At Pyrford Primary C of E School, we are proud of our cultural diversity and the different languages our children and families speak.  20% of our children are identified as speaking English as an additional language (EAL) and 27 different languages are spoken.  The majority of our EAL children start in Reception, with some of these children having attended our nursery.  The children and families are well known to the school and good relationships are formed.

When children start in the nursery or Reception, the teacher meets with the child and parent(s).  We specifically ask our EAL families about their home language and their exposure to English.  If a child starts in-year, a pre-visit is offered and the class teacher has the opportunity to speak to the parent(s) about the child’s past school experiences and their use of English.