Do you have a new arrival in your classroom who speaks little or no English? It’s important that new primary EAL learners understand basic English vocabulary as soon as possible in order to feel comfortable in the classroom, grow in confidence and make progress. These useful free resources will help them along their English language learning journey.
1. EAL Proficiency Chart
In order to determine what support pupils might need, teachers will first need to assess them. Doing an initial assessment will also provide a starting point from which teachers can monitor progress. An EAL assessment need not involve a complex process. Teachers can use the free government chart below to work out the EAL level of new beginners.
This five-point EAL Proficiency Scale is taken from the the following government documentation: English proficiency of pupils with English as an additional language (February 2020)
Teaching staff are expected to use this scale to make a ‘best-fit’ judgement to assess EAL pupils’ proficency in English. Click the image to download.
See the full document for more details.
2. School Vocabulary Flashcards and Activity Packs
In order for pupils to feel comfortable in the classroom it is vital that they learn vocabulary related to school quickly. Teaching pupils with no or limited English vocabulary related to school should be a focus soon after they arrive. Get started with these free resources below – available for free from Primary Texts.
This flashcard set can be used to help newcomers memorise over 60 key words. To increase versatility, the set contains separate cards featuring both pictures and words. Cards are colour coded enabling them to be grouped so that teachers can focus on one set of words at a time. Pages containing empty 2 by 2 grids are included which can be used to help organise flashcards for a fun game of bingo.
The fun school vocabulary activity packs below are available as free sample products.
We have more free EAL resources available on our Primary Texts Free EAL page. Click the button below to view.
3. Google Translate
This is an great tool to help teachers and other pupils communicate with children with limited or no English. Google Translate can be used to translate text, whole documents and websites.
Watch the video below to discover how one teacher uses google translate in the classroom.
4. BBC Bitesize – English as an Additional Language
A fantastic well-organised collection of videos and online activities which pupils could work on independently or with support.
5. LearnEnglishKids
This website contains a dizzying array of resources which can help pupils learn English. There is so much it can be tricky to find what you are looking for. The website has a paid section in which users can purchase EAL courses for children; however, there is also a wealth of useful freebies. For new EAL learners who have some English, I would recommend the short stories which can be found in the Listen and Watch section.
We hope this article provided you with lots of ways to help your EAL pupils who are new to English. If you’ve found the contents useful, you might like to bookmark it for future reference.
Interested in exploring other areas of primary English. Visit the Primary Texts homepage.
Want to explore more useful freebies available for instant download here on this site. Browse our Free section.
*Post updated 5/1/2025
