What is a whole-school approach to multilingualism and why is it important?

As the school year begins, creating inclusive classrooms is a priority for most educators. For multilingual or EAL students, an inclusive environment and curriculum are essential. A whole-school approach ensures that everyone—from teachers to support staff—shares responsibility for their success. It requires a proactive effort to recognise that both people and systems inside and outside the classroom are key to EAL inclusion and equitable outcomes.

What is a Whole-School Approach?

For many educators, a "whole-school approach" is most closely associated with the Government's "8 Principles of a Whole School or College Approach to Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing," (2015 and updated last year). While we’re focusing on multilingualism, it’s clear that an inclusive provision for EAL learners is deeply connected to their mental health and wellbeing. These principles provide research-based guidance on implementing a whole-school approach, and the steps outlined are undeniably relevant for improving learning, wellbeing and outcomes for multilingual learners.

So what do the 8 Principles look like?

The 8 Principles are presented in a wheel diagram with ‘leadership and management that support and champions efforts' at the centre. This tells us (alongside common-sense) that when implementing a whole-school approach to multilingualism and inclusive learning, it's crucial that we have leadership and management centrally, coordinating change and ensuring that it is "accepted and embedded" across the school.

Surrounding leadership and management are the 7 other principles:

"• Curriculum teaching and learning ...

• Enabling student voice to influence decisions

• Staff development ...

• Identifying need and monitoring impact of interventions

• Working with parents and carers

• Targeted support and appropriate referral

• An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity".

Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, p9

When seen through the lens of multilingualism, EAL equity, and inclusion, these factors—guided by strong leadership—significantly impact multilingual learners' experiences and outcomes. They also provide a solid foundation for implementing and sustaining a whole-school approach to EAL.

A whole-school approach to multilingualism involves the entire school community in creating a consistent environment where every facet of school life supports multilingual learners in thriving.

We know that for students to learn effectively, they must feel safe and supported, which is why integrating inclusive values, behaviours, and scaffolding throughout the curriculum is crucial - having it present in just one curriculum subject area, or aspect of the school, just isn't going to cut it. This responsibility extends beyond EAL specialists; it involves embedding an inclusive ethos, adapting the curriculum, promoting equity and inclusion, and raising awareness of language diversity. This approach acknowledges the deep connection between language development and academic success, requiring a unified effort across all facets of school life.

As The Bell Foundation assert, "The approach to EAL provision in England is that all teachers should plan and resource lessons suitable for learners using EAL within the class or subject curriculum" and we know that we must also ensure that the values and ethos of diversity, equity and inclusion are reflected within the library, the extra-curricular offerings, schools trips, tutor time, assembly, the physical school environment, the common language used by staff and so on.

And so, if we are going to dig down into what the core principles are of a whole school approach for EAL and multilingualism could look like, a good place to start would be The Bell Foundation's Five Principles to guide EAL Pedagogy:

1. Multilingualism as an asset;

2. High expectations with appropriate support;

3. Integrated focus on content and language;

4. Effective and holistic pupil assessment; and

5. Social inclusion.

These five principles offer a core framework through which all of our actions, processes and people can root back into, particularly when reviewing our provision's alignment with researched-informed EAL practice. If something doesn't align with these principles, perhaps it needs to be up for review.

And if we are going to explore how to embed the five principles for EAL pedagogy above within a framework for a whole-school approach to EAL and Multilingualism, (practically), we might want to consider how we can do the following:

1. Ensure Leadership is at the Centre of the Wheel

   Leadership is crucial in driving a whole-school approach to multilingualism. School leaders should set clear goals for EAL support, allocate resources for professional development, review progress regularly, and promote a culture of inclusion. By leading with commitment we can ensure the approach is sustainable and consistently applied throughout the school.

2. Know our Learners

   Go beyond assessing language proficiency to understand each student's cultural background, prior education, and individual needs, preferences, feelings and opinions. This comprehensive insight enables more targeted and effective support across the school, creating an inclusive ethos from the inside-out and ensuring that your curriculum adaptations and interventions are targeted where they will have most impact.

3. Promote and Facilitate Collaboration

   We know teachers are over-loaded and so promoting a culture of regular sharing among staff of successful strategies, tools, and resources is absolutely key when striving for a consistent whole-school approach. Collaboration ensures that effective practices are disseminated throughout the school, benefiting both teachers and students without every teacher needing to reinvent every wheel in unsustainable planning practices.

4. Cultivate Shared Responsibility and a Common Language

   Make sure every staff member understands their role in supporting multilingual learners to succeed. Clear communication from leadership and ongoing professional development can reinforce this collective responsibility. Establishing a clear and accessible way of all staff discussing the language needs of learners and curriculum demands will again, support all staff to be on the same page, consistent in their efforts to adapt and modify their curriculum appropriately. And also lead them onto Step 5:

5. Support and Develop Confidence

   Offering targeted support for teachers who may be less confident or experienced with EAL students or multilingual cohorts is crucial when emebdding a whole school approach to EAL and multilingualism. Identify where you can spotlight good practice as models and ensure teaches who are less confident have access to mentoring, peer observations, or specialised training to build their skills and confidence.

6. Implement Small, Consistent Changes

   Initiate small, manageable changes that lead to sustainable improvements. Focus on one aspect at a time, such as incorporating more visuals or giving better instructions, in order to gradually build teacher confidence and effectiveness. Trying to change too many things at once is going to feel like an unachievable challenge, instead opt for manageable changes that will have most impact when done consistently across the school.

7. Review and Adapt

   Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your provision and strategies and be ready to make adjustments (which is much easier to do if your approach is characterised by Step 6). Collect feedback from staff, students and parents to ensure that the approaches remain relevant and effective.

8. Adapt the Curriculum

   Ensure all teachers understand the language demands of their curriculum and know how to adapt it to be accessible for EAL learners at varied stages of proficiency in English. This may involve adjusting the language to communicate learning, incorporating visual aids or providing options for demonstrating understanding that are not reliant on extended language structures.

Conclusion

A whole-school approach to EAL isn’t just a policy—it’s about creating an environment where every student can thrive, regardless of their linguistic background (and as a result of a diverse linguistic background too). By taking collective responsibility and facilitating collaboration through strategic planning, schools can create a nurturing, cohesive and impactful learning environment that benefits all students.

As you plan for the new school year, consider how you can embed a whole-school approach to EAL and multilingualism. With the right strategies, staff mindsets and support, you can help every student achieve their full potential.

Ready to implement a whole-school approach to EAL? Get in touch for tailored support and professional development opportunities that empower your entire school community - in a step-by-step, digestible way for maximum impact.