EAL in Early Years

For many bilingual learners, including those born in the UK, their first meaningful exposure to English often occurs when they start nursery. If a language other than English has been spoken at home, these children suddenly enter an environment where they face not only an unfamiliar language but also new cultural and social expectations.

It’s important to remember that, although they are new to English, bilingual children bring with them a rich and well-developed linguistic foundation.

Key Principles & Best Practices

  • Celebrate all languages in settings; children bring strong linguistic foundations.
  • Respect and encourage home language use alongside English.
  • Set high learning expectations while scaffolding language use through modeling, prompts, and recasting errors.
  • Embed English learning into meaningful contexts like play, routines, and daily experiences.
  • Use tools like the EAL Language tracker.
  • Foster a supportive environment with cultural representation—books, songs, staff language skills.
  • Use visual aids, gestures, and tangible resources to support comprehension.
  • Collaborate with parents/carers using interpreters, translate routines into home languages, and invite their cultural contribution.
  • Encourage storytelling, songs, and rhymes in home languages to strengthen dual language development.
  • Encourage staff professional development in EAL pedagogy, cultural responsiveness, and formative assessment techniques.

Practical Strategies in Settings

  • Daily language routines: Consistently narrate actions (“washing hands,” “snack time”) for exposure in meaningful contexts.
  • Visual supports: Use labels, symbols, and picture cues to reinforce comprehension.
  • Peer learning: Invite children who share home languages to support newcomers and promote peer interaction.
  • Dual-language resources: Include bilingual books, songs, and audio materials for both languages.
  • Track progress: Observe and record language use in context, noting transitions across silent, phrase, and fluent stages.

Links below for resources:

Nursery EAL Support StrategiesDownload
EAL Early Years Language Tracker 2025Download