Language Policy
Aims & Objectives:
At Beautiful Beginning Academy, we are committed to providing support for students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) or a foreign language. Our language policy aims to:
1. Evaluate students’ English language proficiency to identify their learning needs.
2. Support all learners who are acquiring English as a second language.
3. Recognize and celebrate the diversity of our student body, representing various languages and cultural backgrounds.
4. Ensure that all students can access the curriculum, which is primarily taught in English.
5. Help students become fluent and confident speakers and writers of English.
6. Encourage parental support in the development of English language competence for their children.
Strategies:
To achieve our objectives, we employ the following strategies:
1. Encourage mother tongue support for all students in the first three years of primary school, in line with national education policy recommendations.
2. Administer diagnostic tests to assess new students’ strengths and weaknesses in English.
3. Promote guided reading in junior classes to enhance language skills.
4. Provide one-to-one support for students who require additional English language assistance.
Teaching and Learning Context:
1. At the beginning of each academic session or upon admission, teachers will conduct diagnostic tests to assess students’ proficiency in English, covering the four basic language skills. This assessment is conducted in primary school classrooms for new students.
2. Students identified as needing extra English language support will be added to our EAL list. This list will be shared with all teachers, providing specific information about the identified needs of each student.
Actions:
To implement our language policy effectively, we will take the following actions:
1. Provide one-to-one coaching for students requiring additional language support.
2. Encourage students to join the reading club for supplementary support.
3. Assign a buddy to each student in need, offering peer support.
4. Differentiate teaching methods and provide learning materials that enable students to access the curriculum.
5. Monitor the progress of all students receiving language support.
6. Foster a supportive environment where all students are encouraged to help their peers.
7. Encourage students receiving additional support to actively use English.
8. Provide one–to–one support during lessons, especially during group work.
9. Ensure that all students understand and learn new vocabulary.
10. Use concise instructions to assist students with language needs.
11. Supply support materials such as graded readers.
12. Promote class participation by encouraging students to speak.
13. Identify language gaps and provide sentence cards to help students communicate by reading them.
14. Utilize teaching assistants to support students with additional language needs.
15. Implement any other necessary means to address the English language needs of new students or those still developing their language skills.
This language policy is designed to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students at Beautiful Beginning Academy. It will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with best practices in language support.