Warminster School welcomes pupils from all over the world, including China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Russia, Italy and Germany. They enrich our community in many ways, bringing a wider perspective and helping us to feel part of a global community. The EAL department helps our international learners to integrate into the school and feel at home however far away their country might be. We are a small department and we attempt to bring out the best in each student, encouraging confidence and competence, to enable them to perform to their highest ability and enjoy a positive overall experience.

The international pupils who need improved fluency in English will receive expert tuition in all skills in small groups where their specific areas of need are addressed. They are prepared for external examinations, IGCSE English as a Second Language (E2L) and normally sit the widely recognised IELTS. Cross-curricular support is given as and when necessary and subject teachers are supportive and encouraging as they recognise and accept the difficulties international pupils may encounter.

Facilities Available

The EAL department is based in School House.

The EAL department offers lessons in small classes to ensure that pupils receive plenty of individual attention:

• Year 7 – 11 – a maximum of eight pupils
• 6th Form – a maximum of six pupils

Examination Boards

The EAL department prepare pupils for two main exams; the Edexcel IGCSE English as a Second Language (E2L) and the Cambridge IELTS test.

The IGCSE E2L is taken in the summer of Year 11 and the IELTS test can be taken at various times during the year.

The Edexcel International GCSE in English as a Second Language is designed as a qualification for either students obtaining their education through English as a medium of instruction, or studying English in order to enhance their future educational and employment prospects. This qualification is broadly equivalent to many of the benchmarks of the Level B2 of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of References for Languages.

The IELTS test is one of the key language ability tests accepted when applying for Higher Education Institutions. Universities normally require a band score of 6.5 in the Academic paper. Band score requirements need to be confirmed with the university admissions. The majority of students take the Academic paper and this can be taken at the University of Bath. However, the EAL department does offer ‘Home Days’, when the IELTS examiners come to the school, when demand is high.

Co-curricular Activities

• The EAL offers an annual culture trip to a city in UK. This trip is open to Year 11 and 6th form and gives the students an opportunity find out about other places in the UK.
• The EAL department has an annual trip to Oxford with the Year 10s. This trip coincides with their EAL lesson work and develops their general English skills.
• The EAL department hosts regular celebrations for the international students, for example Chinese New Year and a Summer BBQ.
• The EAL department is working in conjunction with WIC, Warminster International Community, as a peer support service for new international pupils to the school.
• The EAL department offers an acceleration programme