Understanding EAL
EAL acknowledges that pupils may have knowledge of more than one other home or community language.
EAL is mainly about teaching and learning English language through the content of the whole curriculum.
EAL pupils are:
Born outside the UK in non English speaking communities.
Born in the UK but not exposed to the English language at home.
How long does it take to learn language?
- 1-2 years for BICS ( basic interpersonal communication skills) – context embedded
- 5-7 years for CALPS (cognitive academic language proficiency) – context reduced
