2009-2010 - Hornbill School Website

29
of the child will be continuously monitored and recorded and reviewed at the
end of term.
• The children requiring support will be identified as being at Early Stages of
Acquiring Language A Group (ESAL A) if they require intensive language support
or Early Stages of Acquiring Language B Group (ESAL B) if they require only
some language support.
•
Termly
• At the end of each term, the NST and class teacher will review the progress of
the child using the Individual Review Sheet.
• Evidence e.g. photocopies of work, reading records, progress charts should be
gathered to support whether a child has met his/her targets in part or full or
not met the targets at all.
• The NST teacher should keep the original copy of this sheet and evidence in a
class or cohort EAL folder. A copy of this should be given to the Deputy
Headteacher (Nepal) who will then present the information to the Senior
Leadership Team for further discussion and suggestions.
Guidelines for EAL Assessments
1. Nepali children who arrive in Hornbill School will be assessed using Hornbill
School EAL Baseline Assessment.
2. Curriculum, EAL or home language assessments carried out soon after arrival
may be inaccurate as the pupils true performance may be masked by anxiety
and difficulties associated with the new situation. If assessments are
arrived at soon after arrival, it is very important that the pupil is
reassessed after a designated period. In any case, it is important that
teachers continue to monitor the curriculum, EAL and home language
progress of learners regularly.
3. The EAL assessment activities and materials cover 5 key areas: speaking,
listening, reading, writing and mathematical language. The materials are
designed to be used by English speaking teachers. English must be the only
language used when carrying out the assessment. Teachers should be
sensitive and shorten the assessment if the learner is at the very earliest
stages of learning English but it is useful to undertake some of the
assessment activities for each area, as learners may have quite different
competencies in different skill areas.
4. The assessment activities and materials can be adapted or substituted with
material more appropriate to the individual learner and the circumstances.
5. Assessments should be carried out in a situation which is familiar to the
learner. NSTs should use their professional judgement regarding the
assessment procedure and should ensure that the assessment does not
cause distress or discomfort to the learner. An English language
assessment carried out very soon after arrival in the school, is unlikely to
give an accurate picture of the learner’s level of English and a reassessment
after a short period of acculturation is recommended.
6. Wherever possible an EAL assessment should be carried out by a staff
member who is bilingual in the pupil’s language as this will enhance the quality
of the information and programme planning. Where an assessor speaks the