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Teaching English as an Additional Language: The challenges for classroom teachers

Over 200 languages are spoken in the homes of children attending British schools. Bearing this in mind, English language teaching (ELT) is vital to an inclusive curriculum; it is essential that teachers in schools with a high rate of bilingual pupils develop their ELT skills. Indeed, the implications of ELT stretch far beyond the classroom. It affects, and is affected by, attitudes to race and culture in society as a whole.

Where ELT fits in
As well as teaching English language as a separate subject, teachers should nurture, develop and encourage children's language potential in the classroom in ways that can be successfully incorporated across the national curriculum. This is not an easy balance to achieve.

Nevertheless, some of the most successful schools in Britain have a majority of pupils for whom English is a second or additional language, showing that it can be done. At best, the curriculum offers an ideal platform for language learning, as it offers learners the chance to speak and listen, using English with children their own age as well as with adults.

Understanding ELT
The ELT spectrum can seem confusing at first, as different names are given to the specific skills being taught. These include English as a foreign language (EFL), for people coming into Britain for a short period to learn the language; English as a second language (ESL), for people who have settled in Britain; and English as an additional language (EAL), for school pupils who have settled in the UK.

Generally speaking, EAL in schools covers both English as a second language and English as a foreign language — it is for both school pupils spending a short time in Britain, and for those who have settled here permanently.

As a stand-alone subject, EAL can be perceived as having low status in terms of national training strategies; it is not a subject specialism in teacher training, and the amount of coverage in PGCE and other teacher training courses is variable. However, guidance and resources are available for teachers seeking to know more — see the links at the end of this article.

A notable example is NALDIC (the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum) which provides information and resources, and campaigns for greater recognition of the role of English language teaching in the UK.

Pupils who need EAL teaching
A wide spectrum of school pupils make use of EAL teaching. Some may be new to English and even unfamiliar with the Roman alphabet; some may already speak, understand or be literate in more than one language. Others will have previously been taught English as a foreign language. Of course, many languages may be spoken within one classroom, and for newly arrived pupils from overseas, levels of education — as well as levels of language learning — may vary widely.

For all pupils, it is important to be able to access the curriculum as soon and as effectively as possible, in parallel with gaining language skills useful in both social and academic life.

It is important to make a clear distinction between EAL pupils and those with special educational needs (SEN). If a pupil learning English as an additional language is discovered to have SEN through assessment of their learning achievements, teachers and specialist language staff should work closely with an SEN coordinator to enable the pupil to reach their full language potential. On the other hand, EAL needs should not prevent gifted and talented pupils from being recognised as such.

Planning for EAL teaching
The planning involved in bringing pupils up to speed with curriculum subjects must take into account factors such as:

  • age
  • previous experience of schooling and curriculum content
  • knowledge of other languages
  • levels of literacy in their first or other languages.

Training and support is available for both mainstream staff and specialist EAL staff, and incorporates a range of key factors:

  • Recognising the child's mother tongue, and making it clear that speaking in their home language can be a positive part of the learning process
  • Giving newly arrived young children time to absorb English by allowing them a 'silent period', which will usually pass once their self-confidence increased
  • Boosting the child's self-esteem
  • Viewing the cultural differences brought by the pupil to the class as a bonus, and using this in the teaching process
  • Having high expectations; expecting pupils to contribute with more than one-word answers
  • Using teaching strategies that do not allow any racist comments or jokes
  • Allowing support from bilingual parents, volunteers or other professionals to develop children's understanding and vocabulary
  • Assessing the work of pupils learning EAL in relation to the national curriculum standards and expectations as early as possible in their school career

Strategies to bring out pupils' language potential can include:

  • using culturally relevant resources and learning materials
  • promoting thinking and taking in first languages to support understanding
  • grouping EAL learners who share the same home language
  • using ICT to enable children to develop and edit a text.

Teachers should analyse the language demands of lesson content, in order to understand how each lesson can promote language as well as content learning.

A number of specialist roles exist to promote ELT, among them Specialist Language Support Teachers, Bilingual Teaching Assistants, Higher Level Teaching Assistants and EAL Coordinators; details can be found on the NALDIC website.

Online guidance
A good amount of guidance and resources can be found online for EAL pupils and teachers.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) website's EAL section offers guidance for EAL teachers planning inclusive lessons for new pupils who do not read, write or speak English. This includes the recommended use of ICT in the classroom, as well as lists of useful publications and resources for bilingual teaching and learning.

The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) offers resources for EAL teaching on its website, many of which can be downloaded or bookmarked for internet use in Key Stages 3 and 4.

The National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) provides a range of up-to-date advice, linked to classroom resources and research, guidance and information on teaching pupils with EAL. For those interested in specialising in the area, it provides this list of accredited postgraduate EAL courses.

The DCSF's Standards website has a very good downloadable file, Supporting Pupils Learning English as an Additional Language, which is split into six modules including:

  • raising the attainment of minority ethnic pupils
  • whole class teaching
  • effective use of additional adults
  • guided and supported group work
  • new arrivals and isolated learners
  • use of the first language in the literacy hour.

Further links

This article was commissioned by TeacherNet's editorial team, independently of DCSF policy teams.


Last updated: 31 July 2007

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