Our ESL students
St Francis Xavier is a multicultural school and has been for over 50 years. Currently 28% of the school population are ESL and at least 25 different languages are spoken. Most of these are African or Asian languages. These students command of English can be very varied. Some students will have as good a command of their home language as English and be literate in both languages. Others will start in Prep having only spoken their mother tongue at home. Similarly, students who start at another year level, arriving from another country, often have little or no English.
Aim of the ESL program
At SFX the program aims to support the needs of the ESL students, so that they can function effectively in the classroom and achieve at their cognitive level. The ESL program is funded by BCE.
How are the ESL students supported at our school?
Our ESL students are supported by an ESL teacher, who works for 4 days a week and a Vietnamese bilingual aide, who comes in one morning a week. Most class teachers have also been in-serviced in ESL. The ESL program is planned by the ESL teacher in conjunction with the classroom teachers.
The ESL program is delivered in various ways.
Whole class support (which may include)
- Team teaching - both teachers may take it in turn to lead the class lesson.
- The ESL students are supported in class by the ESL teacher.
- The ESL teacher may teach a group of students in a Literacy block.
Withdrawal groups
The ESL teacher withdraws a small group students usually focusing on basic Literacy.
New Arrival Support
Students arriving from overseas normally receive intensive support for a whole year.
Assessing ESL students
The language development of the ESL students is monitored. They are assessed by the class teachers twice a year. This data is collected and co-ordinated by the ESL teacher.
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/eal-d