Welcome to the EAL Toolbox
Why I am building free tools for teachers of multilingual learners, and what is coming first.
Every school year starts with the same jobs: working out which children need EAL support, building a timetable around specialist lessons and assemblies, and finding resources that work for pupils who are still learning in English. A lot of that work is done by hand, in spreadsheets, late in the evening.
This site is where I will share the tools I build to make those jobs quicker. Everything here is free. There are no adverts, nothing to sign up for, and nothing about your pupils leaves your browser.
First up: the EAL Timetable Builder
The first app is a timetable builder for EAL pull-out support. You set up your groups and teachers, block out each year group’s specialist lessons, and then place lessons onto teacher timetables. The app checks every placement against the rules as you go and tells you why when something does not fit.
I am rebuilding it properly for this site at the moment. You can read more about it here.
The blog
I will also write here about EAL practice and research, including what I am learning from my doctoral research on EAL in British international schools. If there is something you would like me to write about, or a tool that would make your week easier, let me know.