In November 2022, The Bell Foundation launched its third and final module for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers. Module Three focuses on assessment of learners using English as an Additional Language (EAL). To accompany the launch of the module, the Foundation ran a webinar to explore the materials in more detail.
This blog is a summary of the webinar, presented by Emily Curran, and Sheila Hopkins, trainers at the Foundation.
The webinar began by exploring why it is important to consider EAL in ITT. As Professor Leung states: “Ethnolinguistic diversity and EAL can now be fairly regarded as ordinary and permanent features of schooling education.”
Sheila Hopkins explained how this is good news for schools. As many teachers have testified, multilingual learners are an asset to their school. They help to create thriving, diverse school communities, and extend aspirations in the broader school body.
To illustrate the diverse landscape in schools, findings from the 2022 DfE School Census were shared, which show that 19.5% of all learners in the UK were recorded as using English as an Additional Language[1] (EAL), almost 1 in 5 of all pupils. Sheila then pointed towards the TALIS survey, which indicates that nearly half of all teachers will be teaching pupils from diverse backgrounds[2].
