English as an Additional Language Service in Edinburgh

Many Edinburgh schools have pupils whose first or home language is not English. There are over 120 different languages currently spoken in our schools, including those from established communities such as Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Cantonese and more recently arrived languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian.

The English as an Additional Language (EAL) Service teachers work with schools to support:

• pupils who are new to English • pupils at the early stages of acquiring English • pupils who speak English more fluently but who may still need additional support to achieve their academic potential

The EAL teachers also work directly with: • professionals from other agencies • parents/carers of bilingual pupils • local community groups

What the EAL Service offers

Support with teaching:

• EAL Teachers work in nursery, primary, secondary and special schools, in consultation with class teachers, support for learning teachers and senior management to support bilingual learners in developing English language acquisition

Bilingual Support:

• A small team of Bilingual Support Assistants work with some early-stage learners in schools. They are fluent in English and one of the following languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, Punjabi, Urdu, Romanian, Russian and Ukrainian • They also support parents and schools to build effective partnerships

Advice and support for schools, agencies and parents on:

• Assessment, resources, teaching strategies • Linguistic and cultural matters • Inclusion, achievement and race equality • Professional development of school staff • Support for external/alternative examinations • Contacts with local community services, such as language classes for adults, interpreting services, community support groups and others

for more information, you can download the information sheets provided by the EAL Service.

Remember to use the ‘Google’ translate button to help you with our school website.

To find out more information or make contact with the EAL teacher in the school, please contact the School Office (0131 337 6086).

Useful Links

 EAL leaflet for parents

 Be bilingual

 Education in Scotland

 Attendance at school

 Supporting Learning for bilingual learners – N-P1 Transition.mp4

If you need support to read this webpage or online letter via translation into an additional language please contact the translation service using this link https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/languages

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