The official blog of NALDIC, the UK's subject association for EAL.
Author: eal_journal
New School Year – New Season of NALDIC blogging
It’s the start of the new school year and NALDIC is back with a new season on the blog. We hope that your summer was everything that you wanted it to be and that you are ready to hit the …
“I hold all the dreams of the world within me”
Sara Moodie is Head of the EAL team in Jersey. In this post, contemplative, searching and uplifting by turns, Sara describes accompanying Portuguese heritage pupils to the Youth Parliament in Lisbon. She uses the experience to reflect on what it …
My First NALDIC Conference
NALDIC’s annual conference is a highlight of the year for EAL practitioners up and down the country. This year’s conference, NALDIC 26, is themed Evidence Informed Practice for EAL, and is being held in Leeds on 17 November. Jean Conteh …
Our Approach to Improving Outcomes for Romanian Pupils
Amanda Hazeldine is Assistant Head for Inclusion at Hifields Junior and Infants School in Birmingham. In this post she describes her school’s approach to supporting newly arrived Romanian children and their families, and the measures in place to support teachers …
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NALDIC’s Position: Changes to English Proficiency Data Collection
Withdrawal of English as an Additional Language (EAL) proficiency data from the Schools Census returns A response from the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (NALDIC) We understand that the DfE has decided to remove EAL proficiency data …
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Changing attitudes to science in pupils with EAL: How does outdoor learning influence attitudes to scientific enquiry?
The EAL Journal blog publishes plain language summaries of EAL-related Masters and Doctoral research. In this post Mark Hainsworth, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Chester, presents a summary of his Masters research into the effects of taking the science classroom outside on EAL …
Changing Lives through Writing
Dave Windass from writing charity First Story tells us all about their fabulous projects that transform the writing experience for young EAL writers. He also tells about National Writing Day, which is next week, and urges us all to get involved.
Practical ideas for using L1 in the classroom
Kamil Trzebiatowski, member of NALDIC’s executive committee and EAL Coordinator at a secondary school in Hull, describes some of the classroom approaches he uses for incorporating EAL learners’ home languages to support their learning in English across the curriculum.
Pupil Voices: a project by Milton Keynes EMA Network
Milton Keynes Ethnic Minority Achievement Network was inspired by the Pupil Voices presentation at NALDIC 25, our conference last November, to explore the voices of pupils and teachers in their region. In this post Emily Garratt, EMA Consultant in Milton …
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EAL Journal 
Removal of the DfE Proficiency Scales: A missed opportunity
Naomi Flynn is Associate Professor of Primary English Education at the University of Reading. She recently conducted a study into teachers’ perceptions about policy and practice in EAL. One of the key findings was that policy enactment in practice may be …
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