NEU comment on education outcomes of children with English as an Additional Language

Commenting on the publication of The Education Policy Institute (EPI) and The Bell Foundation’s report: Educational Outcomes of Children with English as an Additional Language, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 

“This report shows that the Government should be doing much more to help schools support pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), especially those arriving relatively late in their schooling. It is very worrying that the Government’s national funding formula (NFF) is likely to increase financial pressure on schools in areas of high ethnic diversity and that there appears to have been a lack of thought as to how the NFF will affect provision for EAL. It is a disgrace that the Government has not sought to bolster EAL teaching and support for schools. Instead, as this report notes, there has been a reduction in central EAL support services provided by Local Authorities who are starved of funds as a result of Government cuts.

“We could learn from other countries, such as Finland, where schools are provided with significant additional funding, support for staff development and specialist teachers. This would enable effective provision for pupils with a different first language to that of their host country.”