EAL Support for Learning HELP!!!

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Our daughter is in one of the best rated primary school of Edinburgh. But since she has started P1, we have had some issues with the school regading her reading. She has been put in the Support for Reading group for months based on some assesment done once a year where she was below the average of the class. The ehad teacher even told us that if she was in another school of the area she will not have to go in such a group. The problem also is our daughter hates to go to this group, she hates to stand up in front of all the others to get out (shown as one who has a problem). We moved to Edinburgh when she was 3 years old and even if she speaks English really well she doesn't have the same amount of vocabulary of her peers. We have recently found the EAL website and do hope they will be able to give some advice to the school. Would anyone here had the same kind of experience? What would be your advice ?
We are contemplating the fact of moving her to another school. But are very worried of how is she going to take it in regards of her friends...

Hi - in which class is your daughter now? Apart from not wanting to stand out, does she feel (and do you feel) that she would benefit from some extra support regarding her vocabulary?

Hi there,
She is in P4. Yes I think she would but in our opinion the best way for that would be for her to stay in her class, be in a more challanging reading group... in order to be able to "hear" good English as much as possible. Anyway that is one of the advice found on the EAL website. But the school has got other views and methods, unfortunately, which has been proven not to be efficient with our daughter :(

how often is she taken out? My kids got a year of EAL support but that was only once a week. What helped them excel was their reading, meaning the books they read at home in addition to what was asked for in school. One would hope that she'd hear loads of "good English" from her teachers and peers during the week? I am not so sure what you are wishing for from the school in terms of support.

She is taking out of the class each time they are having reading session (about 3 times per week) and what we are asking is for her to stay in her classe and as you have said be able to hear as much good English as possible. It happened on several occasions she had to get out of the classroom to have her reading session when a visitor was there to talk about a specific subject. She always came back crying saying it was unfair. The EAL website says a bilingual child should be challenged and should be able to hear good English. When she is in this Support for REading GRoup she has to wait for her turn to read hearing children who are struggling with her reading...
But how can we ask the school to follow what the EAL say? And if they do not want to ?

Can you ask for a meeting with the EAL teacher to discuss your daughter's progress? After all, she has been speaking English longer than her mother language and you would like to discuss where she is in relation to her class. Ask them to identify specific deficits and how they think they could be best addressed. Also say that your daughter feels left out of regular English activities and that you were wondering whether her support could be adapted (e.g. through reading assignments and by staying in her class for English). I find it hard to imagine that she should still be in need of intense language support after 3 years (my son came to Edinburgh with no English about a month before P1 and had EAL once a week for a year). See what they say. Good luck!

Thank you very much !

I agree - ask the school for a meeting with the EAL teacher and express your concerns. Also ask the class teacher which topics they will be don't, and ask for a list of key vocabulary. Practise this at home, and perhaps send into school a list of the words in your home language, for your child to share with the class.

Ask the class teacher if they feel that your daughters learning needs stem from her bilingualism, or from her having additional support needs. If she has no additional needs beyond having English as an additional language, then she should be working alongside able peers who are good models of English, not in the SFL group. The EAL website has a wiki link t hear the sounds of the alphabet as they should be pronounced according to the current curriculum, check she knows these confidently.

Make sure you are discussing her school reading book in her home language, to ensure she is fully understanding its meaning as well. Just reading the words. Keeping up her and strengthening her first language is the key to broadening her vocab in her second language.

How is her reading n her home language? Have you any concerns?

It is frustrating and I appreciate your concerns, the EALT should be able to support you. Good luck.

Sorry for the million typos!!