English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD)

St Pius X School is an inclusive community, recognising and valuing the backgrounds of all students that attend our school. Our commitment as a school is to value every culture and what every family brings to our community. We have a number of families for whom English is an additional language so we want every child to have the required English skills to access the curriculum and reach their full potential. 

As a school, we support these children in developing their functional English skills whilst still valuing their first language. Children are monitored closely to check their oral language, reading and writing development. In classrooms, children are explicitly taught the skills of sentence structure and how to build their vocabulary.

Our school employs a co-ordinator of English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) who works closely with teachers and Educational Support Officers (ESOs) to engage children in learning the English language.  These children may need extra support with writing, speaking, reading and recognition of English expressions. If necessary, we offer intervention in a small group setting to increase engagement, give instant feedback and to help children to build their confidence.