AN ANDOVER secondary school has been given a silver award for its work in teaching English as a second or additional language.

This week, John Hanson Community School on Floral Way announced it has been awarded the E.A.L Excellence Silver Award from the Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS).

The award has accredited the school's ongoing and consistent work with students who speak English as Additional Language and their families.

The school is the first in Hampshire to have secured the award.

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Crissie Ferreira, EAL coordinator at John Hanson Community School, said: "The framework has proved to be an invaluable tool which has enabled our school to ensure the provision we are offering is making the very best impact on all our EAL students and their families.

"There are officially, 117 students that attend our school that have a very diverse cultural and linguistic background.

"EMTAS has offered John Hanson vital support throughout this whole process, via e-mails, Teams meetings as well as several visits to the school.

"This self-evaluation set of standards have helped our school monitor our practice, our provision and supported us to reflect other areas that might need improving. The EAL Excellence Silver award reflects our school vision and ethos to ‘Inspire, Care, Succeed’ and links perfectly with the work already being undertaken at our school since 2010."

The areas that were assessed in order to achieve the award involved:

  • Leadership and Management
  • Pedagogy and Practice
  • Data, Assessment and Progress
  • Teaching and learning
  • Parental Engagement

Miss Ferreira added: "We would like to thank all the students, staff and parents who contributed to this achievement.

"As a school, we are thrilled to be the first secondary school in Hampshire to achieve this award! We will aim for Gold!"

Hampshire EMTAS states it is about "removing barriers and inequalities in attainment and achievement".

For more information, include a full list of services available, visit: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/emtas.

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