The name of the ESL (English as a Second Language) program was changed to the EAL/D (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) program. The change acknowledges that many English language learners already speak two or more languages before beginning to learn English. It also acknowledges that some students already speak a dialect of English and are learning standard Australian English.
Out of a student population of 644 at West Pennant Hills Public School, we have 190 students from a language background other than English. 34 different languages are spoken by students at our school. Our largest language group is Hindi with 21 students speaking Hindi followed closely by Korean which is spoken by 20 students. Our school has a 2 day per week EAL/D staffing allocation.
Our specialist EAL/D teacher works with students in grades Kindergarten to year 6. Depending on the student's needs, EAL/D lessons are either in class or withdrawn. In-class support provides immediate help with activities in the classroom. Withdrawal EAL/D lessons provide students with a smaller group environment where they have more opportunity to talk and take risks in English in a less threatening setting. The content of withdrawal lessons is based on each student's needs and the curriculum being covered in the regular classroom.
