Our work with The Bell Foundation to support English as an Additional Language
The Prince Albert Community Trust has a wealth of experience in teaching and supporting learners with EAL. We are proud to have partnered with The Bell Foundation as a Centre of Expertise and we currently have 8 Bell Foundation Licensed Practitioners working within our Centre.
What it means to be a Centre of Expertise
As a Centre of Expertise, we are committed to building sustainable EAL provision in our region and improving outcomes for learners who use EAL.
The Bell Foundation licenses, accredits and quality assures the work that we do to deliver Language for Result to schools in our region.
Language for Results is a whole-school programme of high quality, evidence informed EAL professional development for schools. The courses, materials and resources are designed to develop the knowledge and skills of all school staff to ensure learners using EAL can access the curriculum and achieve their potential in school.
Our Centre of Expertise has a team of dedicated EAL trainers who are licensed and trained by The Bell Foundation to run EAL professional development courses for teachers and other colleagues.
“Thank you for all the support, information and resources! Being an EAL coordinator/teacher can be a bit of a lonely position, but as well as supporting us, this course helps us build a great support network with other participants.”
Participant in one of The Bell Foundation’s face-to-face courses
Why engage with The Bell Foundation/Centre of Expertise
Centres of Expertise provide a programme of training and support which:
- Helps schools to build a whole school approach to supporting pupils who use EAL to access the curriculum and achieve their potential.
- Builds sustainable in-house expertise by facilitating evidence informed teacher learning on how to support pupils who use EAL to fully access the curriculum
- Equips teachers and Teaching Assistants with practical, transferable strategies for the classroom, from basic communication skills to targeted differentiation techniques for pupils who use EAL
- Engages colleagues in learning through working on active and interactive tasks, tackling real issues and relevant scenarios, developing practical solutions, trying out new practices, and evaluating the effects on their pupils and the school
- Provides colleagues the time they need to learn new strategies in sufficient depth to apply them confidently to their practice
- Allows colleagues to reflect critically on their practice and on what they are learning
“I found the strategies that we can try useful and learning and experiencing how they feel and how much more we can help”.
BFLP led training through PACT
What do we offer?
- A needs assessment visit to determine strengths and areas for development within current EAL provision
- A detailed report of practical recommendations, guidance and training to build sustainable EAL provision
- A bespoke ‘whole school’ programme of training and support over a sustained period
- On-demand training for individual schools from the catalogue of Language for Results courses
To find out more about Centres of Expertise on the Foundation’s website go to https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/eal-programme/language-for-results/centres-of-expertise/.
Further training can be obtained through The Bell Foundation’s national calendar of training events which includes a mix of online and face-to-face training courses. To find out more about the training courses go to https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/eal-programme/training/.
To find out about and sign up to events and courses with The Bell Foundation go to their Eventbrite page: http://bit.ly/EAL4Schools.
Further information on The Bell Foundation
The Bell Foundation is a charity which aims to overcome exclusion through language education by working with partners on innovation, research, training and practical interventions. Through generating and applying evidence, we aim to change practice, policy and systems for children, adults and communities with English as an Additional Language in the UK.
The EAL Programme aims to improve the educational outcomes of children with English as an Additional Language in the UK to benefit the individual child and society as a whole. The Foundation works in partnership with a range of organisations across the education system, to provide training and resources in order to build capacity, develop and evaluate models of good practice, and provide thought leadership.
Further information on Centre of Expertise offer and activities
If you would like to discuss, or enquire about, the offer provided by PACT as a Centre of Expertise please contact our Centre Manager, Amanda Shotter on a.shotter@the-pact.co.uk.