Students for whom English is an additional language or dialect enter schools at different stages of English language learning and have varying educational backgrounds in their first languages.
ESL curriculum support is provided through "parallel classes" comprised of only ESL students and taught by an ESL teacher or through ESL Team teaching across all KLAs in mainstream classes.
Students who have had little or no formal schooling will need additional time and support in order to acquire skills for effective learning in formal settings. Students are also taught subject specific language structures and vocabulary to allow them to develop English language proficiency.
On arrival students are diagnostically assessed to identify their phases before being placed in suitable classes.
In addition, the UVISS system allows for additional ESL units to be offered, both in the junior and senior curriculum which helps support the acquisition of English of language skills.