The English as an Additional Language (EAL) department of the Secondary School supports secondary school students whose primary language is not English so that they may develop a level of linguistic competence that they need to become successful learners in their mainstream classes. New students who may need EAL support are tested when they first join ISH.
Secondary School EAL students are withdrawn from mainstream English, second language and Social Studies in certain cases in order to receive a level of EAL instruction suited to their needs. These EAL classes are designed to help students develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing and media literacy, which are required to communicate and study effectively.
Secondary School EAL students attend two different types of EAL classes:
- a language acquisition class which focuses specifically on the development of linguistic competence,
- an extra support class which reinforces the content of the language acquisition class and which also focuses on supporting students with their mainstream classes, especially social studies, maths and science.
