It takes 6+ years to reach English proficiency. Children speaking English as an Additional Language (EAL) who arrive in school later (after Year 6) have less time to catch up. Many are left behind, without access to a broader curriculum.
Provision is needed in schools and/or colleges that enables pupils who arrive later into the English school system to access a broad curriculum.
On oracy, teachers need to provide learners new to English with a structured approach that emphasises immersion, teaching essential vocabulary and simple phrases for participating in classroom interaction, as well as daily routines that involve speaking and listening.
For late arrivals who are developing competence, on the other hand, teachers need to focus on enhancing their listening and speaking skills, building confidence, and preparing them for more complex language use (i.e. academic spoken language) which often lags behind conversational fluency.
Explore our research on late arrivals, which we have carried out alongside our partners, Refugee Education UK.