English as an Additional Language

Introduction

In England, 686,000 pupils are recorded as having a mother tongue other than English. More than 200 languages are spoken in the homes of children attending school.

The Aiming High consultation set out a number of areas for development of work to support bilingual learners: training and support for mainstream staff, training and support for EAL specialist staff, assessment and meeting the needs of more advanced bilingual learners (those who have had considerable exposure to an educational environment within which English is the first language and thus are no longer in the early stages of English language acquisition).

In April 2004 guidance on effective use of EMAG was published. This sets out advice on what constitutes good practice in raising the achievement of minority ethnic pupils and contains a specific section on 'Supporting Bilingual Pupils'.

There have been a number of recent national developments in English as an Additional Language (EAL) in England as a result of the Aiming High strategy.