Supporting EAL students who have SEND

Misdiagnosis of EAL learners 

Our school survey data revealed that there are varying interpretations on how to identify and support multilingual children who also have SEND. Without the appropriate resources and knowledge, schools run the risk of confusing language with learning needs, and misdiagnosing EAL children with SEND. 

Similarly, a recent report from the Education Policy Institute found that children who speak English as an additional language were less likely to be identified with SEND compared with their monolingual peers. This can be due to several reasons, including a lack of access to a child’s education history or parents who may be new to English who do not disclose the existence of their child’s SEND during the admission process – either due to language barriers, cultural differences where there may be a stigma attached to disability, or for other reasons. 

For those EAL students who do have SEND, it is especially important that schools have integrated support that is tailored to the needs of all EAL students to help each child thrive and reach their potential, regardless of their learning ability. Failure to identify SEND as early as possible may result in children not being offered the targeted support and arrangements that they are entitled to make progress in their learning – and to demonstrate that learning.  

A whole school approach to EAL and SEND provision 

For those students that speak EAL and have a SEND, schools must address both their language and special educational needs equally to ensure that they can thrive. This is where a school-wide approach, including collaboration between EAL and SEND staff, is key to helping to correctly identify, assess, refer, and support multilingual children and their families. 

Implementing a whole-school approach to EAL and SEND provision will ensure that all student needs are reliably and accurately identified, and that sustainable support strategies are put in place for both language and special needs. Through a whole-school approach, schools can:  

• Enable the early identification of EAL learners who also have SEND, thereby helping to remove barriers to learning.  

• Promote effective communication and teamwork between the EAL and SEND Coordinators to ensure a joined-up approach.  

• Build provision for targeted and specialist support.  

• Ensure that learners and their families are involved in decision-making and that each child’s voice is at the centre of support plans.  

• Create sustainable school–family partnerships which are especially important in supporting learners with SEND.  

How to identify if an EAL learner has SEND – our recommendations for schools and the government 

There is no single test that schools can use to determine whether a learner using EAL has SEND. However, there are a number of measures schools can take to identify learners using EAL who also may have SEND, and in 2024 The Bell Foundation developed official EAL and SEND guidance which helps schools to ensure that these students receive appropriate and effective support. 

However, schools cannot solve the growing crisis in SEND provision alone. The expertise required for meeting SEND needs, and the needs of pupils with EAL is different, and so schools cannot rely on primarily SEND-focused staff to provide the needed expertise in EAL. Where possible, schools should appoint an EAL Coordinator to ensure the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise to lead on provision for EAL learners. 

As the Government launches an inquiry into the crisis in SEND provision, there should be wider consideration of the needs of all EAL learners, alongside robust guidance to support the early identification of SEND among this group and to ensure that linguistic and special needs are not conflated or confused. Only once this is in place can every child receive the appropriate support at school that they deserve.