Lawn Manor is an Academy which is rich in diversity with more than 34 languages being spoken as a first language. We celebrate the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of all learners while we have a strong focus on aspects of British culture.
Our dedicated EAL teachers and highly experienced Teaching Assistants have lived and worked abroad, and understand many of the issues that our new arrivals might encounter and they are well trained to meet intellectual, emotional, linguistic and cultural needs of your child.
Any prospective parents are welcome to contact Sumeswar Das, our EAL Co-ordinator to discuss the particular linguistic or cultural needs of their child at sdas@lawnmanor.org.
S Das – EAL Coordinator
K Borczuch – EAL Assistant
E Dolphin – EAL Assistant
The key aim of the EAL Department is to support students for whom English is an Additional Language in order to facilitate their access to the full curriculum. The EAL department would like EAL pupils to feel welcome, motivated and supported by the department and the school
We maintain a strong track record in EAL provision at Lawn Manor and our highly experienced EAL team now delivers various training sessions for different institutions in and around Swindon. Our EAL specialist English teacher works closely with English Faculty and provides additional lessons for KS4 pupils. A key aim of these lessons is to help the pupils achieve high in their English GCSE.
We use visuals in the form of pictures, photographs, and so on, to help learners make sense of new information across the School and use drama and role play activities to make learning memorable and encourage empathy in our ESOL lessons.
After the initial language assessment, appropriate support is provided to introduce key concepts and vocabulary, stimulate prior knowledge, build on learning in L1, develop communicating skills in English and enable pupils to practise language in a stress-free, supportive environment.
This is run by Mrs Borczuch every morning from 8.AM to 8.30AM. This reading programme supports the development of KS3 EAL pupils’ reading skills in English (including reading for meaning), as well as helping them to learn spelling patterns and pronunciation. This programme also encourages the advanced bilinguals to become ’reading partners’ for the EAL early stage pupils.
All pupils maintain their own reading record. Reading levels are tracked via English data. The range of books is extensive, age appropriate that includes some bilingual books.
EAL pupils who arrive mid-year are prioritised for support. Prior to their start date, all teachers are given a brief description of their language ability and educational history.
We identify individual pupils’ needs at the earliest opportunity and recognise the skills they bring to the school. We structure our teaching based on individual needs and ensure equality of access to the whole curriculum.
In addition, KS4 pupils are prepared for the Cambridge ESOL series of examinations. The level they are prepared for is dependent on their English level as assessed by the Quick Placement Test.
We aim to ensure that all EAL pupils are able to use English confidently and competently. We also encourage pupils to make use of their knowledge of other languages where appropriate. We help pupils prepare for GCSEs in the language they speak at home which provides opportunities for pupils to take a qualification in their ‘home’ language with recognised accreditation.
There is an afterschool EAL drop-in session at which time pupils can bring in work with which they need help and receive the support as necessary. Throughout the year, various extra-curricular activities such as Bollywood dance, badminton club are organised which offer excellent opportunities to develop communication and social skill for our new arrivals.
