Addressing language barriers in UK schools

Jess O’Dwyer, general manager for Europe at Pocketalk, explains how tech can address language barriers and transform a child’s learning with English as an additional language

The UK is rich in diversity, which is clear in our school system. Approximately 20% of pupils in the UK speak English as an additional language (EAL) – meaning they are learning English as a second language to their mother tongue.

The fact that more than 300 different languages are spoken in London schools underscores the need for robust language support programmes to assist the diverse pool of non-English speaking pupils. Latest data from ONS shows this requirement will become even greater in future with predictions that over the next 25 years, almost 75% of the UK’s population growth will come from net international migration, and typically, immigrants will speak EAL.

Over the next 25 years, almost 75% of the UK’s population growth will come from net international migration.

UK primary schools and the impact of language barriers

Moving to a new country and not knowing the native language can be an incredibly challenging experience, particularly for young children. We found this when we helped a UK primary school earlier this year.

Aston Clinton Primary School is located in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The most recent School Census (Jan 2022) shows 75% of pupils living in Buckinghamshire report their main language as English. However, other more frequently spoken languages are ‘other’ European (4.1%) (for example, Polish 1.6% and Romanian 0.9%) and South Asian (10.1%) (for example, Urdu 3%, Punjabi 1.3% and Tamil 1%).

The school educates around 400 students aged between four and 11 years old; of those, 5% do not speak English as a first language, and some do not speak or understand any English.

Melissa Garraway, a SENCO lead at the school, explains: “Children as young as four are only just learning to read and write in their mother tongue, let alone a second language, so being put into an environment where they cannot converse with teachers or fellow students can be incredibly isolating for them.”

Earlier this year, a little Bulgarian girl joined the school in KS1. She didn’t speak or understand any English, and her parents spoke very little English. The language barrier between school and the family caused severe upset and distress for the child, particularly when her parents left her for the day. Without knowing what the little girl feared, the staff at the school were helpless, unable to reassure her and comfort her that she was safe and cared for.

Melissa immediately opted to use an online translation tool. However, for safeguarding reasons, the website was not accessible on the school’s network, and the tool didn’t offer Bulgarian as a language. Staff are prohibited from using phones in the school, so solutions were limited.

What can Pockettalk do to reduce language barriers for children?

Within a couple of days of the little girl arriving at the school, we donated a device to help overcome the challenges they were facing, and it completely changed the classroom experience for the child. She could communicate with her teachers, and they could explain things and offer reassurance that she was safe, which led to her completing a full school day – before using Pocketalk, she could only manage an hour.

Melissa says: “We could immediately communicate. We could ease her fears and worries and help her understand where she was and that she was safe. Using the Pocketalk device, we could understand what was causing upset, and it transpired that she thought she was being left. That she wouldn’t see her parents again. Without Pocketalk, we would never have been able to understand that and help her. I don’t think she would’ve stayed in the school without the support of this technology. It has been invaluable.”

Since using the Pocketalk, the little girl has thrived, and in just a few weeks, she could sound out her first word in English – ‘cat’.

Since having Pocketalk at the school, the teachers have also used it to help overcome language barriers for another Bulgarian child attending the school since November 2022, in KS2. He had never attended school in Bulgaria and joined Aston Clinton Primary, unable to read in his language, which became challenging in the classroom. The staff would use whatever resource they could get their hands on. The Pocketalk device has transformed his learning, and the school is looking at ways to use the device to help when he sits on his SAT exams.

There is a clear need for better translation tools in the school system, but many need to be faster to implement, insecure or costly

Schools could engage with interpreters, but this isn’t always readily available if the child speaks a minority language, and these children are the most impacted by a communication disconnect. In-person translators are very effective but an expensive option, which can be impossible for schools already operating on a very tight budget.

Language lines can be more affordable but challenging in a noisy classroom environment and confusing to children. Also, these options don’t facilitate relationship-building between teachers and pupils.

Schools can use free online translation tools. However, many are not GDPR compliant or accurate as they don’t consider regional accents and slang. They also need to cover underrepresented languages.

GDPR-compliant digital translation devices offer instant translation of multiple languages with greater accuracy. Using Wi-Fi or mobile data, these devices offer audio and text translations in real-time. Students can also operate the device independently to build friendships and reduce feelings of isolation.

No ‘one size fits all’ approach

Ultimately, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to language translation in education, and each school will have different needs depending on the diversity of their catchment and the children enrolled.

At a time when EAL is becoming more common in the UK, it is vitally important for schools to understand the translation solutions for the education sector, which can be life-changing for pupils’ learning, as we saw first-hand with our support of Aston Clinton Primary School.

This piece was written and provided by Jess O’Dwyer, the general manager for Europe, Pocketalk (www.uk.pocketalk.com). Pocketalk is a multi-sensory, two-way translation device. It utilises the best translation engines worldwide to provide a consistently accurate experience across 82 languages, including localised dialects and slang.