Good practice around inclusion for BME children & families Early Years Inclusion Coordinators April 2013 North Somerset Vulnerable Learners’ Service Ethnic Minority Achievement Stephen.bray@n-somerset.gov.uk

Purposes of this session: To introduce: The context of this work BME pupil referral arrangements for settings EAL acquisition Some strategies to support bilingual learners Inclusion practice Some important and useful documents and resources

Some definitions EAL Stands for English as an additional language and recognises the fact that many children learning English in schools in this country already know one or more languages and are adding English to that repertoire. Bilingual Pupils Refers to pupils who have access to two (or more) languages, at home and at school. It does not necessarily imply full fluency in both or all of their languages. BME Stands for Black and Minority Ethnic and describes those from cultural backgrounds other than White British, which in the UK is the majority ethnic group.

The national context Changing demographics across the county have resulted in the need for settings and schools to consider how they are going to meet the needs of a growing number of minority ethnic children, many of whom are at an early stage of English language development There is a need to build capacity at setting and school level to meet these needs Issues for settings and schools to consider: Race Equality; inclusion; induction procedures; teaching & learning; assessment; curriculum planning; support systems

North Somerset EY context Discuss in pairs or groups: What cultures and languages are represented in your setting, and in what numbers? How do these numbers differ from 5 years ago? How are your BME pupils doing, socially and academically? What are the specific challenges and barriers to learning for BME children, including EAL learners in your setting? How does your setting currently acknowledge and value the ethnic and linguistic diversity of it’s community? (5 minutes)

How much do you know about EAL?

It takes 5 to 7 years to gain proficiency in academic English. (1) A child arrives in your setting speaking little or no English. How long will it take for the pupil to learn everyday social English? 6 months 1 yr 2yrs 3 yrs 4 yrs (2) How long will it take for the pupil to learn the more academic English needed for later success in exams? 1 yr 3 yrs 5 yrs 7 yrs 10 yrs It takes about two years to gain proficiency in everyday social English It takes 5 to 7 years to gain proficiency in academic English.

(3) The best thing we can do to help pupils learning English as an additional language is to tell families to stop speaking their first language (L1) at home. They should speak only in English. Also, we should stop them from using their first language in the setting. Yes or no? No!! Children with high levels of proficiency in their first language acquire additional languages more rapidly Allowing pupils to use their first language in the setting helps them to acquire English and to feel valued; it is also a good model for other learners

(4) A child with very little English is best placed in lower ability groupings where the work is often made simpler, and there may be more support available from additional adults than in other groups. Good or bad idea? Bad idea!! Pupils should be placed in suitably cognitively challenging groups where they are also exposed to good models of English. Working in low ability groups can be de-motivating to bilingual pupils. They are also exposed to poorer models of spoken English and often behaviour.

Children with English as an additional language bring down the levels of attainment of settings and schools? True or False? False!! Where EAL strategies are used to raise the attainment of EAL learners they can also benefit other learners. Government statistics based on 2010-11 GCSE results showed that 80.8 % of EAL students achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, compared with 80.4% of native English students.

Stages of EAL acquisition Jim Cummins differentiated between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive and Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) BICS: 1- 2 years to acquire CALP: at least 5 - 7 to acquire, some pupils do not acquire this level of language

The ‘Dual Iceberg’ model of bilingual proficiency (Cummins) Surface Features of L1 Surface Features of L2 Surface Features of L1 Surface Features of L2 Common Underlying Proficiency © Copyright Professor Jim Cummins. Used with permission.

Some difficulties facing EAL learners in the Early Years learning context Understanding lengthy spoken English Colloquial and idiomatic vocabularies and usages: e.g. “Pull your socks up!” Lack of opportunities to show what they know Unfamiliarity with approaches to early years teaching, mismatch of family / setting expectations Misunderstandings due to different cultural experiences Overt and covert racism

Useful ways of supporting EAL learners: ‘Quality First Teaching’ Building on previous experience / learning Modelling correct English in contextualised activities Planning for opportunities for speaking and listening in groups with good speakers of English Using pair work and collaborative approaches to learning Specific pre-teaching of key vocabulary Scaffolding learning through appropriate use of visuals Using first language in the classroom whenever appropriate, e.g. with parental support

Making contexts supportive for children learning EAL Building on previous experience Scaffolding language and learning Activating prior knowledge Using bilingual strategies Modelling Planned opportunities for speaking and listening Use of ICT Frames and prompts Creating shared experiences Paired talk Collaborative activities Graphic organisers and other visuals Ensuring contexts are culturally familiar Exploratory talk Extended talk between adults and children The print environment Communicative activities such as barrier games and experiential learning 15

Conditions for learning: essential understandings Children need to feel safe, settled, valued and secure – they need ‘a sense of belonging’ (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) Learning should build on what children know, understand and can do (Piaget’s Theory of Schema) No child should be expected to cast off the language and culture of home as s/he crosses the school threshold (Bullock Report – A Language for Life - 1975)

An inclusive learning context… …values the diversity found within the setting, including cultural and linguistic diversity …engages all children regardless of their background or home circumstances …enhances the learning and teaching environment …creates a culture of high expectations …prepares children for living in a culturally diverse society

Useful themes.... Shared humanity: similarity, sameness and universality Difference and diversity: contrasting stories and interpretations Interdependence: borrowing, mingling and mutual influence Excellence everywhere Identity and belonging Race, ethnicity and justice

Principles of good inclusion practice Every learner has an entitlement to fulfilling their potential alongside their peers This can best be achieved within a setting where learners are educated with their peers, and where they feel secure and valued What settings value and how they demonstrate these values are crucial to children’s identities and self esteem and will impact upon their attainment “Schools (settings) which are successful in raising the attainment of minority ethnic pupils share broadly similar approaches to the creation of a genuinely inclusive school community. This is true whether their intake is highly diverse or predominantly white” (DfE, 2012)

Setting responsibilities… Settings are responsible for preparing all children for life in a culturally and racially diverse society in modern-day Britain BME children, as other children, need to see their own cultures, histories and experiences featured in the learning environment and curriculum to feel that the school values and respects their heritage This practice can be embedded through the provision of an inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced Not only does this help all learners to understand and respect other cultures, it is a statutory duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, now embedded into the Equality Act 2010

Primary National Strategy Planning for BME inclusion Primary National Strategy Displays of artefacts, language, signs and other visuals that reflect the cultural and linguistic heritage of the pupils Texts, activities, materials, choices of topic and approaches to discussions that reflect pupils’ cultural heritage; see: http://public.merlin.swgfl.org.uk/establishments/803/QandS/EMTAS/pages/ExtendingTheCurriculum.aspx Opportunities for children to use their own language in the setting Multicultural/lingual stories and other texts; see: http://public.merlin.swgfl.org.uk/establishments/803/QandS/EMTAS/pages/CataloguesAndPublishers.aspx Use of visiting speakers, artists, members of the community, etc; see: http://public.merlin.swgfl.org.uk/establishments/803/QandS/EMTAS/pages/CulturalProviders.aspx Involvement and links with national projects and other schools and settings inside and outside the UK

Primary National Strategy Some key BME resources Primary National Strategy North Somerset: ‘A Toolkit for supporting children who are new to English’; (Tel: 01934 427 634) EMAS: ‘Advice and Guidance for supporting Black and Minority Ethnic Children in the Early Years’ (Tel: 01275 88 4651) Primary National Strategy: ‘Supporting children learning English as an additional language; Guidance for practitioners in the Early Years Foundation Stage’ (Ref: 00683-2007BKT-EN) Primary National Strategy: ‘New Arrivals Excellence Programme Guidance’; (Ref: 00650-2007BKT-EN) (Contact: www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications or Tel: 0845 60 555 60)

Primary National Strategy Some Dual Heritage resources Primary National Strategy ‘Dual Heritage Young People: Absent voices’: A young woman of mixed heritage describes her experience: http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1865214,00.html ‘Understanding the Educational Needs of Mixed Heritage Pupils'. DCSF Publications. Ref RR549 (2004). www.communitycohesionncc.org.uk/docs/147.pdf 'Mixed Race Not Mixed Up - A Good Practice Guide for Early Years Practitioners' by Gina Houston. Published by Early Years Equality www.earlyyearsequality.co.uk

Primary National Strategy Some Race Equality resources Primary National Strategy ‘Complementing Teachers – A Practical Guide To Promoting Race Equality In Schools’ (Runnymede Trust/ Granada Learning; ISBN 1-84085-912-1) ‘Integrating Global & Anti-Racist Perspectives within the Primary Curriculum’ (Nottingham City Council) ‘A Toolkit for tackling Racism in schools’ (Stella Dadzie; Trentham Books; ISBN 1-85856-188-4) ‘Skin Deep – a resource for teachers addressing issues of racism, mixed heritage, cultural stereotyping and bullying’ (Devon County Council; ISBN 1-85522-985-4): www.skin-deep.org.uk)

Primary National Strategy Some more web sites that may be useful: Primary National Strategy QCA - Respect for All (Nottingham City Council) http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_6753.aspx Global Dimension http://www.globaldimension.org.uk Teach Global http://www.teachandlearn.net/teachglobal Avniarts http://www.avniarts.org www.bbc.co.uk/languages/other/quickfix www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet www.e-freetranslation.com www.a4esl.org

Where are we now? Next steps? Think about current practices in relation to improving outcomes for BME, including bilingual learners in your setting Discuss in pairs what you see as your next steps for improved pupil outcomes Use the SWOT analysis sheet to record your thoughts

Improving outcomes for BME learners 1. What we are doing well now 2. Things we would like to develop or improve 3. Things we can do easily 4. Support, resource and development needs

www.emtasforsuccess.org.uk