Inclusion - EAL

‘Whole school inclusion means all staff supporting the learning, wellbeing and safety needs of all children, so that they belong, achieve and thrive’.
Who is Losing Learning? Finding Solutions to the School Engagement Crisis - IPPR and The Difference, March 2025, quoted in the White Paper.

Mrs Cook leads on provision for children with English as an Additional Language
At St Helen’s Catholic Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) are fully included, supported and enabled to belong, achieve and thrive.
With 61% of children recognised as having EAL we endeavour to ensure that every child’s language and culture is celebrated and built upon.
Being bilingual or multilingual offers a wide range of benefits. Speaking more than one language can strengthen communication skills, increase cultural awareness, and help people connect with a wider range of communities.
Our approach reflects the evidence-informed principles identified by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which emphasise the importance of high-quality classroom teaching, rich opportunities for spoken language, explicit vocabulary development and targeted support where appropriate.
We recognise that being an EAL learner is not, in itself, an indicator of lower ability. Staff use assessment to identify each child’s individual strengths, prior learning and specific language needs, rather than making assumptions based on their EAL status.
Children are supported through high-quality whole-class teaching, with teachers adapting explanations, modelling language, pre-teaching key vocabulary, using visual and contextual cues, and providing opportunities for structured talk and collaborative learning.
Developing oral language is a key priority. Children are given regular opportunities to listen, speak, rehearse ideas and develop the vocabulary and sentence structures needed to access the wider curriculum. This is particularly important because EEF evidence identifies oral-language approaches as having positive effects on attainment, while research specifically relating to EAL highlights the importance of developing both English language and literacy skills.
Where assessment identifies a need for additional support, this is carefully targeted and linked closely to classroom learning. Support may include small-group work, focused vocabulary and language activities, additional reading and writing practice, and increased opportunities for guided talk. This reflects the EEF's current emphasis on integrating adaptations and targeted support with strong universal classroom provision, while monitoring their impact carefully. Our inclusive practices such as the use of widgets and visual timetables are available for every learner.
We also value the languages, cultures and experiences that EAL pupils bring to our school community. Through positive relationships with children and families, we seek to ensure that pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and are confident to participate fully in school life. Our aim is not simply for children to acquire English, but to develop the language, literacy, confidence and knowledge they need to become successful, independent learners. We celebrate languages and cultures as a school on Cultural Days and International Evening.
Our approach is reviewed through ongoing assessment and monitoring so that provision can be adapted to the needs of individual pupils. This ensures that EAL learners receive the right balance of high-quality classroom teaching, language-rich experiences and additional support to enable them to thrive.