Languages

Welcome to the School of Languages

Greek

Greek

All students at Allenby Gardens have the opportunity to learn Greek.

Every class has one 50-minute Greek lesson per week to develop broad communication skills and explore the Greek culture.

Annually, students have the chance to learn from a language teacher support from the Greek Consulate.

Punjabi – First Language Maintenance and Development (FLMD)

The school offers it to students who meet the Department for Education’s eligibility criteria in the school’s target language (currently only Punjabi).

The aim of the FLMD program is to support eligible students to:

  • respect, develop and maintain their home language.
  • develop language and literacy skills; to provide opportunity for strong conceptual learning that will extend students’ capability for language use.
  • foster a positive sense of self-identity.

Students who do not meet the criteria for the FLMD program are able to access language development through Ethnic Schools or the School of Languages in their out of hours programs. For more information click here to visit the School of Languages website.

English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD)

The EALD programme at Allenby Gardens Primary School is designed to support students learning English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) to improve their English language skills. This includes students born overseas, those with parents born overseas, or those who identify with another cultural background through extended family.

EALD students are those whose first or home language is a language or dialect other than Standard Australian English.

Students may be eligible for the EALD programme if they:

  • Were born overseas and learned English later in their childhood.
  • Were born in Australia and speak both English and another language at home.
  • Were born in Australia and identify with another culture through their extended family.

To identify students for the EALD programme, we consider several factors, including:

  • Discussions between classroom teachers and EALD teachers.
  • Analysis of work samples.
  • Assessment of the student’s current Language and Literacy level.
  • Results from diagnostic testing.

Programme Activities

The EALD programme focuses on enhancing language development across the curriculum. It aims to build students’ confidence and competence in speaking, reading, and writing English. With parental permission, students receive tailored support based on their individual needs and abilities. This support may occur in-class or through small group or individual sessions.

Focus Areas

Students in the EALD programme work on various literacy skills, including:

  • Reading for understanding and text comprehension.
  • Writing skills, such as sentence and paragraph construction, functional grammar, and spelling.
  • Genre writing, exploring different text types linked with Units of Inquiry.
  • Developing confidence in English speaking and listening skills, including vocabulary expansion, non-verbal communication, and oral presentations.