Understanding a new arrival
Accessing support
Complete a Bilingual support and interpreter booking form, if support is needed.
We can support schools with new arrivals by providing:
- an interpreter for your initial meeting with the family
- a bilingual support worker for intervention sessions
- teacher training and advice
- support in using the proficiency assessment
- bilingual resources
Welcoming new arrivals
In the early years
To welcome new arrivals you should:
- arrange a short meeting with the parents and an interpreter (if necessary) before the child joins your setting
- reassure parents that maintaining and developing the home language will support learning English and enable the child to communicate with their extended family
- check the pronunciation of children’s names
- find out about the child’s prior learning experiences and their abilities in their home language
- learn key words and phrases in the child’s home language and teach the whole class
- display different languages and scripts in your setting, make signs and labels in other languages and use dual language books
- encourage parents’ active participation in the setting for bilingual storytelling, label writing and sharing of cultural information
- record cultural and religious information at initial meeting (customs, diet, festivals, worship)
- use this opportunity to inform the parents (and encourage them to ask questions) about the setting
- encourage parents to support their child’s learning through language and play using their home language
In primary and secondary schools
To welcome new arrivals you should:
- arrange a meeting with the parents, school coordinator and an interpreter (if necessary) before the child joins your school (contact your advisory teacher to book an interpreter)
- register the new pupil with us
- read the initial meeting guide
- check the pronunciation of children’s names
- reassure parents that maintaining and developing the home language will support learning English and enable the child to communicate with their extended family
- find out about the child’s prior learning experiences and their abilities in their home language
- ensure that information about school processes are given at this time
- provide a tour of the school
- provide parents with a translated Welcome to Devon Primary Schools leaflet – find in Bilingual Resources
- introduce the pupil and family to the class teacher and other relevant members of staff
- introduce the pupil to a ‘pupil buddy’ who will support the new arrival during the first few days
- ensure that there is a recognised and understood system of communication between home and school (home or school book or reading diary) and a key member of staff to communicate with the family
- make sure that parents know the start date and whether there is to be a staggered entry and whether they can stay with their child on the first day
To prepare your classroom you should:
- learn key words and phrases in the child’s home language and teach them to the whole class
- display different languages and scripts throughout the school to show that all language backgrounds are welcome.
- make signs and labels in other languages and use dual language books within the classroom.
- find cultural background information and links to traditional food/holidays etc. to use as curriculum references
- encourage parents’ active participation in the school, especially for bilingual label writing and sharing of cultural information
- select appropriate ‘buddies’ who will show the new pupil around
- use a visual timetable to show the format for the day
Language acquisition
It is important to understand your new arrivals currently proficiency level in English and to set targets, with intervention to help them improve their English. The DfE are no longer collecting proficiency, country of birth or nationality data however all schools should continue using the Proficiency assessments so that progress and targets are monitored.
Attendance
The ‘rules’ for attendance in education establishments is different in most countries. In order to prevent an multilingual child from poor attendance it is vital that this is discussed clearly in the welcome meeting.
The discussion should contain information on:
- The expectations of the child’s attendance – such as that the child should be attending every day during the week and on time.
- What good attendance looks like and the importance of this.
- The establishment’s policy on attendance – rather than talking about percentages, use the number of days of absence that trigger certain steps in your policy.
- The establishment’s policy on holidays, religious events etc.
- The steps they should take, including the contact number, if their child is poorly. Some thought might need to be given about this, as the parents English might not be strong enough to explain an illness or other absence over the phone. Creating some simple English sentences to give to them might help, or a strategy to interpret the messages that they leave with the establishment.
It is also crucial that a significant absence is followed up with an attendance meeting with an interpreter. It is the establishment’s Equality duty to ensure that you have arranged an interpreter for any supportive meetings. Allowing absences to accumulate, will only confuse parents into thinking it is approved, impact a child’s education and be harder to maintain a good relationship.
Stress the importance of contacting your establishment on the first day of absence as in many countries, parents are required to provide a note after their child comes back to an education establishment. Also gather information about cultural days that are important to the family.
If a multilingual child is not accessing full time UK education please follow the usual process of making a referral to the Child missing in education team.
Safeguarding
Just like attendance, safeguarding will ‘look’ different in other countries’ education establishments.
It is important to explain:
- What safeguarding ‘looks’ like in your establishment
- What is the process for a safeguarding concern
- Who is the DSL and what is their role
- How do parents report or raise a safeguarding concern
Be mindful that some families may have or be experiencing significant trauma, which has led them to be in England. This topic does need to be discussed and made clear, but provide them with the opportunity to ask questions, check they have understood and if need be, give them time to collect their thoughts on their own before you continue.
Be aware that some multilingual parents were educated in other countries with different child-protection systems/cultural contexts. Any safeguarding concerns should be clearly communicated and explained to families by arranging a meeting and providing a professional interpreter. Do not allow other family members, siblings or friends to act as an interpreter.
Ensure you involve both parents. Due to the language barrier, some parents may feel reluctant to be part of the process, but it is important to engage both parents in any communication to get a full picture of the family.
Within your safeguarding policy, outline how parents can communicate safeguarding concerns. This can include steps to support the family in a disclosure. Such as an initial key word/phrase in English, for example, ‘speak in private’, that will prompt the DSL to arrange a professional interpreter for the disclosure. This should be shared with parents at the ‘welcome meeting’. We suggest for disclosures that you contact interpreting agencies or Language Line directly for urgent interpreter services.
If you have concerns about a child being withdrawn, quiet or making very little progress, please contact EDEAS for further support. Some difficulties that children experience can sometimes be misinterpreted as issues related to language learning rather than possible signs of neglect or abuse.
It is also important to ensure that your safeguarding policy makes this process clear.