SEN concerns about EAL pupils

Steps to take when concerned about the progress of a bilingual child

1. Record clearly the reasons for the concern and who has the concerns.

2. Collect background information on the pupil.  This should include information on the child’s family, educational and linguistic background and attainment levels, relevant medical information, attendance record and community links, e.g. attending classes in home language.  This may need to be collected with the help of an interpreter.  Hampshire Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) can help with this if required.

3. Collect evidence/information on the following:

   • The steps that have already been taken in meeting the needs of the pupil, including teaching strategies and strategies used to support pupils learning EAL.
   • The pupil’s strengths and areas in need of development.
   • The pupil’s current levels of achievement in English – QCA levels (see useful background reading section at end of article if unfamiliar with this) or National Curriculum levels for speaking & listening, reading and writing.
   • The pupil’s rate of progress over time in English and other curriculum areas.  Include QCA/National Curriculum levels together with the perceptions of teaching staff, pupil, parents and any other agencies.
   • Samples of work.

4. The pupil’s level of proficiency in their first language – is it age-appropriate or not?  This should include literacy skills in first language for those pupils who have received schooling in their country of origin before moving to the U.K.  Contact EMTAS if help is needed with this. Poorly developed speaking and listening skills in first language can be a sign of speech, language and communication difficulties or a developmental language delay.

5. Analyse the evidence/information collected. Birmingham Advisory & Support Service (BASS) have produced a very useful guide ‘Distinguishing the difference SEN or EAL?’ (see useful Resources for details) which includes graphs where you can plot the rate of progress of your pupil against expected rates of progress for pupils with EAL that entered the U.K. education system at points with varying amounts of previous educational experience in country of origin.  

6. Carefully consider whether the pupil’s lack of progress can be explained by other factors.  Consider whether:

   • the pupil’s academic English is adequate to meet the language demands of the curriculum
   • the pupil has a problem with vision, hearing, physical development or general health
   • the pupil has a record of poor attendance and/or extended absences from school
   • the pupil has been receiving appropriate EAL support or whether it may have been stopped too soon
   • the pupil is demonstrating features of emotional and/or behavioural difficulties that interfere with his/her learning
   • the pupil has difficulty accessing the curriculum due to the lack of or insufficient EAL support
   • conversational fluency in English may have misled teachers into setting tasks and activities that are too academic for the pupil’s level of language proficiency
   • there are environmental factors relating to the learning environment that may be hindering learning – such as bullying or racism either inside or outside of school, culture shock, trauma related to experiences such as war, family separation, bereavement, problems in the home or difficult family circumstances

7. It is important to keep in mind that slower than expected rates of progress in bilingual pupils are not always as a result of problems within the child.  Sometimes the school is not providing the necessary supportive inclusive environment, or sometimes the appropriate teaching or support strategies for EAL are not being used by staff.  Schools need to critically examine themselves to ensure that the pupil’s progress is not inadvertently being adversely affected by inappropriate practices.  An example of this would be inappropriately placing newly arrived pupils in bottom sets.

8. Make a decision about the pupil’s needs and what provision is appropriate.  Either:

   • Pupil assessed as having EAL needs only.

   • No firm decision – investigate further, set new targets, monitor carefully, review and evaluate action taken.  Consider asking for advice from EMTAS.

   • Pupil identified as having SEN – requires intervention initially through School Action.  Continued EAL support may also be necessary.

Help is available from EMTAS

Making a decision regarding whether a bilingual pupil has SEN or not can be challenging.  If a SENCo is uncertain or would like a second opinion, EMTAS offer a (free) visit by Lisa Kalim, our Specialist Teacher with responsibility for SEN.  She will examine the evidence with you and help you to come to a decision as well as advising on any future steps.  If necessary EMTAS can also offer a Bilingual Assistant to conduct a first language assessment or interpret at a meeting with parents.  

If you would like help in relation to a bilingual pupil that you are concerned about, please fill in the EMTAS SEN referral form  58kb, print out and return to:

Hampshire EMTAS
c/o Aldworth Science College
Western Way
Basingstoke
RG22 6HA
Telephone: 01256 330195
Fax: 01256 353459

(Alternatively, save a copy, fill in and e-mail to gill.atkinson@hants.gov.uk ).