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As someone else posted, the speed at which children pick up language is incredible with many  switching effortlessly from one to the other. Some studies have shown that bilingual children show developmental advantage versus monolingual children.
But, EAL children are likely to span a vast range of backgrounds. One end of the spectrum could be an asylum seeker from a war torn country (likely to be quite different culturally). The other end of the spectrum could be a child in a family where parents are perhaps from another European country but living and working in London in a successful, well paid jobs. The two are worlds apart and have very different needs. The second example may even have advantage over non-EAL classmates. Whereas the first example is likely to find things really challenging, not just because of language.

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I work in a school that would be classed as a deprived and ethnic area. we currently have various different languages being spoken in school. We try to accommodate to the children who are EAL but at times can be frustrating for both the adults and children, it can make communication very difficult. We have adapted to this and allowed all communications from the school to be downloadable in various languages.

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I work in a deprived area in Essex, and have lots of EAL students whose families live near one another and speak the same language. Some refuse to help their children speak English, as they are used to speaking their home language at home and with their friends/families. This can cause an issue when trying to help the children in school.
Raeanne A

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We have a variety of bilingual and some trilingual students in my Yr 5 class. It def impacts their ability in class in regards to standardised testing. Their written work is very interesting to read.

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I encountered one amazing young girl in early years who had English as her third language, and when she was tired or upset she would muddle up Spanish, Latvian and English within the same sentence. She was identified as having behavioral issues, as she would become extremely stressed and upset when she told she was incorrect when asked 'what colour' or 'what animal'- as she was correct, just not in English. Once she received support and her teacher adapted to responding with 'maybe!? How about in English?' These behavior incidents began to reduce over time. 

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I encountered one amazing young girl in early years who had English as her third language, and when she was tired or upset she would muddle up Spanish, Latvian and English within the same sentence. She was identified as having behavioral issues, as she would become extremely stressed and upset when she told she was incorrect when asked 'what colour' or 'what animal'- as she was correct, just not in English. Once she received support and her teacher adapted to responding with 'maybe!? How about in English?' These behavior incidents began to reduce over time. 

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EAL children have differing levels of English language ability. For EAL children who have limited vocabulary new topics can be daunting and difficult to engage with. These children can be given the confidence to engage and participate by the use of effective pre-teaching. Small group work with a bi-lingual or multi-lingual teacher/TA prior to engaging with a new topic equips these children with the vocabulary they need so that they start a topic at the same level of understanding as the other children in the class

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EAL children have differing levels of English language ability. For EAL children who have limited vocabulary new topics can be daunting and difficult to engage with. These children can be given the confidence to engage and participate by the use of effective pre-teaching. Small group work with a bi-lingual or multi-lingual teacher/TA prior to engaging with a new topic equips these children with the vocabulary they need so that they start a topic at the same level of understanding as the other children in the class

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I went to school with a girl whose family just arrived from Poland where none knew any English. She was taught English in our Spanish classes and the people who sat around her used to help out with her English work. By Y10 she was basically fluent and you could never tell she hadn't been raised on English since childhood however, she had to spend Parents Evening translating things into Polish for her parents and their comments back to English for her teacher.

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Within my placement school, around half of the pupils have EAL. Within just my class there is 9 children that are fluent in another language. One specific girl that comes to mind when relating to EAL, is a child that speaks only her first language at home. However, when she comes to school she speaks English all day and is able to switch when she goes home with no struggle. 

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Within my placement school, around half of the pupils have EAL. Within just my class there is 9 children that are fluent in another language. One specific girl that comes to mind when relating to EAL, is a child that speaks only her first language at home. However, when she comes to school she speaks English all day and is able to switch when she goes home with no struggle. 

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But also if they have Deaf parents, they may also themselves be deaf. 

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There are 5 EAL children in my base class. Two of them have parents who are Lithuanian but the children were born in Egypt. Then moved to Malaysia when they were 4 and finally they moved to the UK in September. Both children speak perfect English but struggle with comprehension.

Unlike most EAL student, these two children are comfortable in forming relationships but are quiet in class. I have worked one to one with the children in my induction placement in order to help comprehension of tasks. - Jade S

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My placement is currently set in a very British, white, middle class community within the countryside. Consequently, there is currently 0 pupils with EAL. The intake of children does not represent a diverse ethnic mix at all. However, previously the school did have one polish pupil, who initially struggled to speak English. As a result the pupil stood out from amongst the result of the children at the school. She also needed one to one intervention, which the school provided but it was very time consuming. Therefore, the main focus of having EAL students is to try and close the attainment gap between them and the expected standard for their age, this would also integrate them into the community around them more seamlessly.

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Having spent time with my EAL lead in my first professional placement, I have concluded that the work of EAL staff is massively understated and unrecognised! What a wonderful woman she is! She takes a huge load off of overworked, stressed out teachers by working closely with EAL families to support them in all aspects of their child/rens education. Their workload increases at a rapid rate, but unfortunately the support decreases quicker! Thank you to all EAL staff, the work you do is amazing!!

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EAL children have differing levels of English language ability. For EAL children who have limited vocabulary new topics can be daunting and difficult to engage with. These children can be given the confidence to engage and participate by the use of effective pre-teaching. Small group work with a bi-lingual or multi-lingual teacher/TA prior to engaging with a new topic equips these children with the vocabulary they need so that they start a topic at the same level of understanding as the other children in the class.

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A lot of children with EAL in the EYFS will be 'silent learners'. They are less likely to speak up compared to their peers, but are learning a lot nonetheless, taking in what they are hearing passively. There's often a major increase in their Speaking and Reading later on, as they move on from this silent stage.

Unfortunately they don't always get a chance to naturally progress through this. There's the potential for teachers to force these children to 'speak up', when they are learning perfectly fine in silence.

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I have noticed in my school that although it is important for a child to get support from the teacher, it is also as important for the child to interact with peers. This increases their exposure to the language, and removes a barrier from the English speaking children in the classroom and a child with EAL.

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Parents may have many reasons as to why they do not help their children with their English and learning English. As teachers, we need to provide the support and teaching EAL children need that they may not get at home.

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I have found it interesting when planning for a class where there are a few EAL children. Although it is often assumed that these children are held back by the language barrier, it is important to address each EAL child individually - they still have different abilities and should not be 'grouped together'.

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Teaching is a very complex profession in that you are met with children with a range of needs e.g. background, social, emotional and intellectual.  Teaching EAL students does come with its challenges e.g. a child who has very little English may display unfavourable characteristics to mask their lack of understanding. Whilst EAL students are quite resilient and learn fast, as teachers it is our responsibility to ensure we are meeting their needs socially, emotionally and intellectually.

EAL students need to be integrated appropriately to suit their level of ability. Unfortunately, assumptions are made that EAL students are not capable and therefore their needs are not been met. As teachers of EAL we need to display empathy and allow effective communication to take place.  Thus ensuring that EAL students receive additional support to help them make the transition to where they face a diverse range of social and cultural differences. Support for parents of EAL students should also be provided as this can hinder their children from progressing effectively.

Maeve

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As teachers or prospective teachers, the more we are able to learn about not just 'EAL' but about various cultures, backgrounds, cultural customs, how others live etc, the more effective support we can provide to EAL learners. Having a deeper understanding of these aspects will not only will allow teachers to develop better relationships with pupils but will also work dividends for these very pupils who look for someone to show some interest in their lives and celebrate them as the individuals they are! This in turn can help massively with their academic learning and their belief in themselves as capable learners.

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Some children can be exposed to different languages at home, even if they are fluent or at least, very confident, with English. This can be both positive and negative, as it can lead to them being efficient in more than one language or it can lead to confusion.
Tom

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I believe there has to be a shift in what teachers experience during their training. If you teach EAL students and you never travelled/lived in a different country, have not got anyone in your family who speaks more than one language or make efforts to learn another language, then you might not be suitable to work with EAL pupils. As someone else said around here, poor English language comes with many more other complications. If you have never been treated differently just because of your language skills , felt foreign in a given place, discriminated/welcomed, felt alone, ignored/dismissed, how can you understand EAL student? If you really want to make a difference, make sure your mind is open and that you expose yourself to some of the situations mentioned above.

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I have found in some schools they do not always correct phonics mistakes as the child is correct in their first language. I feel this is a complex issue as the school do not want to be seen to be rude of offensive towards the first language in any way, or prevent the child feeling comfortable speaking it, but it will ultimately affect the child's ability to read and write as their education progresses.

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Some children when they come to school aren't used to speaking English all the time and so when they come to school they are at a disadvantage as they already lacking what the other children have already mastered.

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Nowadays most teachers have children in their class with EAL, and so must find ways to involve the children in their teaching, so they can get the most out of the lessons. The teachers should choose activities that are challenging but appropriate for their abilities and interests. Areas in schools that have been successful in terms of EAL include: good grasp of English grammar, helping them in teach learners how to use English, and being willing to get support for EAL children. To help these children teachers should: adapt their lessons to meet their needs, involve them in wider school life, use drama and role play to make learning more memorable, and get them to work in groups or pairs.

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Children with deaf parents, they will have been raised predominantly using BSL or Makaton to communicate. When they start school, speaking to so many different people may be overwhelming for them.

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Children with deaf parents, they will have been raised predominantly using BSL or Makaton to communicate. When they start school, speaking to so many different people may be overwhelming for them.

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A child's needs may not be initially apparent, in spoken English, though in written English it may be more obvious.  A child with a French mum, English dad has excellent English, but his written English has many errors of spelling and grammar.  Being able to provide support at home, with homework etc for parents/carers who do speak English as their first language can be a challenge.
Lisa (Modular 2016)

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EAL children need not be non-British. One child I encountered was born in Britain but the language used by her family primarily was Bangla, her parents having been born in Bangladesh. A such even though her and her siblings were just as British as anybody else born in Britain, English was her second language. Despite this, the child was in the top set for Literacy because she regularly practiced speaking in English with her sister, switching to Bangla when communicating with her parents. On top of al of this,s he was also learning Hindi at her local mosque!

- Matt S., 2017

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A person educated in a different environment

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A person educated in a different environment

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If a child moves from to England from a different area where it is not spoke as a common language this can create problems in learning English in terms of not being able to communicate their emotions and troubles when first learning. Whilst important to help children in this situation I feel as a teacher we shouldn't be dismissing their mother-tongue and instead be promoting this within the class to educate others who may not speak the child's language and also increase their knowledge of the English language as a form and not just with colloquialisms they can hear from peers.

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There is a possibility that some children with EAL may also have a special need, such as Autism. When this takes place, children can struggle to take part in primary school acitivites and lessons, especially if the disability is also something teachers don't know or understand much about. This can make it very difficult to support children who come under this criteria, so practitioners need to be provided with appropriate training that covers both EAL and SEN so a crossover can be formed and the child can be supported.

Annabel, Group 3

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Incorporating children with EAL backgrounds

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Incorporating children with EAL backgrounds

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Children with English as an additional language may suffer additional struggles when moving to English-speaking countries. Schools which are low on time/resources may prioritise the majority of pupils (those already speaking English) while leaving children with language difficulties behind. In situations such as this, it is important to stress that each needs to be given both equal and ample support to help foster a positive learning environment. ---Julian, Group 6

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It is important for children with EAL to get the support they need from the teacher,  and other staff in the school. Without learning basic English and without the teacher learning basic language skills in that child's first language, the child cannot make progress and succeed to their full potential within school which is primarily the reason for going to school.  With a teacher who is willing and determined to help a child succeed, the child is in the best place to start their lives with EAL.

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Many children who move often find themselves lost in somewhat of a 'third culture' and it is my experience, through working in international education, that these children often struggle to find their own identity and often find speaking a language other than their mother tongue very daunting. I think it is extremely important to allow these children to discuss the various cultures and languages that they are accustomed to in order to ensure that these children feel completely included but not prevented from expressing themselves culturally.

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Children may have guardians who don't speak English and therefore have not had to learn it prior to schooling.

Similarly, guardians may not have encouraged speaking and learning language so children have been unable to develop their abilities early on.

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Children from gypsy and traveller families often struggle to pick up the curriculum as they move from school to school a great deal whilst also learning English at the same time. In addition to this, they may have missed large amounts of school due to moving around and their families traditions. Children from these families often also struggle socially as once they have made friends they will often be moved to another school.

Amy and Kristelle (Group 1), Katie (Group 3), Georgia and Nicole (Group 5) and Charlotte (Group 7)

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Some children who move to the UK may have parents who cannot speak English or are not able to learn it, due to this the child may find it very difficult to differentiate between both their mother-tongue and their own language and could cause confusion for them. This could hinder their understanding of a lesson and how much they can take in.
Robyn, Group 4

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Typically, children will be introduced and exposed to English and the spoken language within the classroom environment, a considerable amount more than whilst at home. For example: children may practice and use English whilst in school and then upon returning home they will use their native language. This limits the children and their development and often creates a barrier fro EAL children.
Hannah (group 6)

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Children who's parents speak only a language other than English, will not be using English during their home life. School will be one of the only times a child has to 'practice' their English leading to it becoming an additional Language and the child will often speak poor English because of this.
Grace - group7.

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Children from different backgrounds and those where English is an additional language may find it much more difficult with their ability to learn. This is because they can struggle to understand the concept of the UK education system or they may simply just not be used to spending their daily lives talking to in a language which they are not confident in.

Megan.

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EAL children, and families who may have moved from different countries may have experienced different social, cultural and educational expectations. Therefore teachers need to understand this and be sensitive when setting expectation for all children and use reasonable explanations for these expectations as EAL children may find it challenging to meet these and communicate any issues they may find.

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If a child has a parent that only speaks one language (excluding English) then that child will speak that language at home so they can communicate with their parents. This means that they will be fluent in this language and not in English, making English an additional language for this child.
Kirsty

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First generation migrants may want their children to be brought up with their own culture. This leads to the child growing up with their language spoken around the house, and becoming familiar with the traditions of that their parents grew up with. This is good as it provides a rich experience for the child but in some cases prove difficult for the child at school to communicate fluently in English.

Kieran

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Children from these communities, who travel around a lot often have EAL and the Research Report DFE-RR043, Improving the outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Pupils: Final Report shows that these children have a very high percentage of absence.  This really stops them from learning at the same rate as their peers and affects their social skills too.

Jo (Modular 2017)

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Many EAL pupils have moved to England from another country, which leaves them in a situation where they need to not only begin to learn and understand the language but also the culture of their new environment. This could lead children to struggle socially, as they don't have many common interests with other children (e.g. football teams, tv shows, home life) and academically as the child may not be familiar with the structure of UK education which can leave them unsettled.

Chloe (Group 4)

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Children who speak English as an additional language may not feel confident speaking English in front of their peers and the teachers. This can affect them both socially and academically.
Shenel

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More than 15% of pupils at UK schools are EAL learners, yet, many schools are not able to offer them the help they need. This may be due to a variety of issues, such as; tracking; staffing; teaching ability and assessment.

Niamh, Megan, Molly, Sian and Rhiannon.

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The all too common perception is EAL will result in lower results/ability. I have been shocked by the amount of children with EAL in my placement school. However what has shocked me more is that you would never know by speaking to them, and being EAL has not impeded their learning in any way.

Chris Grp6

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Children who have been educated in a  different country.

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Children who have been educated in a  different country.

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Some children might have received an education in a foreign country but were unable to complete it there. They may not have learnt English either. If they complete it in this country, Not only will they have to learn English, they will have to get used to a new and different educational system and new culture.

James

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One thing that I have learnt, whilst working in schools, is that some EAL children do not receive the support they need.

Some children from other countries can actually speak outstanding English, but this does not mean that they are no longer in need of support. EAL specialists should understand this and maintain support for all children throughout their time in school.

Natalie, Group 6.

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EAL Learners are very diverse, they can include: new arrivals from abroad, children who are in the UK for a limited time (parents could be in the military so they are constantly moving around, children born in the UK but speak their native language to family members and only use English at school.
EAL Learning and language level also depends on a number of different factors such as social and economic class, religious beliefs, ability and education.
It is important we give EAL Learners the support they need and that we take their background and needs into consideration.

Clare, Victoria, Molly, Melinda and Kacey.

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Some children in the class may find it difficult to understand the conditions and backgrounds of a child with EAL. It is therefore the role of the teacher to include all children and allow the child be included in all parts of discussions friendships groups as children need to learn to respect others in their class. The child   may have low self esteem and confidence especially going into the class with a different language to others.
Nina, Beth, Emily, Amber,

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Some children may have parents, grandparents or other family members which speak another language. They may need to communicate with them in that language. If the child is not speaking English at home or with the people that spend most time with them this can affect their progress in learning English as a additional language.
Courteney, Scarlett

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Some children could move to the UK with some understanding of English only to find that they struggle socially. This could be because the language changes on the playground all of the time and it can be difficult to keep up with for a child who speaks English as their first language, let alone a child that speaks English as an additional language.
Emma

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Children with parents who speak only one language at home, for example they may speak German, will have German as their first language as thats all that is spoken at home. This means the child will have English as an additional language.
Rebecca, Group 1

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Some children may move to England from a foreign country, because their parent has married into an English family. Not only are they having to learn a completely new language, but they will have to adapt to the social constructs of a new country and society, and more specifically, their new family.

Lydia

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Pupils could come from backgrounds who for a variety of reasons, such as parents jobs, have had to move around a lot. This could effect the support they receive from schools and the effectiveness of this support due to not being in a school long enough to get continual, consistent support. This could significantly impact the progress a child with EAL can make.
Caitlin, Alice, Melissa, Ella and SJ.

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There may be a language barrier as the children may know little English beforehand , therefore, may find it harder to grasp the language . Also socially they may find it hard to fit in with the culture if they are in a new environment.

Freya, Beth, Amber, Megan, Emily, Clare, Shauna, Eloise, Nina.

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Children may have been displaced from their home country and housed in the UK under witness protection for all kinds of different reasons. They may come into the country suddenly with no prior knowledge of English. They may also have social interaction problems and find it hard trusting people. Firstly because of what may have happened in their home country and because they might not understand what is going on due to the language barrier.
Grace, Ben, Deena, Abigail, Tara and Brinley

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EAL children coming from fundamentalist religious states will have preconceived ideas and values which may conflict within a new culture, creating a barrier to learning and assimilating to a new culture and language. An example of this could be the position of women in roles of authority as UK Primary education is female dominated, contradictory to some societies. This could lead to isolation, impacting development of language.

Alice and Fran - Group 1

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From experience children with EAL have been taken out of lessons when they start a new topic to be taught some words that would be useful for them to know for the topic that they don't already. This means they are better equipt to take part in the lessons ahead.

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Children who are adopted from other countries will often tend to have EAL, as their native language will be the one they have been brought up on. Placing adoptive children with new gaurdians is difficult enough, without factoring in an adoption from another country, as that child is changing countries, culture, language and who they are staying with. This means that people around them at school are not the only ones that are not literate in the language speak but also the people they are living with at home.

Liv, Lucas, Megan, Rose

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A child in my school speaks English as additional language. He is Polish and this is his first language, his parents do not speak any English so all correspondence from school including parent- teacher conferences, he has to translate for them. Which can be very challenging.

Sarah, Lorraine, Rebecca (grp 6)

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Children may have lived in a variety of countries, which would have influenced their culture, social abilities and possibly their perspective on different countries. They may speak a variety of different languages, which are incomplete, hindering their engagement and communication in lessons.

Tamsin, Becca, Beth, Emma and Christina.

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It is important efficient communication takes place between teachers and pupils'. There is a child in my class who has EAL and it is vital they feel supported in their educational development, as well as their social and emotional needs. Amy

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Many Children with EAL in the UK, have only recently moved over from another country. Having many Nepalese children in our schools, it is prevalent that we approach them in a suitable manner. They can be very overwhelmed in school and yet happy within their own community. Our schools have tried to become a part of the communities to ensure the children feel more comfortable, harder working, and can express themselves because of this. The more comfortable pupils feel, they are more likely to find learning Literacy/English in general, easier at school.

Cameron, Julie, Adam, Lydia, Tom, Kirstie

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Many children with EAL are not fluent in english due to the fact they might have recently moved to the UK. Often, children with EAL struggle to speak a different language because their parents speak their first language while they are at home. Therefore, when they come to school they are not familiarised with English so they find it harder to adapt.

Lauren, Kayleigh, Zoe, Sarah, Louise

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Some children may come from an area where their standard of education is low and so their literacy levels may not be at a good standard. Since they find literacy difficult in their first language, it may be even harder for them to communicate as an EAL child.

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The influence of the parents and their communication with the school

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The influence of the parents and their communication with the school

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Is there effective communication between teachers and parents to provide support at home? A child in my class who is EAL has difficulty completing homework as parents have limited English. The only input she has is at school.
Jade (Group 7)

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EAL Children may have been encouraged to speak in their parents native tongue, allowing the child to become fluent in a language that might not be use on a daily basis.
A child from my placement school has live in England his whole life however is encouraged to speak in Bulgarian at home due to his parents being fluent and proud.

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EAL Children who struggle to communicate may find it difficult to connect emotionally with peers and teachers which is having an adverse effect on their confidence in their education.

Beth, Jade, Katie and Jess.

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Children living in a household with more than two generations under the same roof. These children may have grown up in an environment where speaking an additional language is normal. They may have basic English however, speak their first language as older generations may not speak English. For example, an Italian family with grandparents that only speak Italian; the parents speak English but rarely at home and the children do not hear or use English unless at school.

Claire, Brooke, Sophie and Emily.

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Many children with EAL find it hard to communicate with other people so may express their thoughts and feelings through other ways. For example, at a nursery I worked at we had a child with EAL and when the child got cross and upset, as he couldn't express his feelings he would bite both the children and practitioners.

Mylee and Robyn

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Children of families who immigrated to other countries due to financial, conflict, work and dreams.
These children may struggle to adapt to drastic lifestyle changes and may also have additional emotional, physical and social needs.

Image from Google
Jo, Aishah and Lauren.

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Children whose family are in the military, may move around a great deal. Some with have English as an additional language

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Refugee children who are EAL learners may have additional social and emotional needs.

image attributed to Takver