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Sunday, May 8, 2011

OFSTED launches good practice website - EAL Case Study

Ofsted has developed a good practice website for schools and the first EAL case study has been published following a visit to Feltham Community College. Inspectors visiting the school found students learning EAL making outstanding progress through a combination of good teaching, rigorous assessment and monitoring procedures, and a tailored curriculum.

Click here to download the pdf full report.

Highlights:

“Students who speak English as an additional language are dragging our results down.” Comonally held view 2 years ago at the college.

Two years on, "students learning English as an additional language make outstanding progress from Key Stages 2 to 4 and the percentage achieving five good grades at GCSE is above the national average."

Expectations for their performance had to be raised and not based on Key Stage 2 data or the level of English when the pupil first arrived.

Targets are reviewed at least termly and usually raised so that students continually live with challenging targets

A rigorous system of assessment and monitoring is in place; every individual and group is tracked in each subject.

A comprehensive training programme uses the expertise in the department and the local authority specialist language service. As well as whole school training about how bilingual learners achieve and learn, the school tailors training to particular departments.

Leaders are ensuring that every department sees literacy and EAL as their responsibility.

The department also works with others in the school to build expertise through training and collaborative planning. According to one teacher, “Before there was no collaboration, now we share the curriculum.”

In lessons, EAL learners self-assess their own work and that of their peers so that they can identify points for development and be more involved in setting targets.

“... would be to raise expectations, and personalise target-setting, monitoring and tracking with a sharp focus on EAL groups. Provide EAL alongside English teaching, to create powerful learning opportunities that benefit all students.”



















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