The Bell Foundation is funding a partnership with the educational charity NALDIC - the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum to support the development and delivery of two training programmes for teachers and teaching staff working with children who require support learning English as an additional language.
The professional development programmes will focus on providing flexible, practice-oriented courses to meet the growing needs of schools and teachers serving diverse local communities initially in the East of England. The initiative comes in response to a rise in the bilingual school population of almost 50% since 2004, with one in six primary school pupils in England now with English as an additional language, and the subsequent need for additional support and training opportunities for teaching staff and students.
The courses, aimed specifically at primary school and EAL specialist teachers will be developed and piloted in 2013. The programmes are designed to give teachers the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide effective support for the teaching and learning of children with English as an Additional Language (EAL).
“The increasing numbers of bilingual learners in schools, now estimated at over one million, cuts in dedicated central and local government funding and services for EAL, and research and evidence from surveys of practice clearly show that there is a real and pressing need for adequate and appropriate training for school based staff, especially in meeting the needs of children and young people who are new to English. This collaboration between NALDIC and The Bell Foundation has the potential to have a beneficial and long-term impact on the teaching and learning of English as an Additional Language and on learning outcomes for bilingual pupils in schools”, Carrie Cable, NALDIC executive committee
Commenting, Diana Sutton, Director of The Bell Foundation, said: “The Bell Foundation, was set up in January 2012 and its aim is to change lives through language education for excluded individuals and communities. The Bell Foundation’s work will focus on two groups in particular: children with English as an additional language and offenders in the UK with literacy and language needs. We are delighted that NALDIC is one of our first partners as we believe that there is a need for such specialist training programmes to help ensure all students with English as an additional language fulfil their potential, both academically and socially.”
Each course will comprise 10 modules: the programme devised for primary school teachers focuses on reading, writing, speaking and listening for children new to English and for more advanced learners; the course for EAL specialist staff concentrates on language learning across the curriculum and working effectively with other staff to promote and support student’s language development and learning.
In addition, each course will be tailored to reflect the importance of the diversity of nationalities in different localities. For example, as Polish is the most widely spoken language other than English amongst schoolchildren in Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, and Suffolk, the development of the programmes will seek to reflect this.
For further information about the partnership, please contact Carrie Cable at enquiries@naldic.org.uk or Diana.sutton@bell-foundation.org.uk
Notes to Editors About the Bell Foundation
The Bell Foundation, part of the Bell Educational Trust, was set up in January 2012 to give a greater focus to the trust’s charitable activities. Its aim is to change lives through language education for excluded individuals and communities. The Bell Foundation promotes social cohesion, integration and opportunity, focusing on two groups in particular: children with English as an additional language and prisoners in the UK with literacy and language needs. For further information, please visit www.bell-foundation.org.uk
About the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC)
NALDIC is the national subject association for EAL, a registered charity dedicated to promoting the effective teaching, learning and achievement of bilingual pupils in schools. Our aim is to promote EAL research, understanding and best practice. Established 20 years ago, we have strong links to schools, teachers and teacher training providers and have been involved in authoring and delivering teacher training and professional development courses for many years. For further information, please visit www.naldic.org.uk
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