EAL Support Strategy Picker
Strategies matched to a pupil's stage of English proficiency, including the distinction that most support gets wrong.
Conversational fluency in a new language commonly develops within about two years while academic language proficiency typically takes five to seven, which is why EAL support is most often withdrawn at exactly the point a pupil sounds fluent and still needs it.
EAL Support Strategy Picker
Frequently asked
Why does a fluent-sounding pupil still need support?
Because everyday conversational fluency and the academic language of a subject develop on very different timescales — roughly two years against five to seven. Sounding fluent is not evidence that the language of a science exam is accessible.
Should EAL pupils be withdrawn from lessons?
Generally not from subject lessons, which is where language is acquired in context. Targeted short-term withdrawal for specific language teaching can help; broad withdrawal removes the input they need.
Is EAL a special educational need?
No. Needing to learn the language of instruction is not a learning difficulty, and treating it as one is a well-documented error. A pupil can have both, which is why the two should be assessed separately.
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