Welcoming new arrivals
Information on welcoming new arrivals, initial meetings with parents and classroom preparations can be found on our new arrivals page.
Multilingual children may exhibit a ‘silent period’ – a natural stage when learning a language. See our advice on working with newly arrived pupils and strategies for tackling the silent period.
KS2 SATS
Year 6 SATs are a stressful time for all pupils, but often even more so for multilingual children. You can support multilingual children through additional SATS intervention, accessing and arranging Bilingual support from the EDEAS team and ensuring you fully understand the access arrangement available and how to apply for them. Which can be found on the government portal. It is also key that you start exploring support very early in the academic year, as our support is often booked up in advance.
English
Generally speaking children are not able to access any interpreting or translation support for the English SATS. You can however get the first page of instructions translated to support them in understanding the assessment. If you would like to do this, you will need to apply for early opening and arrange a professional translation. To discuss this option please email educate.educationbilingualsupport-mailbox@devon.gov.uk and cost can be found on our Q & A page.
Maths
You can arrange support for all three papers. However as the first paper is solely arithmetic there is often no need to make any special arrangements, other than usual classroom practice, such as a scribe or extra time. These should be applied for in the usual way.
For the two Reasoning papers you can arrange for an interpreter to be present, who can interpret the content as and when the child needs this support. They can also help children phrase their home language into English. If you would like the interpreter to also write responses in English, you will need to ensure you have agreed a scribe as an access arrangement. To arrange this interpreting support please complete a booking request form and costs can be found on our Q & A page.
You may also like to arrange for early opening of the two Reasoning papers to be translated in their entirety. These often take 4 to 5hrs each to translate, which takes into account the considerable formatting needed. This can be a good method if you have a significant number of children with the same home language taking the SATS. To discuss this option please email educate.educationbilingualsupport-mailbox@devon.gov.uk and cost can be found on our Q & A page.
Are the SATS appropriate?
As a school you will need to decide if it is in the best interests of multilingual children, especially new arrivals to the UK to sit these assessments. You may need to reflect how it will impact their well-being, feelings of exclusion and the benefits of the assessments – or if it is best they just sit the Maths SATS. If you feel it isn’t appropriate, you will need to seek the parents permission and receive informed consent. You should book an interpreter for this discussion.
Resources
- KS1 – Initial meetings with parents
- KS2 – Initial meetings with parents
- Induction pack for parents/carers
National strategies – learning and teaching for multilingual children in primary years
- Introductory guide: supporting school improvement
- Unit 1: Planning and assessment for language and learning
- Unit 2: Creating the learning culture: making it work in the classroom
- Unit 3: Creating an inclusive learning culture
- Unit 4: Speaking, listening, learning: working with multilingual children
Maths
This language of maths, the strategies used to teach and learn maths and the symbols we use to describe functions vary from country to country. This section will be all about supporting multilingual children to learn the language they need for maths.