EAL teaching and learning in UK schools takes place within the context of the mainstream curriculum and often involves collaboration between a number of adults at a school and classroom level. Although student teachers' exposure to EAL specialist teachers and support staff will vary according to their school placements, during their initial teacher education all student teachers will need to gain an understanding of effective work and collaboration with such staff. They will benefit from an understanding of the varied roles and responsibilities of these staff in relation to the learning of pupils for whom English is an additional language. In this section, teacher educators can find information on ways that student teachers can begin to develop effective working practices with such staff to support the learning of these pupils.
Many schools make additional provision for EAL learners. In some schools additional funding is used to finance additional specialist teachers and support staff including EAL and EMA teachers and co-ordinators, Bilingual Teaching Assistants (BTAs), EAL teaching assistants, Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs), community language teachers and instructors, nursery nurses as well as other staff who address the specific needs of pupils learning English as an additional language. This diversity of titles, roles and responsibilities in relation to additional support for EAL learners has the potential to confuse.
School census data suggests that this, together with workforce remodelling, has resulted in a fall in the number of EAL specialist teachers but a rise in the number of other staff who have a role in this. For example, the number of teaching assistants employed in relation to minority ethnic learners has more than doubled since 1997. In mainly monolingual areas, specialist consultants, teachers and support staff are likely to be employed largey by the local authority (LA) and may undertake advisory visits, short term placements or peripatetic support in schools. An understanding of these many roles as well as effective collaboration in the classroom, will support teachers in meeting the relevant professional standards.
Section Editor and Author
Hugh South
On this page you will find web pages from the archived ITTSEAL site for teacher educators new to initial teacher training. Much of this material has been rewritten and incorporated into our new site but we have maintained this archive to support referencing and site users.
The PDF pages are arranged in the same structure as on the original site. Please note that embedded hyperlinks in the documents will not work and external weblinks are no longer necessarily live. If you are searching for a particular resource which you cannot find, please contact us and we will try to help.
Working with EAL specialists and other support staff
Student teachers and specialist staff
EAL specialists and support staff
Models of teaching support for bilingual pupils
Effective working practices
The status of specialist staff
Bilingual and EAL specialist teaching assistants
Support roles within different working contexts
