Primary effective induction checklist

2 of 3 The National Strategies Primary and Secondary
New Arrivals Excellence Programme
that the interview is only for information
gathering purposes.
Parents are offered all appropriate forms,
such as free school meals (FSM)
applications, uniform grant application, etc.
Administrative staff are welcoming to parents
and pupils and offer sensitive help with form
filling if needed.
Information about the school is made
available in the home language.
Parents are shown around the school.
New arrivals can be given ‘starter packs’
containing pen, pencil, bilingual dictionary (if
appropriate) and homework booklet.
New families can be given ‘welcome packs’
containing a map of the local area, plan of
the school, timetables, list of local community
groups and so on in an accessible format.
Once the new arrival has started
Designate a senior member of staff as key
contact. This might be the head of year, tutor,
EMA coordinator or induction mentor.
Allocate trained peer ‘buddies’ or mentors.
Assess the pupil’s level of English,
mathematics and science through
information gained from a wide range of
sources. (Written formal tests are unlikely to
reflect accurately the potential of a pupil new
to the English education system).
Place pupils appropriately: placing pupils in
lower groups or sets because of a perceived
lack of English will not provide them with
good models of English or behaviour or
necessarily be appropriate for their ability in
the subject.
Consider class size and gender balance,
whether there is a same-language speaker in
the class, support during class periods,
gender of teacher and supportive nature of
the class when placing new pupil.
00033-2009PDF-EN-02 © Crown copyright 2009