EAL
James Watt Primary School has a long history of being a school at the heart of a Handsworth. A community with a range of languages and cultures. At present we have 25 languages spoken by staff and children from over 20 different countries and we are incredibly proud of our rich diversity, with all children being able to learn from each other and prepare for living and working in a multinational multicultural society.
'Pupils are polite and friendly. They befriend and include pupils from all backgrounds, especially those who learn English as an additional language. This helps newly arrived pupils feel welcome and settle quickly.' Ofsted 2024
We have many pupils that start their journey at James Watt Primary School without being able to speak English fluently, so we have a number of approaches to support these pupils whether they join us in Reception or Year 6. These include:
- Language Ambassadors
- Resources and support via Racing to English and Flash Academy
- Pupil Handbooks - including key survival language
- Parental volunteer support (register of languages)
- ESOL classes to support parents who are new to English.