One size does not fit all....
My EAL pupils speak English well and with a good local accent, but as soon as they start writing it’s obvious English is not their first language. What do I do?
- We often don’t notice simple mistakes when someone is speaking in an English accent, so we need to look carefully at written work.
- We need to teach phrasal verbs (e.g., get off and get on) and collocations (short, fixed phrases such as “strong tea”) because they often cause difficulties for EAL learners who seem to be progressing well.
- Explicitly teach the difference between everyday usage and the subject specific meanings of words. For example: pupil = a school student / the aperture that lets in light at the front of the eye.
Achieving consistency of EAL practice across classrooms
According to the DfE, 21% of EAL learners in English state schools are recorded as C - Developing competence
DfE (2020) English proficiency of pupils with English as an additional language
How can we help?
Whether you are just getting started with your EAL strategy or have an established approach which just needs some tweaks, we can help.
From our popular EAL Handbook and online courses, to our bespoke training and consultancy, we have the experience and tools to help.
"The EAL Academy works equally effectively in classrooms and at a strategic level. The outcome is more confident schools and much improved results."
Online courses
EAL Handbook
Our EAL Handbook contains plenty of helpful information and tools to support more advanced EAL learners.
Teaching more advanced learners of English
– Developing the skills of more experienced learners of EAL
– Building and securing vocabulary
– Suggestions for listening activities
– Suggestions for speaking activities
– Suggestions for reading activities
– Suggestions for writing activities
Free resources
Visit our free downloads library to access these resources
How do you start a sentence about the causes of the second world war?
Writing about data language
Collocations 2
Looking for a university accredited EAL course ?
A six month, part time course accredited by the University of Greenwich. Available units include Assessment & tracking’, ‘Advanced EAL learners’, ‘EAL in an international school context’ & ‘Plurilingualism’.
Consultancy
Consultancy
Our consultancy work is grounded in a deep understanding of what makes a school tick in a multicultural setting, rigorous analysis of data, and a thoughtful appreciation of the context…
Training
Training
Our training takes many different forms, all firmly rooted in whole school development, empowering teachers and leaders to effect change throughout the school…
Resources
Resources
As a support to our consultancy and training work, we have a developed a number of resources for teaching staff and schools, available for purchase or to download for free…