Defining ‘EAL’
A learner of English as an additional language (EAL) is a pupil whose first language is other than English.
‘First language is the language to which the child was initially exposed during early development and continues to use this language in the home and community. If a child acquires English subsequent to early development, then English is not their first language no matter how proficient in it they become.’
Source: School census preparation and guidance for 2007 (DfES 2007)
Learners will be at different stages of English language acquisition (from complete beginner to advanced bilingual), but even those at the same stage of English language acquisition will have different backgrounds and needs. For example, they will have had different experiences of schooling overseas. Some will be literate in other languages and might already have developed concepts in other subjects, such as science and mathematics, through another language. Others will have had little or no formal education and might not be literate in any language. Some will be gifted and talented; others will have learning difficulties and/ or disabilities.
For the schools census, a first language other than English should be recorded under ‘first language’ where a child was exposed to the language during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community. If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may include English) during early development the language other than English should be recorded, irrespective of the child's proficiency in English. In the case of an older pupil who is no longer exposed to the first language in the home, and who now uses only another language, the school should consult with the pupil or parent to determine which language should be recorded.
Examples
Which of the following children given the definitions above could be described as an EAL learner?
Child A was born in Chelmsford. His parents speak Bengali and Sylheti within the home. He attended a pre-school in the area and when admitted to a local primary school had basic conversational English and at home spoke Sylheti with his mother and English with his older siblings. He is now 6 years old.
Child B is 14. She came from the Philippines when she was 8 years old. Her family speak Tagalog within the home. She is now at an advanced stage ofEnglish butstill needs support in the use of written formal English and the interpretation of factual texts and question types.
Child C was born in Russia and from the age of one lived in a Russian orphanage. She was adopted by an English couple living in Benfleet when she was four years old. Now eleven years old, she no longer speaks Russian and only speaks English within the home.
Child D was born in Spain. Her mother speaks Spanish as her first language and her father is Iranian and speaks Farsi as his first language. Whilst in Spain she began to learn English at school. Within the home, she speaks Spanish with her mother and Farsi with her father. She came to England when she was 16 and was admitted to a Year 11 class. Her new school in England thinks that she fluent in English. She wants to study medicine.
See answers below.
In Essex, there are approximately 10,000 children and young people of school age with English as an additional language speaking 180 languages. Some of these children are new to English but many are at an intermediate and advanced stage of English. It takes between one to two years to develop basic conversational skills in English and a further five to eight years to develop academic proficiency in English (also known as CALP- cognitive academic language proficiency).