English As An Additional Language

Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment is at the heart of everything we do at Radford Academy. With more than 43 languages spoken across our school community and over 80% of our children have English as an additional language (EAL), we celebrate the rich cultural and linguistic diversity that makes our academy such a vibrant place to learn and grow.

Children and families join us at different points throughout the year and settle quickly into school life, supported by our caring staff and strong pastoral systems. We are proud that pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) achieve as well as, and often better than, their peers. The continues to highlight the impact of the Academy’s systems and processes.

Through well-established systems, targeted support and inclusive teaching practices, we ensure that every child develops confidence, thrives academically and feels a true sense of belonging at Radford Academy.

We believe that multilingualism is a strength, and we work closely with families to support every child on their journey to success.

Radford’s EAL Policy Explained:

We aim to:

Provide a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.
Help pupils develop their English language skills while valuing and promoting their home languages and cultures.
Ensure all pupils can access the full curriculum and make strong academic progress.
Monitor pupils’ language development and provide targeted support where needed.
Work closely with families, providing translation and interpretation services when required.
Celebrate the diversity of languages, cultures, and experiences within our school community.

Supporting EAL Learners

Our teaching staff use a range of strategies to help pupils succeed, including:

Visual and practical learning resources.
Planned vocabulary development.
Speaking and listening opportunities.
Collaborative learning and peer support.
Language scaffolds such as Widgets and writing frames.
Appropriate use of pupils’ first languages to support learning.

We maintain high expectations for all pupils and ensure that language barriers do not limit access to challenging and engaging learning opportunities.

Working in Partnership with Families

We believe that strong relationships with parents and carers are essential to pupils’ success. New families are welcomed through a supportive induction process, and communication is made accessible through translation and interpretation services where needed. Additionally, our SENDCo is fluent in Arabic. We also use Class Dojo, which can be translated into multiple languages, helping families stay connected with school life.

Celebrating Diversity

At Radford Academy, we value every language, culture, and background. We actively promote respect, inclusion, and understanding, ensuring that all pupils are proud of their identity and feel a strong sense of belonging within our school community.

The Academy’s EAL Policy is reviewed every two years.