Most newly arrived students will have received some science teaching in their countries of origin although the nature and extent of their experience may vary widely. The collaborative nature of practical work in school science and the subject’s use of many visual models and analogues make it an ideal subject for integrating new arrivals who may have English as an additional language (EAL). Some issues that science teachers need to consider in planning teaching and learning for newly arrived students are set out below with suggestions for addressing them.

Inclusion

The national curriculum is the starting point for planning a school curriculum that meets the specific needs of newly arrived pupils up to the age of 16. It may also be helpful for newly arrived 16- to 19-year-olds. 

The national curriculum inclusion statement outlines how teachers can modify the national curriculum programme of study in science, as necessary, to meet their students’ needs. The inclusion statement sets out three principles that are essential to developing a more inclusive curriculum:

• setting suitable learning challenges
• responding to pupils' diverse learning needs
• overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

These are also appropriate for post-16 students.

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Setting suitable learning challenges

The national curriculum programmes of study set out what most students should be taught at each key stage, but teachers should teach the knowledge, skills and understanding in ways that suit their students' abilities. For example, students who have missed prior education may require teaching from earlier stages of the national curriculum programmes of study. Those who are more advanced than their peers may need suitable material selected from a later stage or additional material at their present stage to broaden their experience of science. Teachers may also find they need to follow a programme that draws on the yearly teaching objectives for an earlier or later year in the key stage 3 national strategy science framework. The 'Children with little or no prior education' area of this site provides further guidance.

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Responding to students' diverse learning needs

When planning, teachers should set high expectations and provide opportunities for all students to achieve. Teachers need to remember that students bring to school different experiences, interests and strengths which will influence the way in which they learn. New arrivals will also have valuable insights to offer based on their experiences of life in other parts of the world and the (perhaps somewhat different) science education they have received.

Teachers should plan their approaches to teaching and learning so that all students can take an active part in lessons. It is important to ensure that all students feel secure and able to contribute to lessons, and also that they know their contribution is valued.

Teachers should plan work that is accessible for students with EAL and that also extends their language skills. The 'English as an additional language' area gives further information about language support. Teachers need to plan appropriately challenging work for those whose ability and understanding of scientific concepts are in advance of their language skills.

Difficulties might arise in science for EAL students because of the use of words that are common both to science and everyday usage but have different meanings in each of these two contexts, for example ‘control’, ‘cell’ and ‘energy’. As other students may also be confused by these words the opportunity should be taken to explore the issue and to share strategies for remembering the science meanings, for example adding a new word to a wall chart or shared file on a computer network, together with a strategy for remembering the science meaning.

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Supporting students for whom English is an additional language

As most new arrivals from overseas will need English-language support, science departments need to consider how this will be provided and how it will be integrated with subject teaching.

The DCFS has published Access and engagement in science: teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language. Although targeted at teachers of key stage 3 pupils, the guidance contains many ideas that are applicable with groups of older students. The guidance is in four parts and is intended for subject leaders of science and ethnic minority achievement (EMA) teachers working collaboratively. It can also be ordered as a print copy.

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Supporting scientific vocabulary

Teachers may wish to provide vocabulary lists but students need to engage with these actively, for example through games or quizzes, if they are to use them effectively. The scientific vocabulary list in Appendix 3 of the science framework gives the scientific terms and technical language found in the QCA schemes of work for science for key stage 2 and key stage 3, and in materials produced by the key stage 3 strategy to support the teaching of literacy, mathematics or science. EAL students could be introduced to key words prior to the lesson during a pre-tutoring session with a bilingual assistant or by using prepared bilingual word lists and definitions.     

Access and engagement in science: teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language offers a variety of ways of helping students with scientific vocabulary in addition to those suggested above.

The key criterion for decisions about setting and streaming is ability rather than what a pupil has previously studied or their fluency in English. The 'Initial assessment' area of this site gives further guidance on this.
            

Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of students

Some students in any group will have particular learning and assessment requirements which, if not addressed, could create barriers to learning. For students newly arrived from overseas these are most often linked to their progress in learning English as an additional language. The English as an additional language area of this site gives further information about language support. However, teachers should be alert to the possibility of other barriers to learning as well.

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Lack of familiarity with scientific investigation and practical work

Some students newly arrived from overseas may be less familiar with investigative methods in science. Extra support in posing questions, planning experiments to answer them and evaluating their methods and results will be needed. Meeting visiting scientists such as science and engineering ambassadors (SEAs) and making visits to commercial or university laboratories may also help them to understand more about how science works and why they need to learn about investigative work.

Science teaching in some countries emphasises the acquisition of knowledge rather than practical skills. Students may have watched experiments being demonstrated but may not have had the opportunity to carry them out themselves. They will need support during practical lessons, for example from teaching assistants or other students (see below), and also extra time to develop their skills.

Others may be experienced at carrying out practical work but may be more accustomed to using non-standard equipment. A UK example using non-standard equipment is  ‘Supermarket science’ which can be found on the Science and plants for schools (SAPS) website. Some new arrivals may have similar approaches to practical work to share with their classmates and they should be encouraged to do so. Showing that they have something of their own to contribute will help to build their confidence and self-esteem.

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Bridging lack of familiarity with scientific investigation

Science departments might consider implementing induction lessons in science, or adapting existing induction lessons, to develop students’ ability to carry out practical work and investigations. Such lessons need not be delivered immediately – they might be delivered to groups of students a few weeks after arrival, after they have acquired some English. Another strategy is to provide a buddy or lab guide. Buddying and befriending schemes can be important in science, especially if students are working collaboratively or using new equipment.

Health and safety and scientific equipment

Students who have done little or no practical work will need help in recognising the dangers that it may pose and understanding how to minimise these. Some may have had risk assessments carried out on their behalf, or prepared for them, and will need help to make their own. The national curriculum health and safety statement describes what pupils should be taught with regard to health and safety. It may be helpful to give newly arrived students a buddy or lab guide who will show them where to find things, how to use unfamiliar equipment and how to work safely.

A science department could develop a safety induction guide for those teaching new students who have had little experience of using scientific equipment. Such guidance might involve:

• asking new students about their prior experiences of science and the use of equipment
• establishing individual need
• ensuring that students are taught to use equipment safely
• using bilingual classroom assistants to support induction procedures.

It could be a useful learning experience for existing students to devise an electronic or hard-copy lab guide for new arrivals, especially if they themselves arrived in this country part of the way through their education. Being new is an experience everyone can relate to, as all students and teachers were new to the school once.

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Sex and relationship education

The science national curriculum requires that pupils be taught about human reproduction. Parents do not have the right to withdraw their children from aspects of sex and relationship education (SRE) covered in the national curriculum for science, but may withdraw them from other sex and relationship education lessons. Some parents may be concerned about the sex education that their children will receive.

Teachers should avoid assumptions about the attitudes to issues such as sexuality shown by people from different religious and cultural backgrounds. Religious groups approach issues of sexuality in many different ways and minority groups often have as wide a range of opinions as the majority group. It is easy to assume that religions offer only negative perspectives on matters of sexuality but this is not generally the case. Such an assumption can affect the self-esteem of young people brought up in a religious tradition. Teachers must avoid perpetuating stereotypes, and should take into account the wide range of opinions within minority groups.

There may be some girls and young women from any cultural background who will not speak openly in mixed groups about issues concerning sex and relationships. Some boys are also more comfortable discussing such issues when girls are not present. It may therefore be appropriate to consider teaching part of the SRE curriculum in single-sex groups to help meet the needs of these students.

The topic of HIV/Aids could arise in some science lessons and may be an emotional one for new arrivals, as well as other students, if their lives have been affected by it either directly or indirectly. Teachers should be aware of this and be sensitive to the needs of these students.

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The contribution of immigrant scientists and those from ethnic minority groups

Students should be taught to take a positive view of differences in others, whether arising from race, gender, ability, disability, age, religion/belief or sexual orientation. Science teachers can achieve this by using materials which reflect social and cultural diversity and by providing positive images of race, gender, disability age, religion/belief and sexual orientation, for example by explaining the considerable contribution to mathematics and astronomy made by the Muslim world in the Middle Ages.

Refugee and immigrant scientists have made an enormous contribution to scientific development in the UK and continue to do so. Since 1933 some 71 fellows or foreign members of the Royal Society have arrived in the UK as refugees. Science teachers may wish to highlight this.

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Useful weblinks

Please note: QCA is not responsible for the content of external sites.

DCFS: Access and engagement in science: teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language
This guidance for heads of science and EMA teachers draws attention to the ‘considerable evidence that once proficiency in English is achieved, the progress for pupils with EAL across the curriculum was rapid and their attainment on a par with or higher than that of their monolingual peers'.

DCFS: Key stage 3 national strategy: Science framework
This website has EAL guidance and an appendix of scientific vocabulary. 

Intermediate Technology Development Group
This website has downloadable and printed teaching resources that can be used in science teaching in both primary and secondary schools.

QCA: Respect for all
This website has ideas for developing global and anti-racist dimensions in science teaching.

Association for Science Education
This site has lesson ideas for developing students’ appreciation of global issues in science education, plus links and other resources to support inclusive science teaching.

UNESCO
The 'Science and technology education' area has some useful publications.

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)
The VSO has many useful links accessible from its website and may be able to help put you in touch with a returned volunteer who is willing to come into school and talk to the pupils about their experiences.

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Further resources

Hounslow Language Service has produced a number of useful resources that can be used to support students’ English language development through science. These include Bilingual pupils and secondary science, Solids, liquids and gases (a teaching activity), The elements game (a teaching activity) and Healthy eating (a teaching activity). These publications can be ordered from the online catalogue.

Science: the global dimension, Development Education Association (DEA), 2003
This book of activities can be ordered online from the DEA. 

Blacks in science ancient and modern, Sertima, IV, Transaction Books, New Brunswick, 1983, reprinted 1991, ISBN 0 87855 941 8. This book may be useful as material about this group is often hard to find.

The Refugee Council has produced the series 'Science words for school use' in the following languages:

• Arabic and English
• Persian and English
• Somali and English
• Tamil and English
• Kurdish and English.

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