Amara arrives mid-term from Bangladesh. She takes it all in- the displays, the clusters of children, the rhythm of the register. She follows routine carefully and slowly begins to find her place. The learning happening here is not yet visible in any code or data system. But it is real, and it matters.
The new Ofsted framework expects educators to make this journey visible, stating,
“…teachers assess pupils’ English language proficiency accurately and regularly” (OFSTED, 2025, p. 20).
In many schools, this process is recorded using EAL proficiency codes such as the Bell Foundation levels (Band A through to C and Beyond) or Nassea codes. These tools aim to help educators,
“…conducting meaningful assessments of learners’ proficiency in English and using the information gathered to make effective decisions about teaching and learning” (Bell Foundation 2024)
At the Tapscott Learning Trust, we understand that this sort of assessment is necessary, but we do not think it is enough. EAL codes draw attention to isolated language skills rather than the whole child, their confidence, agency and growing sense of belonging.
What we do instead: The Arrival to Belonging continuum
We have rethought this process by using the Arrival to Belonging continuum, alongside the statutory Bell foundation EAL codes. Together, these tools track not only language development but also the child’s participation and wellbeing.
Using an asset-based approach, educators can recognise how multilingual children grow in all these dimensions, ensuring assessment honors the full lived experience of learning English in a new environment.
Bell Foundation Language Code
Arriving
Accessing
Participating
Contributing
Belonging
Band A
Early Acquisition
Band A/B
Early Acquisition
Band B
Early Developing
Band B/C
Early Developing
Band C
Developing Competence
1. The Arriving Stage:
When a child joins school, they begin to engage when they feel safe enough to do so. Educators establish clear routines and encourage the child to use their first language as they navigate their new environment. The focus is on transitions and knowing how to ask for help.
Arriving is about ensuring the child feels safe enough to learn and be themselves.
2. The Accessing Stage
The child accesses the same curriculum as their peers. Rather than simplifying activities, educators scaffold their learning. They identify key concepts such as fractions and experiments and support their understanding by using tools like word banks and sentence starters. Adaptive teaching focuses on making learning accessible without lowering expectations.
Accessing is about ensuring the child can fully engage in the curriculum, developing their skills and learning alongside their peers.
3. The Participating Stage:
Here the child begins to initiate interactions beyond structured times, using peer discussion to clarify understanding and sharing their own experiences. They start to socialise both in the playground and classroom.
UNESCO (2021) frames participation as central to education,
“This emphasis on participation is what strengthens education as a common good – a form of shared well-being that is chosen and achieved together.” (UNESCO, 2021, p. 13)
Educators create safe spaces for the child to voice their opinion.
Participating is about the child finding ways to engage and make meaning from the learning environment.
4. Contributing:
The child now supports the learning of the group by sharing their unique strengths, such as maths understanding or cultural knowledge. They begin to express opinions using structures like “I agree because…” and start to influence their peers.
Contributing is about recognising that the child’s voice has value in the classroom.
5. Belonging:
The child feels secure enough to challenge ideas, debate perspectives, and relay information. Their identity and language are fully valued. Belonging happens when the child feels at home and the school community grows because they are part of it.
Belonging is about the child helping to shape the learning of the whole community, and drawing others in.
Final Thoughts….
Tracking multilingual children can support language acquisition as well as their wellbeing. As with all learning, the journey from arrival to belonging is rarely linear. We are likely to notice that one child needs more scaffolding than another. Each child will learn at their unique pace.
Using an asset-based approach helps us recognise this. Crucially, it helps us see beyond the code. When educators are attuned to the child, noticing, interpreting and responding, they help them move along the continuum.
These everyday interventions are highly significant and where educators can make the greatest difference to a child’s learning and wellbeing.
References
Ager, A. and Strang, A. (2008) Understanding Integration: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Refugee Studies, 21(2), pp.166 – 191.
Bell Foundation (2024) EAL Assessment Framework for Schools. Cambridge: The Bell Foundation.
