Leading on EAL Assessment (Online Course)

This course is aimed at international school staff with decision-making responsibilities for English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision. You will learn how to embed effective practices for assessing the English language proficiency of multilingual learners, leading to more targeted in-class support and improved outcomes for these learners.  

On this course, you will explore: 

• How EAL assessment can be successfully integrated into existing school policies and systems. 

• Who is best placed to carry out different aspects of the EAL assessment process. 

• What continuing professional development (CPD) is needed for relevant staff to ensure EAL assessment is fully embedded. 

The course will familiarise you with The Bell Foundation’s award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools and will provide pragmatic, specialist guidance on how to use the tool within a context of what is realistic and what can work alongside existing assessment systems. 

Who is this course for?

Primary and secondary international school staff with responsibility for EAL assessment, in particular:

• School leaders with responsibility for EAL provision. 
• EAL co-ordinators or Heads of EAL. 

Please note: This course is for international participants only. Please click here to view our upcoming online courses for those living and working in the UK.

Course structure:

Module 1:

Pre-webinar online tasks, completed at your own pace over a one-week period.

You will:

• Learn about how assessment of EAL learners is approached in school systems in various contexts. 
• Explore what research and policy say about EAL assessment and reflect on the implications for your context. 
• Reflect on key features of embedded EAL assessment, and how these are carried out in your setting. 
• Explore the roles and responsibilities relating to EAL assessment, and key considerations when integrating assessment with whole-school policy and systems.  

Time commitment: A minimum of 2 hours, although if you decide to complete all optional tasks, this may take longer.  

Module 2:

Live interactive webinar with the course tutors:

• Option 1: 20 January 2026, 10:00 UK time (UTC+0).  
• Option 2: 22 January 2026, 12:30 UK time (UTC+0). 

You will:

• Review types of assessment required for EAL learners and consider how these are linked to policies in your school. 
• Discuss assessment tools, resources, and methods for sharing information about assessment within your own context. 
• Consider strategies for focussing support and implications for staff training. 

Time commitment: 1 hour.

Module 3:

Final project to implement learning from the course, followed by tutor feedback. You will apply what you have learned in Modules 1 and 2 by completing an action plan for your setting. 

Time commitment: minimum of 2 hours.

Why learn with us?

• The three online modules are designed to work around the busy lives of professionals in international schools.
• With five hours of online study over a five-week period, this course enables you to work at a manageable pace with plenty of time to process course content and apply relevant insights to your context.
• The course is designed to be highly interactive and collaborative, with opportunities to work with other course participants, course tutors and course material.
• Module 2 consists of a live webinar with opportunities to ask questions and share good practice in real time.
• A certificate will be awarded for successful completion of the course.
• Tickets are available for both primary and secondary practitioners in international schools.

Tutors

All our tutors are experienced teacher educators with substantial experience of teaching and assessing multilingual learners in relevant contexts. Tutors are trained e-moderators and offer friendly, practical specialist support to all participants throughout the course.

Ticket sales end 6 January 2026, 16:00 UK time (UTC +0).

Important notice: There are only two websites authorised to promote and take bookings for this event run by The Bell Foundation. These are: The Bell Foundation’s website and Eventbrite. Please do not book, or express interest in, this event through any other website.