In an international environment, some children come to school with little or no English. At the Prague British School our English as an Additional Language programme (EAL) allows pupils to acquire the skills they need to communicate effectively in English. We provide high quality support, catering for differing levels of fluency.
In the Primary School, children with limited English are assessed by an EAL teacher, in liaison with the class teacher and parents, to determine the level of support they will need.
As soon as students enter the senior school they are given a formal entrance test in English, in order to determine where they are to be placed.
In the Primary School, children assessed as needing extra EAL support will be taught either individually or in small groups in a specialist EAL room, or be given support within their classroom in certain lessons. The type and amount of support is dependent on the level of English of the child in comparison to their age. It is agreed by the EAL teacher and class teacher and discussed with parents.
A detailed plan is put together by the EAL teacher, which is then discussed with parents each term and a written report provided three times a year.
In the Senior School a Language support class is set up for students who do not have any knowledge of English, or whose English needs intensive work before they are ready to join mainstream classes. It is split into 3 groups: elementary, pre intermediate and a group for senior students (year 12 normally), who will be encouraged to join the mainstream IB lessons as soon as possible.
Students who are placed in this group will receive intensive English and also a programme which includes - PE, history, geography, maths, science and drama. These subjects will be delivered alongside the English course.
As soon as class teachers feel the students are ready to join mainstream classes, they are given a formal test to determine this. Normally this is done at the end of each term. However, students are continually assessed throughout the term. Teachers are very aware that it is in the interest of the students to join the mainstream classes as soon as they are able, but also to ensure that they are able to cope.
In years 7-9 students who study English as a foreign language will be placed either in the pre intermediate group or the intermediate group.