Supporting school transition for Year 7 learners using EAL
Transition to Year 7 is a challenging time for all pupils, especially for those using English as an Additional Language. In this blog*, trainer Sarah Moodie offers ideas, tips, resources and advice for secondary schools welcoming EAL learners in the next academic year
Each September a new cohort begins Year 7. Some arrive feeling positive, relatively confident, and excited about a new, bigger environment, new subjects, making new friends.
For others, transition is daunting. They are anxious about getting lost, finding the work difficult, feeling lonely. And for many it is a mixture of all these feelings.
Teachers, of course, must seek to harness the excitement and allay the doubts and fears.
Researchers from the Universities of Leeds and Lancaster have explored the linguistic challenges faced by all pupils at transition from Key Stage 2 to 3 (Deignan et al, 2023). They highlight the explosion of vocabulary as the curriculum splinters into disciplines taught by multiple, specialist teachers.
There is a sudden change of tone from the narrative to the abstract, more complex grammar structures are routinely used, and patterns of interaction change too, with secondary school students spending longer listening to teacher input.
Research has yet to prove that these linguistic challenges are behind the much reported “dip” in attainment in Year 7, but it seems possible that they are a contributing factor.
Transition considerations for pupils using EAL
Pupils using English as an Additional Language (EAL) are a very diverse group, including among others those who grew up in the UK, those arriving as children of migrants, pupils seeking asylum, pupils from the full spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds, and pupils with a variety of SEND and none. What they do have in common is the need to continue developing their English language at the same time as acquiring curriculum content.
As well as moving from Key Stage 2 to 3, learners using EAL are at various stages of transitioning from using another language as their primary vehicle for education, to learning through English. For this reason, the linguistic challenges highlighted in the research cited above are likely to be intensified.
It may also take longer to adjust to a range of subject teachers, each with their own mannerisms and accents, and polysemic words which may cause miscomprehension. With the right mindset and support, learners can embrace the changes as an opportunity to further develop their English language proficiency alongside their curriculum learning.
Considerations for learners seeking asylum
Refugees and those seeking asylum are another heterogeneous group. Some may have had full, age-appropriate education before relocating.
Others may have had highly disrupted education or periods of time in which they could not attend school at all. Some may have prior experience of learning English while the language may be completely new to others. All of them, though, were forced to leave their homes and homelands and seek safety elsewhere and, as such, have endured plenty of unwanted transitions.
Having to change schools at age 11 may be culturally unfamiliar and the need for new uniforms and so on could be another unwelcome expense. For recently arrived families, it might be a challenge to navigate the physical journey to the secondary school, which is often farther from the family home.
Considering these factors, schools should ensure there is information about school buses, uniform shops, and any funding options, translated if possible.
Bear in mind that exposure to traumatic events can result in post-traumatic stress disorder, which has been shown to have a detrimental effect on language learning (Furneaux, 2018). While it should not be assumed that all learners seeking asylum will suffer from this, a heightened focus on wellbeing and fostering a sense of security and belonging in the new school is advisable.
What can schools do before transition?
Connect EAL specialists from Key Stages 2 and 3 and give them time to liaise and discuss the following:
- The proficiency in English of learners (you can use an EAL assessment framework such as that developed by The Bell Foundation).
- Length of time in school and in the UK.
- Home languages, literacies, and preferred language(s) of communication with parents/carers.
- Strengths and talents the learners may have.
- Curriculum areas they find more challenging.
- Any known SEND.
- Extra-curricular activities and sports clubs attended at primary school and what might be on offer at secondary.
- The nature of the language support that learners currently receive and how this might continue.
Multi-academy trusts and secondaries with established feeder primaries will already have established contacts, but it is important not to neglect those learners who are coming from primary schools outside regular feeders.
Elsewhere, meet with any external services, such as family liaison officers or educational welfare officers who may have been working with the learner and/or family.
And consider drawing up your own EAL database or pupil profile system for collecting and collating useful data on learners who use EAL and sharing it with staff, to sit alongside or be integrated into systems the school already has.
The Department for Education’s Common Transfer File (DfE, 2022) does not collect all this information. Bear in mind that some information will materialise gradually as schools and learners become acquainted. The Bell Foundation has some free guidance on building a learner profile (see resources).
How can schools reach out to parents?
Like their children, parents of learners using EAL will be a diverse group. Some may not initiate contact because of fear of language barriers, reticence to engage with authorities due to previous negative experiences, or simply due to work commitments. For many it might be their first encounter with secondary school in the UK and there may be misunderstanding or anxiety around the expected role of parents in school life.
Developing positive home-school relationships is likely to have an impact on learner engagement, attendance, and performance. If a good relationship has been developed with the primary school, seek to build on that by instigating a parents’ meeting with key staff from both schools. If it has not, then see this as an opportunity for enhancing parental engagement.
Find out the preferences of families for home-school communication (email, phone call, text message etc) and which language to use for translation. Consider coffee mornings/evenings in which parents can have access to interpreters, meet staff from the new school, and perhaps be shown around.
The Bell Foundation has some useful guidance for parents, translated into 21 languages, including Ukrainian and Dari, explaining how the school system works in England (see resources).
If you run induction camps/summer schools/welcome parties for the Year 7 intake, make sure that families of children using EAL are invited, with translated information and ideally an opportunity to ask any questions through their home language(s). These events may be culturally unfamiliar to some parents but can be a useful way of kick-starting social inclusion.
Ideas for transition
If the learner has received support from an EAL specialist at primary school, consider inviting that specialist to attend the transition days at secondary. If this support will be continued with secondary school specialist staff, make sure they are introduced.
Make use of young interpreters (see further information for a link to an example programme in Hampshire), language ambassadors or other student representatives who share a home language with the new arrivals. This will help facilitate the social inclusion of learners using EAL, especially those who are at the earlier stages of English language acquisition. It also reinforces the school’s positive message around multilingualism.
* This is an updated version of an article originally published in SecEd in May 2023