Experts are calling for the re-introduction of statutory language tests and greater support for the growing number of school pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL).
Oxford University researchers say the number of EAL pupils has tripled since 1997, and now stands at over 1.7 million - one in five of the total population in state schools in England.
Their analysis shows that multilingual classrooms are now the norm. While only a quarter of English schools were comprised of at least 5 per cent of EAL pupils in1997, this increased to more than half of schools by 2023.
Lead researcher Steve Strand, professor of education at Oxford University, said this is “a concern for schools and teachers, who tell us they don’t feel prepared to teach multilingual classrooms”.
Professor Strand said his team’s findings point to the for those classified as EAL.
“At the moment, we are not measuring the main thing that determines the needs young people have, so we failing to support some young people and we are not supporting them long enough in their journey through school,” he said.
Test to enable targeted funding
Professor Strand said a proficiency test would also allow EAL funding to target those who need help the most.
At present, pupils are given support through the national funding formula for three years after they start school if they have EAL status “whatever their actual levels of proficiency in English,” he said.
Given the variety of the EAL cohort - from a “privileged expat multilingual children to a recently arrived refugee”, Professor Strand said that ability in English can vary widely.
“Yet we’re only measuring whether they have EAL - but not their level of proficiency in English, which is the most powerful predictor of their achievement and key to delivering effective, tailored classroom support for them.
“Some young people don’t need the support, whereas others need the support for much longer than three years, for six years or maybe more,” he said.
Data on proficiency in English was briefly collected in England between 2016 and 2018 and is still collected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Overall, the report found a much wider variation in the academic achievement of EAL pupils (some 21.7 per cent) compared with the narrower 3 or 4 per cent gap that can be statistically explained by a combination of ethnicity, gender and free school meal status.
More need for support ‘not just in urban centres’
The research also found the highest percentages of EAL pupils are found in urban areas, notably in London and the West Midlands.
Although the number of EAL children across the country has increased by 4 to 5 per cent between 2013 and 2023, the volumes in London have roughly remained the same.
However, the number of EAL children in inner London has fallen by 10 per cent in the past decade, moving further out of the city - a trend observed in urban areas nationwide.
“This suggests the need for language support to be more widely distributed to meet these changes in demand, not just in urban centres,” Professor Strand said.
Professor Strand said developing proficiency in English can take up to six years, however once a sufficient level of proficiency has been reached, the impact on a pupil’s attainment is profound.
With the right language support, his research showed EAL pupils start catching up with other classmates by age 11.
The research was carried out for the Bell Foundation, a charity that promotes inclusion by language education.
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.
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