Whole school approach to EAL in schools

Children and young people (CYP) with English as an additional language (EAL) should be supported to learn that their voice and experiences are valued in the same way as other CYP. Schools and settings should recognise bilingualism as an asset and celebrate the importance of the varied home languages that CYP may have.

Our self-serve learning, Supporting children and young people with EAL in Norfolk schools and settings outlines a range of strategies and resources that can be used to ensure children and young people with EAL are supported to reach their full potential.

The Thematic toolkit Padlet contains resources and advice for supporting children and young people both on arrival and as they continue their journey through your school.

Primary school

By the end of primary school, CYP should know:

• That others' families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children's families are also characterised by love and care
• The importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs

High quality EAL resources - Primary

• Resources to support in vocabulary development
• Bell Foundation has a variety of information on teaching strategies, sample resources and tools for assessment
• Mantra Lingua supply bilingual books in over 80 languages. Mantra Lingua also produce the PenPal which can be used to read books aloud in different languages
• UNHCR provides resources for teaching about refugees, asylum and migration
• Healing Classrooms provides lots of resources for supporting refugee and asylum-seeking CYP

Secondary school

By the end of secondary school, CYP should know:

• That in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other people's beliefs
• The legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal
• How stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage (for example, how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice)

High quality EAL resources - Secondary

• Resources to support in vocabulary development
• Bell Foundation has a variety of information on teaching strategies, sample resources and tools for assessment
• UNHCR provides resources for teaching about refugees, asylum and migration
• Healing Classrooms provides lots of resources for supporting refugee and asylum-seeking CYP
• Bay Language Books provides 'exam suitable' dictionaries in over 60 languages

Distinguishing the difference between EAL and SEN

It is essential that schools have robust systems in place for monitoring the progress of EAL CYP and identifying any potential special educational needs (SEN) concerns.  

This can be supported by:

• Collecting accurate information on previous educational experiences, abilities in first language and any parental concerns or observations. A comprehensive questionnaire for discussions with families is available here. It is essential that interpretation services are used if required as this is a complicated and often sensitive topic. 
• Use the Bell Foundation Framework to monitor and assess development of language. This will ensure that any areas of weakness or barriers to learning are identified. 
• Use the support plans to ensure at least one cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review based on specific targets. 
• Phone the SEND and Inclusion Support Line on 0333 313 7165 to book a surgery session to discuss further assessment with an EAL/EDC Adviser. 

See the EAL and SEN: Distinguishing the Difference section on the Padlet for further information.