Tier 2: Systematically Responsive EAL Provision

This is the final post in this series about EAL provision in schools. In the first post we looked at why we need to approach EAL more systematically. In the second we looked at Tier 1 provision, or the 'Every teacher is a language teacher' tier. In the third we explored intensive EAL provision in Tier 3. In this final piece we will look at Tier 2. which is the most agile tier of provision.

While Tier 1 and Tier 3 provision require a strong framework and a consistent approach, Tier 2 is flexible and data driven. Once students have exited Tier 3 Intensive provision (or if they arrive not needing it), there will be a wide range of strengths and areas for development before they are fully accessing learning and assessment. One 'programme' will not meet all their various language acquisition needs, and in class support may not always be sufficient or efficient.

Tier 2 provision consists of specific interventions, which I call Masterclasses (for obvious reasons!) that can be delivered in class, by the class teacher, team-teaching with the EAL specialist, or by the EAL specialist in stand-alone provision. These masterclasses are determined by specific need, and are targeted, tracked, and finite.

In practice, this means that at least one EAL specialist (depending on the size of the school and student population) will be looking at the on-going tracking data from the EAL tracking system and class teacher input, and identifying areas that need focused attention. From this, they will develop masterclasses to support development in specific areas. As you can see, delivering high quality Tier 2 provision requires close tracking of student development across areas, a good overview of classes/grades, and the ability to create and deliver targeted provision. I will illustrate this through two examples, one for in-class masterclasses and one for cross-class/age masterclasses.

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Example 1: Developing oracy for presentations

Focus: Speaking confidence and presentation skills

Target students: All students in the class will benefit, some will get additional resources and time.

Mode: In class, team-teaching

In Grade 6 students are required to deliver oral presentations on a topic of their choice. The class teachers know that a majority of students in the class are reluctant to speak in English in front of a group. The EAL teacher spends time in class, using formative tasks/assessment to get an overview of student proficiency in speaking. From this, the EAL specialist develops a masterclass on presentation skills, that will be delivered in a team-teaching model with the class teacher, twice a week for six weeks. The summative assessment of the masterclass is a short presentation by each student in small groups.

Impact tracking: In-class activities focused on oracy, observations of engagement, and the final assessment of the oral presentation.

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Example 2: Extending sentence writing

Focus: Supporting students to move beyond simple sentence structure (compound and complex sentence structures)

Target students: 10 students from Year 3 & Year 4

Mode: Stand-alone, EAL specialist teacher

Tracking data has shown that a small number of students across Year 3 & Y4 are still using only basic sentence structures, despite on-going class support in literacy lessons. The EAL teacher designs a 4-week masterclass for this group, with two stand-alone sessions per week, focusing on moving beyond simple sentences. The classroom teacher links class literacy work with the masterclass work, to provide additional opportunities for practice and feedback.

Impact tracking: Tracking of student written work in class during and after the masterclass, with pre- and post-comparison of student writing.  

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These examples can be adjusted to fit different age groups and a wide spectrum of language development needs. What they have in common is that they are focused, finite, and tracked.

Focused: Designed to build a particular type of language, whether skill-based on content-based

Finite: The masterclass is clearly defined in terms of scope, timing, and content, with clear and measurable outcomes

Tracked: After the masterclass, the classroom teacher and EAL specialist, if needed, continue to monitor for progress and impact

All of these are important, but tracking is essential if we are to be able to assess impact; time for EAL provision needs to have high impact and on-going benefit for students, and without tracking we have no sense if our model is effective or not.

Tier 2 is the space where we keep students from falling through the cracks. Far too often students are exited from EAL provision and left to sink or swim. The amount of intensive (Tier 3) provision we give is often minimal, and moving from that to regular classroom provision only can lead to gaps in development across skills. Empowering our EAL specialists to be systematic and data driven ensures that we are providing students with the best possible opportunities to fully develop their academic English across skills.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of posts about EAL structures and provisions. As always, I’m happy to answer questions!