How to increase family engagement for families with EAL

What is EAL family engagement?

EAL family engagement refers to involving families of children and young people who use English as an Additional Language (EAL) in their child's learning and academic success. It involves building strong and supportive relationships between home and the child or young person's school or setting.

It is essential because families who are new to English or have limited proficiency often face language and communication barriers when engaging with schools or settings.

Effective family engagement starts with a robust induction and admissions process followed by a continued commitment to inclusion.

Why is it important?

It is important because it can improve the academic and social outcomes of children and young people with EAL, as well as their confidence and well-being.

It can also help families to understand the UK education system, to access information and opportunities, and to feel welcome and valued in the school community.

What can you do to help families with EAL feel included and represented?

You can do many things, such as:

Plan for a warm and well-organised start to school, with a meeting, a tour, and a home visit if possible. See our One Minute Guide to Welcoming a new EAL child or young person to your school or setting for further information.
Provide information about all aspects of school life in a format and language that families can access, using translation and interpretation services when needed.
Signpost or offer ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes to help families improve their language skills. To find out more check out our whole school action toolkit.
Invite families to join reading cafes, learning workshops, and other activities where they can learn alongside their children and interact with staff. This a great way to model expectations in the UK education system.
Ensure that the local community is represented in the school staff, governance, and family groups, and encourage families with EAL to take part in them. This can be challenging to start with but keep persevering. Start by holding coffee mornings or other informal EAL friendly sessions so you get to know your families then they are likely to be more open to joining family voice activities later.
Respect and celebrate the cultural and religious diversity of families with EAL by inviting them to share their experiences and perspectives with your school or setting. Consider using food as a means to connect with these families or ask them to share how they celebrated recent festivals like Eid.

What support is available?

National

Bell Foundation

The Bell Foundation website provides translated information for families about the UK school system and other resources available in 22 languages. Additionally, practitioners can follow recommendations for working with EAL families to support their child's learning at home.

Young Interpreters

The Young Interpreters Scheme trains children and young people to support their peers with EAL and their families.

School of Sanctuary

The Schools of Sanctuary programme, which helps schools to become more inclusive and welcoming of refugees and asylum seekers.

Norfolk

Becoming a more culturally diverse community is a great asset for your school and we are here to support you.

Our local offer draws upon what is available nationally, helping you contextualise approaches, and provides targeted support to meet the needs of your school community. Find out more about the graduated offer.

We also have several other EAL One Minute Guides which you may find helpful:

If you are looking for more in-depth support for children and young people with EAL, then please explore our Whole school approach to EAL in schools toolkit.

In addition we have a Bitesize Briefing to help you to Welcoming children and young people with EAL into school which you may find useful.

Key contacts

If you would like some talk to a member of our team for additional support and guidance, then please contact us on 0333 313 7165.