All Saints C of E Primary School
English as an Additional Language
Welcome from Mrs Zolnowska-Bull, EAL Co-ordinator:
Welcome to the EAL section of our school web site! The wonderfully diverse linguistic and ethnic community at our school is such a great asset and brings so much to our school. We are very grateful for you all being part of our school community and we are always here to work together with you and offer our support. Being able to understand, speak, read or write in more than one language is a real superpower and something that we celebrate with our pupils. We treasure and celebrate children's cultural heritage and your family's traditions and we recognise and welcome the diversity of our community and how much we can all learn from one another.
We have gathered some information here that you - Parents and Carers - may find useful when supporting your children with their learning at home, or when preparing for the next phases in their education. We would like to support you at every stage of this journey so if there is any information that you find here that you would like to discuss with Mrs Zolnowska-Bull in more detail, please do contact me at: kasha.zolnowska-bull@mastacademy.co.uk.
Information about the education system in England (in English and 22 languages) - including primary and secondary phases:
Supporting your child's learning at home:
SEND guidance in English and translated into 9 languages:
Please come back here for more news and updates linked to speaking English as an Additional Language, Bilingualism and Multilingualism, and the wonderfully diverse heritage of our school community! If you are interested in helping us with interpreting from and into your first language, please also get in touch. We recognise that there is so much new information when families are new to the school system that we would like to work together with all parents and carers to share our language skills and help one another as needed.
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The importance of reading
There are so many reasons why reading is good for us all. For our young learners, regular reading in any language, with parents and carers or on their own:
- improves their vocabulary and writing skills
- develops their empathy and interest in the world
- improves their wellbeing, memory, focus and sleeping
- provides this very important space where they can switch off and enter the magical world of poems, stories and adventures
We are very lucky at All Saints C of E Primary School and Nursery in that we can now access over 60 different dual language books in English and several different languages represented by our diverse school community. In the picture above, you can see some of the dual language books we now have available for our pupils to use at the school and nursery. We are looking forward to sharing with you more pictures of children enjoying their new books soon!
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Please find below the information about local charities and community support groups.
Medway African and Caribbean Association (MACA)
MACA works with local people and organisations in Medway to celebrate and raise awareness of African and Caribbean culture. They run arts, education, and social programmes that help people feel included, valued, and connected to their community.
They also offer friendly weekly sessions for older adults:
- Tuesdays, 1–4pm
- Sunlight Centre, Gillingham ME7 1LZ
- £4 per session (includes refreshments)
MACA also supports young people through Young People United (YPU), a youth group for ages 6 to 24 that helps build confidence, creativity, and community.
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Medway Diversity Forum
A membership organisation for ethnic minority groups in Medway that works to help members who are socially excluded and to assist them to integrate into society, providing access to information and resources, training, governance and organising cultural/cohesion events
The Whitehouse,, Chatham Waterfront Bus Station, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4SL, United Kingdom
07875 503 708
office@memf.co.uk
http://www.medwaydiversityforum.co.uk
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Live Well Kent and Medway
Mental Health & Wellbeing - a variety of short courses and time-limited groups designed to support resilience, promote new learning, improve wellbeing, and build confidence towards recovery. We have activities taking place both online and face-to-face at various locations across the community. Our activities include:
- structured programmes of support set up to inspire self-awareness and promote self-management of common mental health issues, including anxiety and depression
- peer support groups where people with lived experience support each other to overcome shared barriers
- groups for people with specific conditions, including bi-polar, hearing voices, and social anxiety or agoraphobia
Bereavement & Loss
A range of sessions designed to give people the tools they need to help them move forward after experiencing a bereavement or significant loss in their life, for example the loss of a job, home, or partner. We have sessions taking place both online and in-person, and we offer support in both group and 1-2-1 settings.
Art Activities
A selection of group sessions focused around different art activities. Sessions may be themed and will explore a variety of different mediums & topics. We also offer a virtual 1-2-1 programme of art & craft activities for people who are unable to attend our in-person groups; this project includes a personalised ‘kit’ of guided activities which are specifically designed to be completed at home.
Natural Environment
A selection of outdoor, nature-based activities, taking place face-to-face at various locations within the community. We have a variety of different activities scheduled across the year, ranging from fishing to woodwork, from allotment growing to fire craft, and from gardening to woodland maintenance.
We also offer an online ‘Connect with Nature’ programme for those who are unable to engage in person or who would prefer to engage from home; this programme includes informal discussion & learning about different nature-based topics, with the opportunity to take on simple nature challenges in between sessions.
Employment
1-2-1 employment-related support for individuals with a mental health or wellbeing need, who are ready to move into paid employment. Support includes but is not limited to:
- updating CVs and writing cover letters
- job searching and completing job applications
- interview skills
- in work support for 6 months
Money Management
1-2-1 money management support sessions, taking place face-to-face at various locations within the community. Sessions last for approximately 6-12 weeks per person, depending on location and/or need.
Our delivery partners are able to provide advice & guidance around the following topics:
- benefits
- budgeting
- debt management
- cost of living support
referral form: https://livewellkent.org.uk/online-referral-form/
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Kent Refugee Action Network
Work with separated young refugees and asylum seekers, also known as UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children) - young people aged 16 to 26 who have arrived in Kent alone and are claiming asylum.
Contact:
Please call: 01227 634320
For advocacy and support enquiries, please email advocacy@kran.org.uk
For Learning for Life enquiries, please email learning@kran.org.uk
For media enquiries, please email media@kran.org.uk
For fundraising enquiries, please email fundraising@kran.org.uk
For finance enquiries, please email finance@kran.org.uk
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Medway Language Café (on Facebook)
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RO Kent CIC
We are a group of volunteers supporting the Eastern Europeans in Kent, especially the Romanian Community.
We try to support integration and good communication between the Romanian people and the local communities.
We have helped other nationalities like Ukrainian families and Bulgarian to understand their working rights and complete inclusion events for all to support their mental health and wellbeing, so they feel they belong here and the local community values their skills and their lives.
Our Youth Club and The Romanian Saturday school are held Saturday morning. We are running all the activities fully for free. We have a £5 fee for the Youth Club, if they cannot afford it is free.
Who to contact
Eutalia Leonte
Director of RO KENT
St Stephen’s Church Hall
St Stephen’s
CANTERBURY
Kent
CT2 7AB
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