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Spelling support for EAL learners

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Many of us have learnt to spell as a child without being specifically taught the sounds. In the past, the teaching of phonics was discouraged in schools, however, we learnt a lot through sounding out words independently. At a recent course on voice production, the importance of vowel sounds was emphasised as central to pronunciation. They were also emphasised as central to sounding out to help with spelling. Chunking (breaking up words into syllables) also helps to sound out and spell longer more challenging words.


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Created: Tue 23rd May 2017

Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2012) discuss the idea of playing Bingo or Dominoes as games for connecting various curriculum areas. Brewster (2012) explains that playing games like these can be a support for learning target vocabulary, for example, playing a Dominoes game before or after reading where learners can either match the words or the pictures together as they listen is an excellent way to learn the target language. You may be studying the human skeleton vocabulary in the game and making connections to the class book e.g.

an exercise book, a pencil and some colourful letters
Created: Tue 4th Jul 2023

Our EAL learners are by no means a homogeneous group of learners and their needs in our classroom will vary to a considerable extent. As teachers may find it challenging at times to successfully cater to different EAL needs in class, developing a deeper understanding of those needs can help us address them more effectively through a number of tips and strategies. 

Created: Wed 21st Jun 2017

Learners are often faced with the challenge of carrying out research for their class project work, and often schools invest heavily into non-fiction readers which can be used for such projects. Non-fiction books are a vehicle for learning all sorts of information about life and the way the world works. These books are also invaluable for helping EAL learners to develop a range of literacy skills, which in contrast to fiction books, require a different type of literacy skill because they use a narrative tone (Lines, 2009).

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The role of an EAL teacher

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

In previous articles we discussed the need for learners to obtain Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS). These skills need to be the initial focus of learning alongside curriculum content in the early days. Class teachers are required to make significant adjustments to their programme of learning which is not an easy task, especially for those teachers who are new to teaching foreign languages.


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film roll
Created: Fri 12th Jul 2019

When considering the Chinese language, the Chinese proverb ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ is apposite. Chinese is a complex language of symbols, strokes and pictures, where each picture can mean several words.

Images are a universal language and their power in the classroom shouldn't be underestimated. In this article we look at:

a group of pupils learning collaboratively
Created: Mon 25th Mar 2019

This ‘Introduce Me’ activity is a fun and rewarding way to introduce a new topic, while developing language skills.

It’s ideally suited to learners of English, allowing them to hear knowledge presented in different ways, by more than one source, in a non-threatening environment. There’s plenty of opportunity for repetition and rephrasing. This is an adaptable activity to suit any topic where you need to introduce content. This particular example is based on trading goods (see References), but a blank template is provided for you to create your own resource.

Created: Wed 24th Dec 2014

Last week I saw a film called 'Shadow in Baghdad', it was a film that pulled my heart strings. I was brought up in Manchester, both my parents spoke Arabic at home, both were from Baghdad. What struck me the most after I watched the film was how much I missed hearing that particular dialect of Arabic, the familiarity and warmth of the Middle Eastern people, the sense of security that came with it as well as a sense of longing and regret for a disappearing culture.

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Supporting Intermediate EAL learners

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

The transition from EAL beginner to intermediate learner can take from one term to a year depending on the learner. 


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Dialogic teaching
Created: Sun 8th Nov 2020

Think about the last lesson you taught to English language learners. I’m sure you did some form of planning beforehand. I imagine you probably asked several questions throughout the lesson as well. After all, the foundation of effective teaching is interaction with learners. However, did you think about the questions you were going to ask when you were planning? Did you write down any key questions?

SEND learner using speech sounds
Created: Wed 13th Nov 2024

In English, there are 44 speech sounds. Creating speech sounds is a more complex process than you might think! It requires the coordination of different muscles and structures. The lips, tongue, teeth and other parts of our mouth all play an important role. Where learners have difficulties creating certain sounds, their fluency, ability to be understood and confidence in speaking aloud can all be affected.

Forest road
Created: Tue 6th Mar 2018

The term 21st Century skills is becoming significantly part of the classroom learning environment, but what exactly does that mean? There are a few definitions, however, in essence, these are the skills that our learners need to prepare them for their future (Puchta & Williams, 2014), taking them from their studies, to their futures as adults.

The Four C's

Many researchers today acknowledge the 4C’s. They are known as:

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EAL assessment continuum

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Including a useful EAL Progress Review and links to different EAL assessment continua

When teaching EAL, assessment procedures need to be in place in order to have a concrete analysis of student starting points.

This area is a minefield! Without other references or expertise to hand, a new teacher often turns to an expert for help… Google! Results popping up on the first page of a search shows the Oxford placement tests on the first page, but are they the answer?


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Created: Wed 31st Jul 2024

Did you know Learning Village supports a wide range of curriculum topics? This allows you to support your SEND learners within the main class environment by offering scaffolded resources. 

Tip or Idea: Pre-teaching curriculum-specific vocabulary before a whole class session can help your SEND learners feel more confident and enable them to access class learning more easily. 

Created: Fri 7th Feb 2014

Cross Cultural Understanding for New to English Students – The First Steps (Part 2)

Child learning remotely
Created: Fri 19th Mar 2021

It's now almost exactly a year since the UK education system went into lockdown. The ruling that schools must close to almost all pupils was a shock to teachers, pupils, parents and everyone involved in the education system - and the repercussions of the immediate crisis continue to ripple through our lives.

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Differentiating learning

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Whilst reading a book on reclaiming childhood ('Their name is today' by Johann Christoph Arnold) the chapter on 'learning differences and how to cater for them' triggered thoughts on teaching differences. At the end of the October article it was mentioned that EAL teaching should be evaluated in a different way due to the very nature of the subject and I shall try to clarify why.


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Language learning game for induction-to-English
Created: Thu 28th Feb 2019

In cases where you have an absolute beginner to English, an induction-to-English is supportive. Yes, we need to be differentiating for the curriculum content in class too, but let's help our learners with some of the basics in a regular small group or one-to-one supportive English learning session...

A parent and child learning together
Created: Wed 5th Nov 2025

When striving to engage parents of EAL learners in an Early Years setting, we must be mindful to provide extra sensitivity and inclusivity. As well as potentially struggling with the language barrier, this may also be their own and their child’s first experience of a UK-style school, which may be very different to what they grew up with in their home country.

Created: Sat 21st Dec 2013

As a Head of Early Years in an international school following the EYFS and IPC curriculums it has always been important to ensure that the teaching of the English language is done in the classroom without the help of specialist EAL support. Early years teachers are great physical, visual talkers!

One of the key principles of teaching in the Early Years is that bilingualism has an advantage and that as the first language it has a continuing and significant role in identity, learning and the acquisition of additional languages.

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Bridging cultures and celebrating differences

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Last week I saw a film called 'Shadow in Baghdad', it was a film that pulled my heart strings. I was brought up in Manchester, both my parents spoke Arabic at home, both were from Baghdad. What struck me the most after I watched the film was how much I missed hearing that particular dialect of Arabic, the familiarity and warmth of the Middle Eastern people, the sense of security that came with it as well as a sense of longing and regret for a disappearing culture.


More articles from our blog

EAL parents’ workshop
Created: Thu 7th Aug 2025

Parents are important stakeholders in their children’s education; they are often agents of educational change as they join a school community with social needs that tend to mirror general social trends, which should not be overlooked by school staff (Enever & Moon, 2009).

Created: Thu 6th Aug 2015

On the last day of term I asked a student, who was leaving her school in London to return back to Italy, the best and worst things about moving. She said the worst thing was leaving friends and teachers and the best was going back to her old school to be with her old friends.

Created: Sat 14th Dec 2013

If you have EAL new arrivals in your school with limited English, you need a scheme of work in English that supports learners with language learning alongside the curriculum content you are delivering. This is to ensure young learners are understanding the basics of language needed for success.

Learning can be split into two parts:

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Valuing bilingualism

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

The language show this year in Olympia made me even more aware of the gift of having more than one language. One of the stand's motto was 'monolingualism can be cured', another 'Speak to the Future' (www.speaktothefuture.org) campaigns to promote the teaching of languages in schools in the UK. Since this September all children in primary schools will be taught a language as the government finally realised that, in a mobile world, a second language is essential for a country's economic development.


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Created: Fri 7th Jul 2017

Although Inclusion is a central theme of UK policy, there are limited directives on EAL provision in mainstream classes (Costley 2014) This can have implications for international environments too, which model their practice on the UK or have UK trained teachers. Policy has significant implications for teachers who may be underprepared to support EAL pupils.

Created: Mon 13th Jan 2014

It is Friday morning; the Head teacher comes to tell you that on Monday morning you will have a new student arriving who does not speak much English.  How can you give a successful welcome for that student given the time frame?

Forest road
Created: Tue 6th Mar 2018

The term 21st Century skills is becoming significantly part of the classroom learning environment, but what exactly does that mean? There are a few definitions, however, in essence, these are the skills that our learners need to prepare them for their future (Puchta & Williams, 2014), taking them from their studies, to their futures as adults.

The Four C's

Many researchers today acknowledge the 4C’s. They are known as:

Back to Blog

Welcoming new EAL arrivals

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

Cross Cultural Understanding for New to English Students – The First Steps (Part 2)


More articles from our blog

Created: Thu 29th Jan 2026

The new Ofsted inspection toolkit makes explicit something that's been implied for years: effective EAL provision is whole-school EAL provision. It's about what every teacher is doing in every lesson, as well as what specialist support the EAL team can offer alongside.  

Created: Mon 29th Jun 2015

Many of us have learnt to spell as a child without being specifically taught the sounds. In the past, the teaching of phonics was discouraged in schools, however, we learnt a lot through sounding out words independently. At a recent course on voice production, the importance of vowel sounds was emphasised as central to pronunciation. They were also emphasised as central to sounding out to help with spelling. Chunking (breaking up words into syllables) also helps to sound out and spell longer more challenging words.

SEND learners writing
Created: Fri 13th Dec 2024

For some learners, including those with SEND, the thought of a writing lesson can be daunting and unappealing. However, by finding creative ways to engage and 'hook' your learners, they will be more likely to feel motivated and engaged.

Tip or Idea: Start your lessons in an unusual or exciting way! Set up a scene or have props that give clues to a character or event, play an engaging video or audio clip or perhaps transform your classroom into a courtroom for a debate...

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Do you have a large number of EAL learners aged 3-4?

Approximate reading time: < 1 minute

As a Head of Early Years in an international school following the EYFS and IPC curriculums it has always been important to ensure that the teaching of the English language is done in the classroom without the help of specialist EAL support. Early years teachers are great physical, visual talkers!

One of the key principles of teaching in the Early Years is that bilingualism has an advantage and that as the first language it has a continuing and significant role in identity, learning and the acquisition of additional languages.


More articles from our blog

Created: Thu 29th Jan 2026

The new Ofsted inspection toolkit makes explicit something that's been implied for years: effective EAL provision is whole-school EAL provision. It's about what every teacher is doing in every lesson, as well as what specialist support the EAL team can offer alongside.  

Illustration of someone thinking reflectively
Created: Wed 25th Mar 2026

For multilingual learners, the process of learning English alongside learning about curriculum concepts in different subjects is often a complex and demanding one. Many EAL learners may compare themselves with fluent peers, which may cause anxiety or negative feelings towards learning and thus inhibit or delay the language acquisition process (Suleimenova, 2013). Read more on this in our article EAL barriers to learning and wellbeing.

Behaviour assessment using smiley flashcards
Created: Wed 15th Jun 2022

Getting behaviour 'right' is crucially important for all schools. Ensuring that we have a 'fit for purpose' behaviour policy that caters for all pupils throughout their schooling - including EAL pupils - is vital for the feel and culture of our schools, as well as for allowing pupils to feel safe and be in the right environment to learn to their full potential.

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