What is English as an Additional Language (EAL)?

EAL

Author: Tom (Subject Specialist)
Date: 30/01/23

🕔 2 mins reading time

What is EAL?

EAL stands for ‘English as an Additional Language’.
Children are said to have EAL if: at least one language they speak at home is not English.
It is assumed that these children attend a school where lessons are taught in English.
(Children learning English in a school where lessons are not taught in English are said to be learning EFL — English as a Foreign Language.)

According to school census data from 2022, 1.6 million (out of 8.4 million) children in English state-funded schools had EAL. That’s almost 20% of them.

What are the stages of EAL?

EAL covers a wide range of needs — from children who can’t speak a word of English to children whose English is pretty much perfect.

The Department for Education uses the following five-point proficiency scale to record the English ability of children with EAL:

A: ‘New to English’
These children have minimal English skills. They may be quiet or use other language(s).
— They’ll need lots of EAL support.

B: ‘Early Acquisition’
These children are starting to use English but may lack confidence.
— They’ll still need plenty of EAL support to access the curriculum.

C: ‘Developing Competence’
These children are beginning to use English more independently.
— They’ll need ongoing EAL support, but this might be less frequent.

D: ‘Competent’
Children whose English use is becoming more developed.
— They may need occasional EAL support.

E: ‘Fluent’
Children whose English ability is comparable to pupils with English as their first language.
— They don’t require any EAL support.

Children in Bands A to C benefit from an accelerated language-learning programme to help them develop their English skills quickly. Without this, they may struggle to access the curriculum and fall behind their classmates.

EAL Online Resources

Now you’ve had a crash-course in EAL, we’ve rustled up some of our favourite resources to help you in the classroom:

Clothes — Vocabulary (EAL)

This PowerPoint is a fun way to introduce key clothes vocabulary — there’s a variety of exercises, including audio, and it’s perfect for individual or group use.

My Feelings — Word Mat (EAL)

This Word Mat is a one-stop-shop for feelings and will help children express their emotions more easily. Each word has a matching picture to help with comprehension.

Activities & Hobbies — Sentence Maker (EAL)

This Worksheet lets pupils build different sentences and practise naming activities as well as family members (who they do the activities with).

School Equipment — Sentence Builder Game (EAL)

We’ve arguably saved the best for last — this Interactive Game tests pupils on ‘school equipment’ vocabulary and will boost confidence with sentence building in no time.