EAL
EAL is defined as:
‘A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.’ (DfE Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics July 2020)
EAL children may be:
• Newly arrived from a foreign country and school
• Newly arrived from a foreign country, but an English-speaking school
• Born abroad, but moved to the UK at some point before starting school
• Born in the UK, but in a family where the main language is not English
• Seeking Asylum or have refugee status
EAL children will need varying levels of support and provision so that they can access all aspects of the curriculum.
At Earlsdon Primary we currently have over 100 EAL children in school, who speak over 40 different languages. The top 3 languages spoken are Arabic, Bengali and Tamil (accurate as of December 2024).
At Earlsdon Primary we see multilingualism as an asset and like to celebrate the languages spoken by our children and value their cultures and heritage.
We aim to deliver a broad, balanced curriculum so that the needs of children for whom English is an additional language are met and that pupils reach their full potential. Through careful monitoring and assessment, we support EAL children who are at risk of under-achieving through specific language interventions.