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Minority Ethnic Achievement Services (MEAS) - Foundation Stage Case Study
Background
Pupil “A” has been at school for a year and a half and is now in her second term of Foundation 2. She has settled well into the new school year and coped well with the transition into full time school. She is one of four EAL pupils in the class. Three of them (including herself) are from Bangladesh and speak Sylheti at home. The other EAL child is from Africa and speaks Siswati.
The main issues for pupil “A” are her understanding and interpretation of class discussions. She needs support in naming objects not only within the context of school but in her life experiences, which appear to be rather limited.
The strategies engaged so far have been -
- weekly support from the Bilingual Project Officer (BPO) which includes using the home language, playing games and preparing the EAL children for what language they need in class
- BPO liaises with the staff to assist planning and share information pre-teaching from the regular classroom assistant
- advice from Specialist teacher, Minority Ethnic Achievement Service
- using other Bilingual assistants when the BPO is not in school
The outcomes have been that pupil”A” is confident within the class and now can answer questions in class. At the end of Foundation 1 she was beginning to achieve green level stepping stone statements of the Foundation Stage Profile. The link with the BPO has meant that the relationship between home and school has developed well and any problems have been sorted out before they became more serious.
Key Questions to Consider
Do all staff understand the necessity to ensure that EAL pupils understand fully what is being taught?
Does the school provide EAL families with translated letters?