Ofsted’s updated inspection toolkit for state-funded schools includes one quiet but significant shift: a dedicated section on English as an additional language (EAL) within the Curriculum and Teaching evaluation area.
For the first time in years, inspectors are explicitly asked to consider how schools support pupils at the early stages of learning English.
The framework outlines several key areas for scrutiny:
- Whether leaders and teachers recognise that EAL learners already speak at least one language and maintain high expectations of them.
- Whether teachers assess English language proficiency accurately and regularly.
- Whether classrooms offer rich opportunities for talk, supported by scaffolding and modelling.
- Whether vocabulary development, including subject-specific terms, is carefully planned.
- Whether phonics and access to reading are prioritised to accelerate English acquisition.
This renewed focus is a welcome and long-overdue acknowledgement that multilingual learners are a central part of today’s classrooms.
It also reflects growing recognition that their success depends on more than targeted support, and it requires skilled teaching, inclusive leadership and systemic accountability.
Ofsted inspecting EAL teaching
More than one in five schoolchildren in England - 1.77 million learners - now speak EAL. This figure has more than tripled since 1997, and multilingual classrooms are the norm.
Yet provision has not always kept pace with need. Funding is not ring-fenced, and accountability around EAL has often been absent from inspection and school improvement agendas.
Research consistently shows that English language proficiency is the strongest predictor of academic outcomes for EAL learners.
We also know that those new to English, recent arrivals or those with disrupted schooling are at risk of underachievement (Hutchinson, 2018).
The reintroduction of EAL into the inspection framework is therefore a meaningful step but the impact will depend on how it is implemented and understood.
Sector voices have welcomed this update but also raised some important concerns and considerations as the new change is implemented. While the toolkit rightly highlights early-stage learners, it risks narrowing the focus too much.
Academic language development is an ongoing process, and older EAL learners, including those born in the UK, may still require support to access the curriculum fully.
The framework could go further in embedding EAL within broader inclusion guidance and in recognising the diversity of EAL learners’ experiences.
Building strong practice
The good news is that schools don’t need to start from scratch. A range of evidence-based strategies and resources are available to help build sustainable EAL provision, many of them for free.
Formative assessment is central. Accurately assessing and tracking English proficiency enables schools to set realistic goals, adapt teaching and demonstrate progress.
Tools such as the EAL Assessment Framework for Schools offer structured approaches to embedding assessment into everyday practice.
Leadership is equally important. School leaders shape the culture of inclusion and are well placed to prioritise multilingual learners in strategic planning, whether through CPD, admissions, induction or curriculum design.
Whole-school audits, such as those supported by The Bell Foundation’s self-evaluation framework, can help to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
In the classroom, research highlights several strategies that are especially powerful for EAL pupils: vocabulary development, structured reading tasks and scaffolding.
A report published by the Education Policy Institute and The Bell Foundation in 2018 also emphasises the importance of inclusive teaching and cautions against over-reliance on withdrawal models, which can isolate learners and limit access to the full curriculum.
Inspector training is key
For this Ofsted shift to have real and continued impact, inspector training must be strengthened.
Evaluating EAL provision requires specific expertise, such as understanding the stages of English language proficiency development, recognising inclusive classroom strategies and identifying practices that may inadvertently exclude learners.
Without targeted training, inspectors will be ill-equipped to assess EAL provision effectively and will risk reinforcing outdated or inequitable approaches.
Sector organisations have raised concerns about inspections that praised withdrawal models. Robust training and quality assurance are essential to ensure that inspection supports inclusive practice.
Multilingualism as a strength
The new Ofsted framework shines a spotlight on EAL.
But for lasting change to be achieved, it must be accompanied by investment in inspector training, inclusive communication and a broader commitment to recognising multilingualism as a strength.
Schools and inspectors alike have a role to play in ensuring that EAL provision is not just visible but valued.
