High Expectations for every Child

Our pupils come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and we work very hard to ensure that everyone has a sense of belonging to the school community and that everyone feels supported in recognising and working to eliminate any bias, prejudice and misconceptions about other people. We believe inclusion and participation are essential to human dignity and that our inclusive community can act as a role model for an inclusive society. At Salisbury Road we are very proud to have such a diverse intake of pupils. We learn so much from each other and it makes the school the vibrant, exciting place that it is. At Salisbury Road we see children first and foremost as individuals who have the potential and the right to succeed at school. We are however very aware of national statistics regarding the underachievement of certain ethnic groups and we keep up to date with academic research on the possible underlying reasons for the underachievement of certain groups. We know that the reasons for underachievement have nothing to do with a child’s ethnicity and everything to do with teachers maintaining high expectations of every child

Bilingual/EAL Learners

Nearly 18% of the children at Salisbury Road are bilingual in English and another language and there are over 30 languages spoken by pupils in the school. We recognise that there are many cognitive advantages to being bilingual and that bilingual children are often high achievers. We also know how important it is to support children who are still at the early stages of acquiring English as an Additional Language or whose English is not yet at the appropriate level for fully accessing the language demands of the curriculum. We strongly encourage families who speak a language other than English at home to develop their child’s use and knowledge of this home language. This is usually of academic advantage to the child.

Teachers are very aware of the language needs of EAL learners and work closely with our Inclusion Leader and Teaching and Learning Leader to support those needs. Some children receive additional support in small language groups designed to develop aspects of language, such as vocabulary and sentence structure.

New-to-English – New Arrivals

Children who come to school with very little English are assessed in English and often in their home language (to make sure there are no difficulties with language itself). They receive structured support which usually includes some short 1:1 withdrawal sessions, provided by the Local Authority Ethnic Minority Achievement Team. This helps to accelerate some essential basic language learning. In addition, they may access small group work to develop confidence in speaking along with basic phonics support to assist their reading.