English as an Additional Language
There is significant variation in attainment outcomes within the group of pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), reflecting factors like English language proficiency and arrival time to the English school system. [1]
Our previous research has shown there is a severe attainment penalty for children who arrive late to the English state school system, which may be because there is little time to become proficient in English and learn the curriculum before the end of key stage assessments. We therefore focus on late-arriving pupils with EAL for our analysis of attainment gaps at the end of primary and secondary school. We are not able to identify late-arriving EAL students in the 16-19 phase.
We also produce an adjusted version of the gap that takes into account changes in the ethnic make-up of the late-arriving EAL group, which has been significant in recent years (see note below).
Early years foundation stage
Around one-fifth of pupils in reception are recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL). In 2023, these pupils were 1.9 months behind their peers with English as a first language – a similar sized gap to the pre-pandemic period but a reduction since 2013 of 1.3 months.
Figure EA1: Pupils with EAL at age five are around 2 months behind, down from 3 months in 2013
Primary school
Around 15,000 pupils arrived in the final two years of primary school with English as an additional language in 2023. These pupils were almost 10 months behind their peers with English as a first language, down from 15.5 months in 2019, a fall of almost 6 months. Once changes in the ethnic composition of the late-arriving EAL group are taken into account this fall reduces to just 2 months. This suggests that the majority, though not all, of the gap-narrowing since 2019 has been due to change in the composition of the late-arriving EAL group. Using our adjusted measure the gap for late-arriving EAL pupils in 2023 was around 3.5 months smaller than at its peak in the early 2010s.
Figure EA2: Late-arriving EAL pupils aged 11 were 10 months behind in 2023, or 13 months after accounting for changes in the ethnic make-up of this group
Secondary school
Around 9,000 pupils arrived in the final two years of secondary with English as an additional language in 2023. These pupils were almost 12 months behind their peers with English as a first language, down from the peak of 20.7 months in 2019, a fall of almost 9 months. Once changes in the ethnic composition of the late-arriving EAL group are taken into account this fall reduces to 5 months, leaving late-arriving EAL pupils around 16 months behind non-EAL pupils. This suggests that just under half of the gap narrowing since 2019 has been due to changes in the composition of the late-arriving EAL group.
Figure EA3: Late-arriving EAL pupils aged 16 were 12 months behind in 2023, or 16 months after accounting for changes in the ethnic make-up of this group
[1] Children with EAL have widely varying levels of English proficiency: some have no English and some are fluent multilingual English-speakers; some may have lived in English-speaking countries or have been educated in English throughout their childhood.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY geographic disadvantage gaps