At Merton Infant School we provide a range of support to children and families with English as an additional language (EAL) and have achieved the Bronze (May 2019) Gold (May 2021) (May 2023) EAL Excellence Award and in July 2025 we were the first school in Hampshire to be awarded the Diamond Excellence Award. 

Please see the link below for our published article in the Basingstoke Gazette 

https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/25563258.basingstoke-school-wins-ethnic-minority-achievement-award/

In school, children are supported with their understanding of English within lessons through the use of EAL resources (word mats, talking tins, picture books etc.) and have additional adult support where required. Learning tasks are adapted to meet their individual needs, the same as for all of our children.

We engage with the Ethic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) for children and families that require additional support either in school or within their local community. This could be through referrals for Bi-Lingual Assistants for individual children or through attendance at events run in school by EMTAS such as parent tea/coffee events. We are also able to request support from EMTAS for parents evening meetings where translation to your first language may be required.

We are extremely proud to run the EMTAS Young Interpreter Scheme. Children are nominated from YR - Y2. Being a Young Interpreter supports and develops the children's confidence and empathy skills as well as providing the opportunity to have a leadership role from a young age. 

More information can be found below. 

Our Language of the half term is Makaton 

This half term the children will be learning about the importance of Makaton and how this can support children with language and communication difficulties. This is also part of our Merton Value of Respect of thinking of others.

Makaton is a signing system which uses ‘speech’, ‘signs’ and ‘symbols’. Using signing helps people understand what we’re saying and helps us establish a ‘shared language’.

We hope you support us in learning and practising the different signs that the children will learn in school to help them in their everyday lives. A range of signs will be emailed on a Friday over the course of the half term.

Why not also watch the popular Mr Tumbles and learn these well known nursery rhymes:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/something-special-i-can-sing-a-rainbow

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/something-special-wheels-on-bus

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/something-special-twinkle-twinkle

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/something-special-happy-birthday

Mrs Relf is our EAL lead. 

We provide word mats to the children for all new topics to enable them to learn key vocabulary in their own language and in English to support with learning in school.

Do not forget that you can translate all of the information on our website into your first language by pressing the "select language" button on the home page. You can even translate it into the "Language of the half term" for fun if you would like to!  

A BIG well done to these children for their excellent efforts in their first language achievements and their exceptional progress in acquiring EAL. We are very proud of you all.