Learning English as an additional language (EAL)

The 5 stages that second language learners pass through.

The following information is relevant to all schools, whether primary or secondary, unless specified.

Pupils learning English as an additional language (EAL) have two jobs to do - learning curriculum content and learning a new language. 

Which pupils are EAL learners?

The DfE definition of an EAL learner says the term:

"includes anyone who has been exposed to a language other than English during early childhood and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community. It does not necessarily imply full fluency in both or all languages."

International new arrivals (INA) and learners who are new to English come under the ‘umbrella’ term of English as an additional language.

Be aware that an EAL learner might be:

  • new to English when they enter the school system, even if they were born in the UK
  • a fluent speaker of English along with other languages
  • newly arrived in the UK but have learnt English as a foreign language
  • either literate, or lacking literacy skills, in their first language (L1)
  • either experienced or lacking in formal schooling 

"New to English" refers to students in the early stages of English acquisition, needing targeted strategies for understanding and communication. Both definitions highlight the need for inclusive teaching to foster progress and integration.

Enabling EAL learners to thrive

Staff must consider how to:

  • make the curriculum accessible and comprehensible
  • aid improvement of English skills while making sure that lessons are challenging enough
  • help the student settle quickly by making them feel:
    • welcomed
    • safe
    • supported
    • able to make friends

Staff should not mix up basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) -  everyday communication skills - with cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) - academic language skills.

When working with refugee children and young people, staff must also consider how to address possible trauma and emotional challenges.

BICS and CALP explained

  • BICS are the service language skills which are typically acquired quickly by many students, particularly by those from language backgrounds like English, who spend a lot of their school time interacting with native speakers. 

    BICS involves:

    • communicating needs
    • naming things or actions
    • asking and answering simple questions
    • describing something
    • giving simple explanations

  • CALP takes 5 to 7years or possibly longer to develop. This is academic language needed to be able to:

    • use extensive subject specific vocabulary
    • follow and present arguments
    • make predictions
    • draw inferences
    • offer explanations
    • reach conclusions
    • justify opinions
    • hypothesise

    It is therefore more relevant to secondary settings.

The 5 stages of language acquisition

Linguists generally agree that there are 5 stages that learners pass through when acquiring a second language.

Facts

It's not unusual for EAL learners to go through a 'silent period' while they develop their understanding of English.

It can take a pupil up to 2 years to gain conversational fluency. We can also call this Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS).

It may take a learner between 5 and 7 years to reach Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), or academic language skills, of a similar level to their peers.

  • In this phase the learner:

    • focuses on listening intently and learning new vocabulary
    • may practice saying or echoing new terms
    • may use non-verbal means of communication

    Teachers can help by:

    • providing access to good language models, for example talk trios in lessons
    • pre-teaching new vocabulary and sentence structures
    • creating key subject vocabulary lists to support access to lessons and for learners to translate
    • providing visual and concrete models to support understanding of new vocabulary and language
    • modelling and repeat new vocabulary and sentence structures throughout lessons
    • sending home vocabulary mats and topic information for parents to discuss in home language

  • In this phase the learner:

    • is beginning to ‘collect’ new words
    • may start to verbalise frequently heard terms and to form short phrases to convey meaning
    • may begin to comprehend simple texts

    Teachers can help by:

    • continuing to:
      • pre-teach key vocabulary and sentence structures
      • provide visual and concrete cues
      • send word mats home to be discussed in home language
      • model and repeat throughout lessons
    • sensitively modelling back correct pronunciation and sentence structures
    • sharing daily simple written texts with illustrations to help their understanding

  • In this phase the learner is:

    • adding to the large vocabulary they have already acquired
    • beginning to communicate by combining learned words into short phrases and sentences
    • improving their comprehension

    They may begin to read and write in English.

    Teachers can help by:

    • providing meaningful, functional, scaffolded opportunities for children to express themselves orally or in writing
    • being clear about new language functions and structures that they want the pupil to learn
    • providing opportunities to practise and consolidate new language functions and structures, for example:
      • collaborative talking activities and games
      • talking before writing
      • co-production

  • In this phase the learner is:

    • beginning to communicate in complex sentences that use conjunctions
    • able to engage in conversations

    They may also begin to think in English.

    Teachers can help by:

    • continuing to provide collaborative talking activities, talk before writing and co-writing opportunities in lessons
    • targeting narratives (fictional and personal) to enable learners to express their thoughts and feelings in a connected manner
    • developing study skills to enhance confidence and independence
    • encourage learners to use their first language to engage with the curriculum, for example, taking notes, annotating, research

  • In this phase the learner is:

    • continuing to develop proficiency in English
    • achieving greater accuracy with increasingly complex language and social pragmatics

    Teachers can help by:

    • providing language scaffolding for curricular content-area learning
    • being mindful of gaps in vocabulary and poor understanding of concepts