional language

A ccording to government statistics, English is now spoken as a second language by one in eight pupils in British schools. Many teaching assistants support these pupils either as an English speaker or as a bilingual assistant – that is, speaking to pupils in their native language in order to help them to access the curriculum. If you support bilingual or multilingual pupils, you will need to have an awareness of how all children process language and the importance for bilingual pupils of retaining their identity through valuing their home culture and language. You should also think about how aspects of culture, religion, home and family circumstances and upbringing can affect pupil learning. This chapter will also identify strategies for promoting pupils’ language development in speaking and listening, reading and writing in English. Bilingual assistants may also be employed to provide support for pupils and families and to assess their abilities in their home language.

The process of language development

So that we can build a picture of how we learn language, it is important to think about the two stages which linguists consider that all children pass through. These are known as the pre-linguistic and the linguistic stages.

The pre-linguistic stage is during the first 12 months, when babies begin to learn the skills of basic communication. During this time, they will start to attract the attention of adults and repeat back the different sounds that they hear. This is true of any language, but although babies worldwide are born with the potential to make the same sounds, by the age of 12 months they can only repeat back the sounds that they have heard around them during that time.

The linguistic stage is when babies start to use the words that they hear and learn how to put sentences together. Children will develop this stage gradually over the next few years so that by the age of about five years they are fluent in their home language. For children who are learning more than one language from the earliest stages, however, learning to speak may be slightly slower as they will need to absorb different language systems.

Table 6.1 shows the stages of language development in children who speak one language. Adults will need to support them through all of these stages in order to encourage and promote language development. Although you will be working with school age children, you should remember that bilingual or multilingual pupils may be at an earlier stage of development with their language.

Table 6.1 Stages of language development

Age	Stage of development
0–6 months	Babies try to communicate through crying, starting to smile and babbling. They start to establish eye contact with adults.
6–18 months	Babies start to speak their first words. They start to use gestures to indicate what they mean. At this stage, they are able to recognise and respond to pictures of familiar objects.
18 months to 3 years	Children start to develop their vocabulary rapidly and make up their own sentences. At this stage, children enjoy simple and repetitive rhymes and stories.
3–8 years	Children start to use more and more vocabulary and the structure of their language becomes more complex. As they develop their language skills, they are able to use language in a variety of situations.
8 + 1 years	Children continue to develop the complexity of their language skills and their confidence in the use of language should begin to flourish.

If children have learned two or more languages simultaneously from an early age and they have been able to listen to good language models, it is likely that they will be confident in them and be able to ‘switch’ languages. When learning two languages together, children will need to be able to tune in to the language with the person who is speaking to them – in this way it will be easier for them to distinguish between the different languages. Problems may arise, however, if one parent, for example, regularly switches languages, as the child will find it difficult to know which language they are listening to at any given time. Once languages are established and the child grows older and more confident, this will be less important.

we need to support all children to develop language skills

As an adult working in an educational setting, the most important thing for you to be aware of is the importance of language development as a route to learning. Language is the basis for the way in which we organise our thoughts, ideas and feelings. We need to support all children to develop language skills and to build on their knowledge so that they are more able to access the curriculum.

Finding out about the pupil’s background

If you are working with bilingual pupils who are new to your school you will need to find out as much as you can about their home and educational background and circumstances so that you can support them more effectively. Schools may do this in different ways:

• •Background forms: The school will have a system for gathering initial information from parents or carers through forms. These will usually request basic information, medical details, child’s position in the family, previous schools and languages spoken.
• •Home visits: Depending on your school and the age of the pupil, a home visit may be carried out to find out more about the pupil and their home background. These may be varied – for example, pupils may have been brought up in the UK, have had a traumatic background or be asylum seekers. Alternatively, if parents do not speak any English the school may decide to invite them to school with an interpreter so that they can speak to them more directly.
• •Records from previous schools: If the pupil has been to school in the UK before, their previous school will be asked to send transfer records and information about their progress, including their ability in the target language. They may also contain records from other agencies if these have been involved in working with the pupil, such as speech therapists (for more on other agencies see Chapter 5 page 85). However, be aware that these forms can sometimes take some time to arrive and may not be at your school before the pupil starts. Your SENCO or teachers may need to call the previous school and speak to staff there if necessary in order to gather information.

Once you have gathered initial information on the pupil you will have a clearer idea about their needs and be able to work with teachers to devise how they should be assessed and their needs met.

The importance of valuing cultural diversity

Depending on the pupil’s home background and experiences, they may find starting at school very difficult, particularly if they have not been in an educational environment before. They may be having or have had to make significant adjustments: although some bilingual and multilingual pupils learn to speak their languages simultaneously from an early age, not all will be doing this and some may have only just started to learn a second or third language when you meet them. Pupils may feel isolated in this case, particularly if their language or culture is not the same as the majority of pupils in the school, and it is important for them to feel that the school values cultural diversity. Knowing that their culture and status is valued helps them to feel settled and secure, factors which will contribute to their being able to develop skills in a new language. Moreover, children need to want to learn; if they are feeling isolated or anxious, it is more likely that this will be difficult for them.

children need to want to learn

The school should also encourage the involvement of all parents in the life of the school as much as possible; this is important both to encourage communication and to ensure that the pupil feels that the school and family value one another (see also pages 84–5 regarding communication with families). There will be measures in place in the school’s equality policy to ensure that the whole school community recognises and celebrates a variety of religious and cultural festivals through assemblies, displays and trips, and encourages pupils to find out about other languages and faiths through religious and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).

The role of self-esteem in developing communication

It is helpful if all staff are made aware if a pupil who is new to the school does not speak English. This is because, as well as feeling that they fit in, pupils’ self-esteem and confidence will be affected by their perception of how others see them. It is especially important for everyone to know and pronounce their name correctly. If their parents do not speak English, this may be a pupil’s first experience of having to communicate with others in a language other than their own. It is important for the pupil to be able to communicate in school, and although they will usually pick up a new language reasonably quickly, this can be a difficult time for them and you should be sensitive to this. If you notice that a pupil is having problems it is important to discuss this with teachers as there will be strategies that you can put in place to support them.

How to support the language skills of bilingual and multilingual pupils

Although pupil learning in general may be affected by their background and you will need to know about this and be sensitive to it (see also Chapter 3, pages 42–6 for factors affecting learning), your focus when working with bilingual pupils will be on the development of their language. You may be working with individuals or groups of pupils to help them with their speaking and listening, reading or writing. Although the approach you take with very young children may be different from that which you use with older pupils, the strategies you use should be similar and should apply across the curriculum.

your focus will be on the development of their language

Your initial work with pupils should be based on an assessment of their level of language as well as their level of ability. You should have guidance and support either from your SENCO or from teachers, and this will be the starting point for any individual work or targets which are devised for the pupil, who may be at different stages in their development of English. Remember that a pupil’s ability to speak another language does not necessarily mean that they have a special educational need. The SENCO may be involved in devising educational plans for pupils who are at the earliest stages of learning English as an additional language; it is important that their progress is monitored and that they settle into school. However, although at the initial stages of learning a language these pupils may need extra support, learning a second language is not an indicator of either higher or lower ability.

Speaking and listening skills

As in all learning situations, the effective use of praise is very important when working with pupils who speak English as an additional language. You need to provide encouragement and support to these pupils as they will be insecure about the way in which they use their second language. Other strategies you will need to use will include the following.

Making opportunities to talk

Bilingual pupils will need to be given as much opportunity as possible to talk and discuss ideas with others. At a very young age this would include opportunities such as role play, whereas older pupils may enjoy debates and discussions around a set topic. Sometimes having a talk partner will help if pupils are less confident before putting their ideas forward in a larger group – the talk partner could be you or one of their peers. Remember that older pupils may be more self-conscious about speaking another language than younger ones.

Purposeful listening

You will need to make sure that you give pupils your full attention when speaking and listening with them. If you actively listen and respond to what they are saying, you will encourage them to do the same. In addition you will need to support pupils in class by repeating and checking pupil understanding of what the teacher has said. You should also ensure that you give pupils thinking time without rushing them, so that they are able to formulate a response to any questions.

When giving pupils feedback in learning situations and repeating back words or phrases to them, you may need to ‘remodel’ language or extend their responses through questioning. For example, if they use language incorrectly, such as ‘I go to the shops at the weekend’, you could respond ‘You went to the shops last weekend? What did you buy?’ rather than specifically pointing out an error.

Specific vocabulary

If pupils have come into school with very limited experience of the target language, you may be asked to work with them on specific areas of language – for example, the teacher may be focusing on positional words to ensure that pupils understand vocabulary such as behind, above, below, next to and so on. You may need to work with pictures or other resources to help pupils to develop their understanding of these words.

Songs and rhymes

Young children develop concepts of pattern and rhyme in language through learning nursery rhymes and songs. These are also an enjoyable way of developing language skills as well as being part of a group. If you are a bilingual assistant, you may also be able to introduce rhymes and songs in other languages for all the pupils to learn and so extend their cultural awareness.

Games

These are useful for developing language as they encourage pupils to interact with others at the same time as practising their language skills.

Physical cues and gestures

Physical cues and gestures such as thumbs up and down, raised eyebrows, and other forms of non-verbal communication will enable pupils to make sense of a situation more quickly, as well as act as a form of encouragement.

You will also need to remember that there is a difference between the social language in which pupils may be starting to become fluent at the earlier stages, and ‘classroom’ language. This is because in social situations the meaning of what is being communicated is often backed up by visual cues. It may also be different to the correct form of written English. Classroom language is likely to be more abstract, particularly in the case of older pupils, and it can be hard for them to tune into the kinds of functional language required in some learning situations, for example, hypothesising, evaluating, predicting and inferring. It is likely that there will be less visual demonstration to support learning – you will need to be able to give practical support to pupils and continue to check their understanding of what is being asked.

classroom language is likely to be more abstract

Reading and writing skills

As you are developing the speaking and listening skills of bilingual pupils, you will also need to be able to find opportunities to support their reading and writing skills in English. Pupils will need to be able to link the development of the spoken word with reading and writing and should participate in all lessons with their peers so that they can observe good practice from other pupils. However, if they need additional focused support, you may need to adapt or modify learning resources that others are using in order to help them to access the curriculum more fully. You may also need to explain and reinforce specific vocabulary if it is part of a topic or subject area. As with all other pupils, they will need to be able to experience a variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction, in order to maximise their vocabulary.

Liaising with support teachers

If you are working with bilingual or multilingual pupils, it is likely that you will also be asked to liaise with other support teachers. Usually there will be an external teacher who comes into school to support the SENCO and teachers to do more focused work regularly with bilingual pupils and to give advice. Assistants may be called upon to carry out initial assessments and also to follow up this work when needed, particularly when the support teacher has finished their allocated time in school.

Working as a bilingual assistant

If you are bilingual yourself, you may have been employed or asked by the school to use pupils’ first language to support teaching and learning. You may also be involved in providing support for families and liaising with them in order to promote pupil participation. This role will often be created in schools which have a high percentage of bilingual learners to make it easier for the school to encourage communication between the school and families who do not speak English. If this is your role, you should have some opportunity to work with the governor or named teacher in the school who is responsible for advising teachers about EAL learners. You should also be able to feed back to teachers, in particular if there are concerns about specific pupils.

Communicating with families

As a bilingual assistant, it is likely that you will be involved in providing support and information to families. Parents of bilingual pupils may speak very little or no English themselves and in this situation the school will need to devise additional strategies to encourage their involvement and understanding. It is important that parents and carers feel able to approach the school and share information in order to maximise the opportunities to communicate. However, you should remember that if you are passing information between school and families; that is all you should be doing. Be careful not to include your own opinions or ideas about what should be happening on either side without consulting with other staff first.

be careful not to include your own opinions or ideas

You may be communicating with parents and families from a range of backgrounds and some of these families may be facing difficult circumstances or need additional support which you are not able to provide. In this case, you should go through your SENCO or teacher responsible for EAL pupils to seek outside support from your local authority or social services to ensure that the school is offering as much help or advice as possible, and as a bilingual speaker you will be able to explain what support is available to families.

Working with pupils

Bilingual assistants will often support pupils who have a limited knowledge of English by assessing their ability in their home language. It is helpful to be able to gauge their level of fluency – if this is good it will be easier for them to learn a second language more quickly as they will have another language to relate it to. If you are working in a school with a high percentage of pupils who speak a particular language, you may support individuals or groups of pupils in order to help them to develop their English skills whilst also speaking to them in their first language. It can also help to detect any language disorder or learning delay which pupils may have, as these can take longer to become evident in pupils who speak additional languages. In this situation you will need to refer to your SENCO or to teachers who will need to refer the pupil for specialist assessment.

Giving feedback to pupils, families and colleagues

As a bilingual assistant it is likely that you will be involved in meetings and discussions with teachers and families about pupil progress. Pupils should also be fully involved in the procedure if possible. The best way in which to do this is to set aside a regular time with pupils and teachers to discuss their progress and to think about any additional support they might need. You may also be invited to parents’ evenings and other events in order to support teachers and other staff in passing information on to parents. If you have been asked to do this, you should make time to speak to teachers beforehand so that you know what infor­mation the teachers need to have passed on and how they would like you to structure what you say.

You will also need to be able to give feedback to colleagues, particularly if the pupil speaks very little English. Colleagues will need you to pass on information about pupil development in English and also their knowledge and use of their home language, which may reflect their confidence in using language generally. For example, a pupil who has a working knowledge of one language already understands the purpose and process of how it works, and is more likely to be able to apply this to another language. The feedback you give to colleagues may be written or verbal depending on the school’s policy, but it is best to keep a record of some kind so that the information is available to others if required at a later date.

keep a record of some kind

Further reading

• •www.britishcouncil.org – there is plenty of information here to support the development of relationships with partner schools in other countries.
• •www.dfes.gov.uk – the Standards Site has information under EAL learners.
• •www.freenglish.com – has resources for those wishing to learn English.
• •www.mantrapublishing.com – this company produces a range of books in different languages.
• •www.naldic.org.uk – the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum aims to raise attainment of EAL learners; the website contains a number of links and resources.
• •www.teachernet.gov.uk – type in ‘EAL’ under ‘search’.
• •www.qcda.gov.uk – A Language in Common, Assessing English as an additional language, 2000. This is a useful document to help with the assessment of bilingual pupils.