New research aims to help EAL children

Dr Claudia Schneider

Dr Claudia Schneider

A research partnership between Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Cambridge and The Bell Foundation has been set up to investigate and improve educational outcomes for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL).

The year-long research brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers with expertise in second language education, migration, sociology and community studies. Starting later this month, it will develop an understanding of how EAL provision works in different primary and secondary school contexts in the East of England.

The project will study the impact of current provision on the language development, academic performance and social integration of students whose first language is not English.

With the number of children learning English as an Additional Language in the UK almost doubling between 1997 and 2010 from 505,200 to 905,620 (Department for Education), it is important to understand fully the additional support necessary to ensure all students fulfil their potential.


Co-Project Director Professor Madeleine Arnot, of the University of Cambridge, said:

"The research team is delighted to be given the opportunity to discover how socially disadvantaged learners can be helped to improve their learning of English, their achievement in school, and their integration into the school community."

Co-Project Director Dr Claudia Schneider, a Principal Lecturer in Social Policy at Anglia Ruskin, added:

"By undertaking this research, we also hope to highlight the benefits for schools and communities of approaches which promote diversity and integration of students with English as an additional language."

The research approach will comprise the development and evaluation of a number of case studies looking at how different schools address the needs of children with EAL, through interviews with school staff, EAL pupils and their parents and non-EAL students, classroom observations and learning activities.

The findings of the research are expected to make a significant contribution to the development of EAL practice in schools.
Diana Sutton, Director of The Bell Foundation, said:

"The numbers of children with English as an Additional Language is growing in the UK, and there is some evidence to suggest that these children do not reach their full potential. By commissioning research into language education and associated social disadvantage by leading Cambridge academics, we can understand more about where the main issues lie and how to best address these."

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