English as an Additional Language

We are extremely proud to be part of a multi-cultural community at Hackbridge, with over 50 different languages spoken by our families. As of February 2023, 48% of our pupils speak English as an additional language (EAL).

Children with EAL will be at varying stages of English language acquisition, depending on their personal context. As a result, children are supported in a variety of ways in school depending on their needs, including adaptations in the classroom, small group sessions and the use of visual aids and resources.

We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to support your child with their learning at home, so here are some ideas on how you can help your child to learn: 

To help children with their home learning:

• Ask questions and talk about the topics studied in your first language. 
• Encourage your child to use a bilingual dictionary to translate words.
• Persuade your child to write down any new words in English and/or their first language to help them remember them.
• Encourage your child to ask their teachers if they do not understand something.

Read with your child at home

You can do this in your first language and talk about the pictures and what is happening in the story. With older children, you can listen to them read and ask them to guess what a word might be if they don’t know what a word means. Websites such as ‘World Stories’ have stories in lots of different languages, and ‘Oxford Owl’ has a large collection of e-books for you to read with your child at home, although you will need to register (for free) to access them.

At Hackbridge, we have a large range of dual language books in our library. Please speak to your child’s teacher and ask them to send home a bilingual library book for you and your child to read together.

We also have vocabulary exercise books available for your child to write down new vocabulary that they learn and their understanding of different words. This can be especially useful for them to refer to, both at school and at home. Please ask your child’s teacher if you would like one.

Join a class to help you improve your own English

Parents/carers can find English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in their local Further Education College. If you can’t join a class, or want to learn independently, you can find free English practise from the British Council. Please click on the links below for more information.

Sutton College - ESOL English Language Courses at Sutton College :: Sutton College – Sutton College of Learning for Adults – Education and Training in South London

Croydon College - ESOL Skills for Life (ocnlondon.org.uk)

Merton - English lessons for adults living in and around the London Borough of Merton which follow the ESOL curriculum

British Council - Learn English Online | British Council

Phonics

If you are a parent/carer and would like more information about how to support your child with phonics at home, please follow this link to find the Reception and Year 1 overview as well as videos of the sound pronunciations, letter formation sheets and other helpful resources: https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/