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English as an Additional Language

At Gardners Lane Primary School we are privileged to have in our care children from across the globe and, as an inclusive school, we value greatly the culture, religions and language diversity that these children and their families bring with them.

Our school aims to ensure that all children receive the support required to gain maximum benefits from their learning whilst in our care. For children who are learning English as an additional language support is provided both inside and outside of the classroom environment should they require it.

Our EAL Lead, Mr Bray, works closely with teachers and with children to ensure that all learners who speak languages other than English can access the full curriculum and have their rich language skills and heritage celebrated at school.

Language of the Term

Dobryj den!

 

English

Ukrainian

“Hello”

“Dobryj den”

“Welcome”

“Laskavo prosymo”

“How are you?”

“Jak spravy?”

 

We are pleased to announce that our ‘Language of the Term’ at the start of next academic year will be Ukrainian.

As you know, we are all very proud that there are now 29 languages including English spoken by children and their families at Gardners Lane Primary School.

The celebration of the diversity of language and culture in the school’s community is very important to us and as part of our whole school practice ‘Language of the Term’ helps us celebrate a different language each term.

We encourage our children to learn and speak a few words of each Language of the Term and to learn a little about the country or countries in which that language is spoken.

We are really pleased that through our celebration of Ukrainian as our ‘Language of the Term’, we are able to welcome and make friends with all Ukrainian speakers in our school community at this extremely difficult time.

 

 

 

The complete timetable of languages we will be celebrating this academic year is shown below:

Term 1

Ukrainian

Term 2

Ukrainian

Term 3

Polish

Term 4

Polish

Term 5

Portuguese

Term 6

Portuguese

 

My Hero is You

My-Hero-is-You-Storybook-for-Children-on-COVID-19-800x445

This book was a project developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG).

https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-reference-group-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-emergency-settings/my-hero-you

Mind Heart

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A short book (in a variety of languages) to support and reassure children, under the age of 7, regarding the COVID-19.

https://www.mindheart.co/descargables 

Library of Translated School Letters

Please use the following link https://webapps.mantralingua.com/library/document/?utm_campaign=LockdownMM to access a library of translated school letters, words and paragraphs.

Young Interpreter Scheme

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Gardners Lane Primary School, Cheltenham – The Young Interpreters Scheme in action

This academic year our team of Young Interpreters at Gardners Lane Primary School has been made up of fifteen enthusiastic Year 5 and 6 bilingual pupils who have supported other pupils in EYFS and KS1 classes once a week during the younger pupils’ class ‘Golden Time’.

During these sessions, the Young Interpreters read and talked about stories in home language and/or English, played games, joined in with other activities or chatted with their younger buddies. In doing so, they helped the younger pupils to extend their friendship group and to feel happy about using their home language in school while at the same time learning new skills as Interpreters.

This has been our second cohort of Young Interpreters, adding to the support provided by another team of bilingual pupils before a Covid-enforced break from this initiative in 2020:

“The role of a Young Interpreter is very important at Gardners Lane Primary School and we help other children to feel good about using their home languages in school by reading to them, playing games and talking with them.”

“I am really pleased that I am helping other children at school.”

“Being a Young Interpreter has made me proud that I am bilingual.”

Teachers have also continued to be supportive of the Scheme:

"We have loved having the Young Interpreters in our class. We have noticed that the bilingual children become much more confident to use their home language and are proud to be able to share it with the Young Interpreters"

The parents of our Young Interpreters have also been pleased that their children have been involved:

“I am really proud that my daughter is using her home language to help other children in school.”

Recently, all our Young Interpreters were invited to visit the famous GCHQ building in Cheltenham, where they met lots of GCHQ Interpreters who speak most of the languages in the world, as well as the Director of GCHQ Sir Jeremy Fleming. It was a visit that made a hugely positive impact on the Young Interpreters who, perhaps for the first time, realised just how valuable it is to be bilingual.

Our visit to GCHQ made me realise that the role of a Young Interpreter is very important.

At the start of next academic year, the current Year 5 Young Interpreters will spend some time talking to other bilingual children in the school who want to be Young Interpreters, telling them about the role and encouraging them to join the Young Interpreter training sessions when they begin again in September or October.

“If you are able to speak another language, I would highly recommend you consider being a Young Interpreter.”

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