This programme was developed by the Slough RARA support team to assist schools to support pupils who are new to English. It was recognised that whilst the mainstream curriculum  provides a good vehicle for learning English, many early stage learners of English will benefit from additional opportunities to develop 'survival English'. The programme is designed for maximum flexibility according to learner need and teaching resources. The programme featured here is divided into  Step 1 and Step 2 and  is accompanied by sample materials to provide pupils with additional opportunities to develop basic communicative English. Some of these sample materials are Word based, others are internet based activities. The sample materials are most suitable for primary aged learners.

Topic areas can be delivered in individual or small group situations with the support of the teacher, EMAG funded staff, visiting specialist support or other support staff under teacher direction. National Curriculum subject areas also provide many opportunities for covering topics and developing communicative English through the provision of differentiated tasks.

The programme focuses primarily on developing oral communicative competence. Sessions should be largely oral based as it is important for learners at early stages of EAL acquisition to ‘talk their way into meaning’. The teaching focus should be on establishing meaning rather than grammatical correctness, with opportunities for modelling and scaffolding provided by teachers or peers. 

Sample activities are included in the programme as well as links to external web resources.  It is not intended that pupils work through activities alone. The sample activities provide a starting point for developing sessions focussing on language structures and vocabulary through guided talk and writing. 

The sample activities are intended to exemplify NALDIC  key principles of

• Activating prior knowledge

• The provision of a rich contextual background to make input comprehensible
• Actively encouraging comprehensible output
• Drawing the learner's attention to the relationship between form and function; making key grammatical elements explicit
• Developing learner independence

Pupils who are literate in another language should be encouraged to undertake reading and writing tasks in their first language as well as using their first language to make bilingual wordlists and subject dictionaries.  Newly arrived learners of EAL have very diverse needs regarding English literacy depending on their age, first language literacy and educational history.  Although reading and writing activities are suggested in the programme, specific literacy instruction is not included and many pupils will require appropriate literacy support alongside this programme.