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Earlier this month we were assessed for the EAL Quality Mark (it was like a mini Ofsted!). Thank you to everyone whole school who contributed to the success but a special and very big thank you to Mrs Ciccazzo, as without her tenacity and commitment this would not have happened.

After our ‘inspection’ the Director of the EAL Academy wrote:

‘Congratulations to The Forest School in Wokingham, the first secondary school in the area to be awarded the Gold EAL Quality Mark.

As the school enters its last year as an all boys 11-16, and co-ed 6th form this makes this achievement even more impressive.

It is a school with a passion about learning and learners’ capacity to achieve. It also has vision and organisation to walk the talk. Every classroom has a thoughtful seating plan that ensures maximum support for EAL learners. The school has experienced eight years of constant and significant demographic change and adapts continually to the varying and various needs of its students.

Something very striking is the level of awareness of the needs of EAL learners among curriculum leaders. All ensure that their teams use the extensive information available about individual and very varied new arrivals in planning for learning. In PE, video is well used to ensure that learners know what is expected of them and that lack of English does not leave students feeling excluded or uncertain what to do. Non-verbal instruction is also very widely used.

I visited a hackathon, a coding competition, organised by Year 10 EAL learners. The Headteacher commented she was also delighted at the level of organisation and detail in the planning of the event by the boys even to have written her script for the opening and closing ceremony.

Students and staff were equally complimentary about the school’s highly effective and influential EAL lead. A Ukrainian parent summed her up to me as “the magical Mrs C.”

The final words should rest with the group of EAL learners I spoke to towards the end of my day. This mix of Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Ukrainian speakers commented favourably on how teachers do not rush through lessons. Time,” said one student “is helpful when you have gaps in your language and your learning.” All of them told me about the book they are currently reading for pleasure and one mentioned the importance in his learning of “linguistics and etymology.”'