English as an additional language (EAL) for Early Years

Here you will find common questions and queries raised by practitioners supporting children with English as an Additional Language and their families. It is important to remember that all families are unique and as such require an individual response. The suggestions are by no means definitive but we hope they encourage further reflection.

The pages will be updated on a regular basis. If you have any questions or suggestions that could be included, please contact your Early Years Advisor.

Do children with English as an Additional Language have Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

EAL is not a Special Educational Need (SEN), however, if concerns about language development arise it is important to liaise closely with the child's parents to obtain a full and accurate picture of the child's development, including language skills at home. (in some cases first language assessment may be necessary) Thorough assessment of starting points and monitoring of progress will support identification of any further needs, parental input is essential. If you have concerns regarding a child's development please contact your Early Years Advisor.

A child within our setting will not talk to an adult although we have observed them chatting to their peers. What should we do?

For many children, social language develops through regularly encountered play situations involving their peers. Children learning English may begin to understand talk directed at them, but may not be ready to produce a reply or use reciprocal speech. Continue to model speech without putting pressure on them to respond. Over time they will begin to make sense of speech and have the confidence to respond.

See the Developing communication section of this website for further information.

We need an interpreter to help us meet with a child's parents. How do we find out about availability of interpreters?

Access to a telephone interpreting service is now available to providers through Language Line, which is a 24 hour service.

Please contact the early years advice line for information on how to access this.

We need to inform parents of an urgent matter. How best should we do this to ensure they understand and are able to respond accordingly?

Access to interpreting is very useful in situations where support is needed immediately, for example in an emergency situation or where the conversation is likely to be brief you can use Language Line (see separate guidance in this section). However on other occasions consider the use of Google Translation app (voice activated/written) or free downloaded materials