Admission
Learn about languages, schooling, literacy, prior support and the learner’s own view.
EAL Department · Evidence to action
Data, placement & progression
Build a fair, useful picture of each learner over time. Use evidence to plan admission support, monitor language development, make proportionate placement decisions and communicate clearly when support changes.
The aim is better teaching and fair access, not collecting data for its own sake.
One coherent learner record
Follow the learner journey
Baseline
Build a starting profile across listening, speaking, reading and writing in real learning tasks.
Teaching & review
Set a small number of useful targets, collect current evidence and adjust provision.
Progression
Agree full support, partial release, monitoring or renewed support from a balanced evidence set.
At admission
Ask questions that help the school teach
Useful information to gather
- Languages the learner understands, speaks, reads and writes, and with whom or where each is used.
- Previous schooling: length, language(s) of instruction, interruptions and subjects already studied.
- Experience and confidence in English across listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Literacy and learning strengths in other languages, where the learner and family can describe them.
- Family priorities, learner interests, aspirations and any support already in place.
- Relevant access needs or assessment history, handled sensitively and through agreed school procedures.
Keep the intake purposeful
Language background is not a proficiency score. An admissions conversation or translated questionnaire can guide the next assessment, but it cannot by itself establish English proficiency or a special educational need.
Use a trained interpreter for sensitive family conversations where needed. Brief them on the purpose; do not rely on a child, sibling or close family friend to interpret sensitive information.
Baseline and regular evidence
Test to inform teaching, then add classroom evidence
Use a suitable language assessment to establish a starting point and identify strengths or support needs. Add observation and authentic work: a test score cannot show by itself how a learner handles every subject task or classroom context. The Bell Foundation’s international framework describes an ongoing cycle of assessment, target-setting and tailored support; WIDA likewise distinguishes identification, placement, progress and achievement as different assessment purposes.
| Evidence | What to record | How it informs the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Language profile | Listening, speaking, reading and writing separately; confidence and context. | Where language access is strong, emerging or inconsistent. |
| Classroom observation | Task, subject, interaction, independence, scaffolds and what the learner did. | Whether language needs change across tasks or environments. |
| Assessment | Tool, date, domain scores, conditions and any relevant adjustments. | A comparable snapshot and a way to check progress over time. |
| Work sample | Task prompt, date, subject, audience, support given and learner response. | How the learner uses English to meet real curriculum demands. |
| Learner & family voice | Confidence, goals, barriers, language use and response to current support. | Context that scores and teacher observations may not capture. |
| Subject teacher input | Access to instruction, participation, task completion and language demands. | Whether provision is helping across the timetable. |
A practical review rhythmEntry profile→Early teaching review→Termly evidence check→Review when needs change
Set the school’s review interval in policy. A short early review after learners have experienced teaching is useful; termly reviews provide a workable default, with additional checks at transitions or when evidence raises a concern.
Make growth visible
Build a writing portfolio, not a folder of red marks
A small, curated portfolio helps staff, learners and families see how independent English writing develops. Keep examples from different points in the year and, where possible, from more than one subject or text type.
One or two purposeful samples per review period: an explanation, response to a source, report, reflection or extended answer.
Keep the prompt, date, subject, intended audience and the support used beside each sample.
Look for changes in meaning, organisation, vocabulary, grammar and control of the task. Compare the learner with their own earlier work.
Ask what they are proud of, what remains difficult and which next step would help. Keep a polished example as well as a useful working draft.
Do not treat a portfolio as a high-stakes score by itself. Use it alongside assessment, observation, subject access and learner/family perspectives.
A decision with consequences
Use a graduated support decision
Full EAL support
Keep the planned support when evidence shows that targeted teaching is still needed for access, English development or participation.
Partial release
Release a learner from one part of provision while retaining support where it is still useful. Name the context, skill or class, the support that remains and a review date.
Time-limited trial
When evidence suggests readiness, trial a reduced timetable or graduated exit. Tell the learner, family and subject teachers what changes and what evidence will be reviewed.
Renew or restore support
If new evidence shows the learner is struggling with language demands, respond promptly. Reintroduce targeted EAL support where needed and agree a review without framing it as failure.
Before graduation from targeted support, check:
- Progress is sustained across more than one assessment point and more than one context.
- The learner can access age-appropriate classroom tasks with the usual supports available to the class.
- Listening, speaking, reading and writing evidence has been considered; a strength in one area does not hide a barrier in another.
- Subject teachers can describe participation and independent work, not only test results.
- The learner and family understand the decision and can raise concerns.
- There is a named person, check-in date and route back to help if needs change.
Communicate clearly
Make placement decisions understandable
Share with the learner and family
- Strengths and progress, with a specific example.
- Current language needs and how they affect learning tasks.
- What support will change, continue or be added, and why.
- What evidence will be collected next and when it will be reviewed.
- Who to contact if the learner finds the new arrangement difficult.
Share with subject teachers
- Current strengths by language skill.
- Useful scaffolds and which ones can now be faded.
- Any partial-release agreement and the contexts it covers.
- What to notice and how to flag a concern early.
- Where the current profile and review date are recorded.
Example wording
“We are changing the support because recent assessment, classroom work and teacher observations show that [learner] can now [specific independent skill]. We will continue [support that remains], check progress again on [date], and respond if the next stage feels difficult. Please tell us what you notice at home or in class.”
Turn evidence into a plan
Student profiles, learner support profiles & targeted study plans
Keep three connected records so evidence leads to practical improvement. Use a strengths-based, learner-readable profile, then agree a short plan with actions that can be seen and reviewed.
Student profile
A concise picture of the whole learner: languages and literacy, prior schooling, interests, strengths, aspirations, confidence, relevant context and the learner’s own perspective.
- What the learner can already do in each language domain.
- What helps them participate and what they want to improve.
- Context and date for evidence; distinguish learner voice from staff observation.
Learner support profile
A practical guide for adults around the learner: current language needs, curriculum barriers, effective scaffolds, agreed adjustments and who is responsible.
- Strategies for listening, speaking, reading and writing in subject lessons.
- What to try, what to observe and how the learner can ask for help.
- Review date and what would trigger an earlier review.
Targeted study plan
A short, achievable plan that turns a priority into deliberate practice and feedback, connected to curriculum and longer-term goals.
- One or two measurable language-learning targets at a time.
- Small weekly practice tasks, models or resources, and a named adult for feedback.
- A check-in date, evidence of improvement and the next step.
A useful target is specific and teachable
Example: “In the next four weeks, use a cause-and-effect sentence frame and three unit-specific connectives to explain one science process. Practise with two diagrams, receive teacher feedback weekly and add one revised explanation to the portfolio.”
Agree the target with the student. Make practice manageable, protect time for it and adapt the plan if evidence shows the approach is not helping.
Work in partnership
The triangle of support: Parent · Student · Teacher
Progress is stronger when the three partners share a clear goal, listen to one another and know what they can do next. Keep the student’s voice central and agree communication that is accessible to the family.
Parent / family
Share relevant language, learning and wellbeing context; notice confidence and study routines; discuss goals and raise questions. The school provides clear updates and interpretation where needed.
Student
Name strengths, priorities and preferred ways to learn; practise agreed strategies; reflect on work and say when support is or is not helping. The plan should be understandable and owned with the learner.
Teacher team
Teach and model the target language, provide agreed scaffolds, gather classroom evidence, give actionable feedback and coordinate a consistent message across EAL and subject lessons.
Shared cycleAgree one priority→Practise and teach→Review evidence together→Adapt the next step
Partnership does not place responsibility for language progress on families or students alone. The school remains responsible for suitable teaching, support and fair review; adapt meeting format and communication to language access needs.
Make evidence useful
Assessment and family communication
Use a shared skill profile to plan support, name uncertainty and give families brief, regular updates with clear criteria and a next opportunity to grow.
Good data practice
Collect less, record better, protect the learner
- Purpose: record information because it informs teaching, provision or a decision.
- Accuracy: distinguish observed evidence from interpretation and include the date and task conditions.
- Access: store records in the school’s approved system with access limited to staff who need them.
- Respect: describe abilities and support needs without deficit labels; correct records when context changes.
- Retention: follow school policy and local data-protection requirements for access, sharing and deletion.
- Separation: keep English-language learning needs distinct from subject attainment and from SEND decisions; coordinate where evidence suggests overlapping needs.
The protocol below is a planning framework, not a substitute for the school’s formal admissions, safeguarding, assessment or data-protection policies.
Further reading
Assessment guidance
- The Bell Foundation · EAL Assessment Framework for International Schools — an ongoing formative-assessment, target-setting and support cycle.
- The Bell Foundation · Home Language Assessment — contextualise home-language information and combine it with classroom observation and EAL evidence.
- WIDA · Assessment purposes — distinguishes identification, placement, progress and achievement; test results may be one of multiple measures for reclassification.
- WIDA Research Report · An Overview of English Learner Reclassification Policy (2026) — a U.S. policy review; use for comparison, not as a rule for an international school.