Intensive English Centre

Koondoola Primary School is fortunate enough to have an Intensive English Centre (IEC) on site. The IEC holds high expectations for English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) students to learn Standard Australian English (SAE) to succeed and achieve equitable education outcomes. It runs a specialist program based on both the Western Australian Curriculum and the EALD Progress Map to accelerate English language acquisition for students from language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE).

Kindergarten students do not attend IECs as they are provided with rich opportunities to develop the oral English language skills required for language acquisition. Koondoola Primary school runs a Pre-Primary IEC class for students with humanitarian visas, and for all other students in Year 1 to 6 who require intensive English support and meet the visa or citizenship conditions.

Our Educational Program

  • Provides a supportive and nurturing environment for students to feel safe in their new school.
  • English as an additional language and all core curriculum areas are taught.
  • Programs are developed collaboratively, by highly trained, experienced and dedicated staff, to cater for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
  • Pre-Primary and Year 1 students, including Australian citizens, who come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background and have limited English, are referred to the IEC from our local mainstream feeder schools.
  • Students are entitled to one or two years in the Intensive English class depending on their visa. When students exit the IEC, parents are supported to enrol their child in their local mainstream school.
  • A highly successful phonics program is implemented to teach all students to read. Students who are having difficulties with reading are placed in intervention.
  • External agencies and local service providers are used to assist newly arrived families to adapt to the many aspects of life in Australia.
  • Free dental care is made available by the on-site Dental Therapy Clinic and a school nurse visits regularly.
  • A strong emphasis is placed on the students’ health and well-being. This is supported by the 12 Buckets mentoring program, the Multicultural Community Worker and the School Chaplin.
  • The IEC is part of the whole school and students participate in whole-school activities.
  • Interpreters are used to communicate with parents when required.
  • Bus transport is available for students, depending on the visa category.

CLASS STRUCTURE

  • Students are placed in age-appropriate classes and consideration is given for prior educational background, physical development, emotional and social maturity.
  • Class sizes are usually limited to 16 students.
  • Within each Year level, there are two phases: Phase 1 and Phase 2. The student’s level of English language proficiency at time of enrolment in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening determines the phase a student is placed in.
  • Phase 1 Classes: These classes provide programs for newly arrived students with limited or no English language skills who are in the very early stages of learning English. Students born in Australia and entering school for the first time with limited or no English may also be placed in the Phase 1 class.
  • The Phase 1 teacher focuses mainly on the development of oral language skills across the curriculum and related literacy skills. Students are introduced to the Australian culture and environment, along with the new environment and routines of the school. Students will experience new ways of learning and develop the appropriate language to assist them when socialising with peers, teachers and the wider community. The Western Australian Curriculum is used to teach the language and key learning areas.
  • Phase 2 classes: These classes provide programs for students who have developed sufficient oral language skills to effectively communicate orally with their peers, school staff and the wider community. The teacher focuses mainly on the development of English literacy skills using the Western Australian Curriculum, however, extending the student’s oral language skills continues as an integral part of the program. Students will expand their experiences of the Australian culture and environment while also developing knowledge of the local community and Australian society.

Staff

Deputy Principal: A Deputy Principal manages the Intensive English program and can be contacted on 9345 6200.

School Officer: School Officers provide administrative assistance and support to students and families regarding general aspects of the program. School Officers can be contacted on 9345 6200.

Teachers: All teachers teaching in the Intensive English Program are highly qualified to teach English as an Additional Language and primary aged students.

Ethnic Education Assistants (EEAs): The EEAs assist teachers in the teaching and learning program to support students. They also translate and interpret for parents and students, when required. The program is not a bilingual program, however, bilingual teachers and EEAs use different languages to support the learning of newly arrived students. Some of the language groups include Vietnamese, Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, Mandarin, Burmese and Karen.

School Psychologist: A school psychologist works collaboratively with staff to address the specific academic, social and emotional needs of students identified as being at educational risk. The psychologist is also available to provide advice to parents regarding the academic, social and emotional development of students. Interpreters are used in these meetings, when required.

Integration

The Intensive English Program is integrated across the whole school. IEC students participate actively in whole-school activities such as, assemblies, swimming lessons, senior sport, buddy reading, choir, play, excursions and gardening. Students in the Intensive English class also have  access to specialist subject areas such as, Music, Art, Health and Physical Education, Science and Design and Technologies.

Assessment and Reporting

The EAL/D Progress Map is a monitoring, assessment and reporting tool. It is used by the EAL/D teachers to describe the progress of EAL/D students who do not have the English language proficiency to fully demonstrate their knowledge and understanding across a range of contexts, in English, as described in the Western Australian Curriculum.

Students are reported on at the end of each semester and parent interviews are held to discuss the student report.

A parent information session is held at the beginning of the year to introduce class teachers and provide information about the teaching-learning program and classroom procedures. Parents can request other meetings and appointments can be made through the front office or directly with the class teacher. Interpreters are provided upon request.

Bus Service

The Department of Education provides a school bus service to help families whose children are enrolled in the Intensive English program to transport eligible children to and from school. This is a free service and provides a ‘door to door’ pick up. Once children leave the Intensive English Centre, parents are required to transport their child to their local school. Children are supervised by the bus driver and a bus warden and must always wear their seatbelts. Parents are unable to travel on the school bus at any time.