Our new English as a Second Language curriculum empowers even the youngest learners to communicate confidently and effectively. It helps them to develop the skills needed to respond to a range of information, media and texts. The programme promotes active learning, develops thinking skills and encourages intellectual engagement.
This subject is for learners who speak a language other than English at home - there is no expectation that they will have prior experience of English before starting this course. We have based the curriculum on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), used across the world to map learners’ progress in English.
What will students learn?
This curriculum develops learners’ curiosity about other languages and cultures, and how these shape our perceptions of the world. They will see themselves as successful language learners, be able to communicate effectively and become confident in and enjoy reading a range of texts as their skills develop.
How is the programme taught?
Cambridge Lower Secondary English as a Second Language supports an integrated approach to planning and teaching to develop effective communication skills in English. The five strands, and their respective learning objectives, work together to support the development of knowledge, skills and understanding in:
- Reading
- Writing
- Use of English
- Listening
- Speaking.
Support to help you deliver the course
You will find plenty of support to help deliver this course, including activities that you can adapt to suit your context:
- Assessment materials including progression tests and past Cambridge Checkpoint papers.
- Curriculum Framework.
- Online and face-to-face training.
- Schemes of work.
- Teacher Guide.
We also work with a range of third party publishers to produce high-quality endorsed resources to support this framework.
Assessment
With a range of assessments available for this subject including Cambridge Primary Progression Tests and Checkpoint, you can to choose the approach that works best for your school and learners.