General

Pupil support is tailored to the needs of the individual and is provided, in the academic context, by timetabled EAL lessons, either for small groups or on a one to one basis, depending on the needs of each pupil. The EAL department has a professional approach which reflects the ethos of the College and the subject departments: high standards of academic progress, punctuality, behaviour, presentation of class work and preparation are required.

Enrolment

Eastbourne College welcomes pupils for whom English is an additional language so long as they have the aptitude and ability to cope with being taught in English. Specialist teachers offer an EAL course to enable pupils to become stronger in English so that they can make full use of all the educational opportunities on offer at the College.

All international pupils are asked to write an EAL entrance test. The entrance test will determine if the pupil will need EAL tuition. We ask for a level of English usage that is generally classified as Intermediate/Upper Intermediate for Year 9 and Year 10 and Upper Intermediate/Advanced for Year 12 and Year 13. Extra tuition is compulsory for all EAL pupils.

Aims of the EAL department

1. To extend pupils’ knowledge of English language and culture, and to provide a learning programme which increases their linguistic competence and enables them to participate fully in the mainstream curriculum, leading to qualifications in English which give them access to higher education.
2. To continue to support the learning process after Year 9 by focusing on language skills and lexis.
3. To monitor pupils’ overall linguistic progress, interaction and participation via continuous feedback from subject teachers, and to liaise with subject teachers so that EAL teaching can focus on areas of difficulty.
4. To provide guidelines for good practice in the classroom and to encourage subject teachers to deal sensitively with these pupils.
5. To prepare and to enter pupils for the IGCSE in Year 10 or Year 11 and for IELTS in Year 12 or Year 13.
6. To organise and set appropriate internal examinations and assessments in the skill areas for each pupil and to provide end of term reports.
7. To establish a rapport with the pupils which complements that of subject teachers, work tutors and housemasters/housemistresses and which provides informal feedback on pupils’ perceptions, morale and other pastoral concerns.

 Academic Provision

Year 9: EAL provision is most intense in Year 9, in particular in the Michaelmas term, in order to accelerate and facilitate the integration of the EAL pupils into the mainstream curriculum. EAL pupils receive EAL tuition in place of mainstream English, French and Geography [10 lessons], unless the pupils expressly request to take these subjects in the mainstream, and are judged to have enough linguistic competence to undertake the full academic load.

If a pupil has studied French previously and wishes to continue with this subject then other arrangements can be made for his or her EAL provision.

After the first term it is hoped that pupils will cope with geography lessons in three of these periods. The arrangement is flexible so that they can transfer into mainstream English or Geography when appropriate.

Years 10 & 11: Four EAL lessons per week, in place of French, provide the basis of the support. For those pupils who wish to study French and are of a standard compatible with their year group, individual EAL arrangements can be made.

Pupils needing EAL support who join the College in Years 10 are monitored carefully through feedback from teachers and communication with the pupil, so that areas of difficulty can be identified and addressed and they are accommodated according to their specific needs.

Sixth Form: International pupils who join Eastbourne College in the sixth form are required to take EAL lessons in order to consolidate the progress that they make from being immersed in an English-speaking environment and to work towards an IELTS qualification. Depending on the individual’s level of English, the preparation aims to reach at least the grade 6 standard, the minimum grade required by the majority of British universities. It takes three terms, involving a time commitment of two 35-minute lessons per week. These lessons are flexible and are arranged with the EAL teacher. In addition to studying IELTS, linguistic support in AS and A level subjects can be given if needed.