At Point View School we value our developing bilingual and multilingual students. Commonly, students who speak a language other than English at home are referred to as English Language Learners (ELL).

Who are our ELL?

Over 70% of students at our school speak a language other than English at home with over 30 different languages spoken.

ELL may include:

• Migrant Students

• New Zealand Born Students

• Former Refugees

• International Students

We provide high quality EAL programmes, facilitated by experienced and qualified teachers and English Language Assistants (ELA).

Selected ELL are withdrawn to participate in small group lessons. These programmes include building capabilities in:

• Foundational English skills and/or:

• Curriculum vocabulary

• Academic language

Assessment

Eligibility to participate in the programme is assessed using the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) Pathway.

The ELLP Pathway consists of four matrices for each area of English learning - listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

There are four stages to the ELLP Pathway:

• Foundation Stage

• Stage 1

• Stage 2

• Stage 3

Here is a diagram showing a common pathway through the English Language Learning Progressions:

Classroom teachers assess students' English twice a year, along with making an overall teacher judgment. The ELLP Pathway is also used to informing teaching and planning.

Language Learning

Learning a language takes time. It can take up to two years to learn basic interpersonal communication skills and five to seven years for academic language proficiency.

Ways to Help at Home

It is very important to maintain a strong first language at home.

"The most successful bilingual children are those that have two languages available in a rich form ..... a rich home language and a rich 'outside home' language. (Van Hees 2016)

Being a bilingual person is a treasure!