This themed collection is designed for teaching assistants on the theme of supporting students with English as an Additional Language (EAL). A themed collection brings together a range of useful resources on a specific topic to support practitioners deepen their knowledge in this area and shape their own professional learning. These collections can also be used to inform collegues’ professional development as well as school policy and practice.
This collection is part of a series to support teaching assistants (TAs) with their professional learning. They are designed to develop knowledge around a range of topics relevant to TAs.
These topics include:
These collections incorporate a range of content types to support professional learning and reflective practice, including:
Whilst much of the content is from the perspective of researchers, school leaders and teachers, it is both useful and relevant to TAs. Moving forward, we would like to expand our knowledge base by including voices and expertise of TAs.
The term ‘EAL’ is used to describe a diverse group of students who speak English as an additional language. In England, students with EAL are defined as those who are ‘exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English’ (DfEDepartment for Education - a ministerial department responsible for children’s services and education in England, 2022). The term ‘EAL’ can therefore be applied to students who are new to English but also include those who are fluent. In England, the number of students with EAL is steadily increasing. In the 2021/2022 school census, almost a fifth of students attending state-funded schools spoke English as an additional language (DfE, 2022). This suggests that there is an increasing need for high-quality training and resources to address the needs of this diverse group of students.
Studies continue to highlight that proficiency in English is the best indicator of future academic success (Strand & Lindorff, 2021). However, addressing the needs of students from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, with different abilities and proficiencies in English poses a significant challenge. This challenge is argued to be compounded by a lack of funding and a deficit in specialist knowledge in mainstream settings (Hutchinson, 2018). With numbers of students steadily increasing and a lack of resources and funding, in recent years, teaching assistants are more frequently tasked with supporting children and adolescents with EAL (Clifford-Swann et al., 2021). Consequently, this unit seeks to support teaching assistants by developing their knowledge of the current context and provide the tools to identify and address the needs of this diverse group of students.
Moving forward, we hope to build on this knowledge base by drawing on the experience and expertise of TAs supporting students with EAL. We invite you to use the attached padlet to begin sharing your reflections, experiences and expertise to support other teaching assistants with their professional learning.
Clifford-Swann J, Heslop K and Ranson F (2021) ‘Investigating the impact of a specialist CPD training programme for Teaching Assistants, related to supporting children with English as an Additional Language’, Work Based Learning e-Journal International. 10.1 (2021): 1-34. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1305232.pdf (accessed 31 October 2022).
Department of Education (DfE) (2022) School Workforce in England. Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics (accessed 31 October 2022).
Hutchinson J (2018) Educational Outcomes of Children with English as an Additional Language. Education Policy Institute. Available at: https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/educational-outcomes-children-english-additional-language/ (accessed 31 October 2022).
Strand S and Lindorff A (2021) English as an Additional Language, Proficiency in English and rate of progression: Pupil, school and LA variation. The Bell Foundation & Oxford University. Available at: https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/app/uploads/2021/03/University-of-Oxford-Report-March-2021.pdf (accessed 31 October 2022).
Hear about a range of approaches used to support students with EAL. The first article – ‘What does EAL really mean and what should we do about it’ – provides a clear overview of the current context in England. It also outlines the complexities of meeting the diverse set of needs of these students and offers some useful suggestions for further reading. Similarly, whilst it is written for early career teachers, the article – ‘Supporting learners who use English as an additional language’ – may prove to be a good starting point for your learning journey. The other articles discuss a broad range of strategies to support students with EAL in the mainstream classroom whilst other articles explore approaches to support specific students e.g. refugees and asylum seekers.
We acknowledge the majority of case studies are written from the perspective of school leaders and teachers; however, they remain both useful and relevant to TAs. Moving forward, we would like to expand our knowledge base by including the voices and expertise of practising TAs.
We invite you to make notes on the approaches taken in these case studies to inform your own next steps and consider how you might apply some of these insights in your setting.
You could also consider the following questions:
Read the research evidence that informs best practice in EAL education. Research summaries are short articles that summarise findings from a single research article. Research reviews are longer articles that critically evaluate the evidence on a larger research theme.
Some of the articles below explore approaches that specifically support students with EAL. Other articles discuss broader pedagogical approaches that support the development of language and literacy, including dialogic teachingThe effective use of talk for teaching and learning, involving ongoing talk between teachers and students, explicit vocabulary teaching and shared reading.
We invite you to read the research and consider the following questions:
Having engaged with the resources above, reflect on these questions to develop your knowledge about students with EAL and how to support them in your school setting.
We invite you to further your learning journey by engaging with the reading list and video content below. The reading list provides a wealth of articles, reports, guidance and resources to further support your professional learning. The video content includes webinars and video interviews with leading experts in the field, providing further insight into best practice when supporting children and young people with EAL.
