At the beginning of the school year, the staff at Delacombe primary school in Ballarat, western Victoria, noticed a change in the demographics of prep students. More than one in six spoke a language other than English at home.
“We were discussing the number of students we were noticing with an English as an additional language (EAL) background and how we were lacking in the expertise or focus on these students,” the principal, Scott Phillips, says.
“The subject matter was beyond what anyone in our school could manage without having some sort of training or guidance.”
Delacombe is one of Ballarat’s fastest growing areas. The primary school has seen a 67% increase in enrolment since 2019. The school is expected to have 600 students at the start of next year. About 8% of its students speak a language other than English at home.
Phillips says the school was able to hire an EAL-trained coordinator who was already working at the nearby Lucas primary school, and is able to work at both schools. “In our case, it was just a case of good luck,” he says. “In a time where securing teachers is a challenge, the task of finding a teacher with a specific skill set is even more of a challenge.”
Among the prep students in the EAL program is six-year-old Thy Tran. When you ask Tran what she loves about school, she says: learning.
Tran’s family moved from Vietnam before the school year started. Prep teacher Bianca Gerrard says she was not confident speaking English. “She was unable to tell us her name or ask any questions,” Gerrard says.
With support from her family, teachers, peers and targeted EAL sessions, Tran has gone “from knowing no English to being able to communicate confidently and effectively”, Gerrard says.
“She has made amazing progress,” the teacher says.
Lucas primary school hit 500 enrolments within five years of opening, and its students speak 18 languages. The principal, David Young, says he expects the need for EAL support to rise as the school grows.
“The great quality of work our EAL teacher does not only supports the kids to establish stronger links in their English language, she also supports our teachers’ cultural understanding and how the students’ language may impact their understanding of English,” he says.
‘A systemic issue’
One in 10 government school students in regional Victoria have a family language background other than English. This figure is growing, but Margaret Corrigan, the president of VicTESOL, an association which provides support to EAL teachers, says Victorian universities are not keeping up with the demand.
Corrigan says training EAL teachers has dropped off as a priority, with fewer courses offered at university level.
“If you’re doing an undergraduate teaching degree, there’s not much time spent working with EAL learners who have particular needs,” she says “Mainstream teachers have half their learners from EAL backgrounds and there are a number of ways to support those students.
“It’s a systemic issue for everybody when looking to employ an EAL teacher.”
With many immigrants moving to regional cities, whether it’s due to the increased housing pressures in metropolitan areas, to seek a more thriving community life, or through the government’s regional migration program, schools are having to adapt to more diverse student bodies.
A 2022 Australian Council of TESOL Associations report found that service provision to EAL learners had fallen short in the past two decades. It calls for a national plan for EAL and dialect education recovery and reform.
Supports currently available to EAL students include the statewide additional language program, which funds schools to hire specially qualified English teachers and multicultural aides. It also funds English language schools and centres in Geelong, Wodonga, Shepparton and Mildura, as well as a Virtual New Arrivals Program for students in regional and rural areas who cannot access in-person tutoring.
All new arrival students from a non-English-speaking background, including refugees, can access full-time or targeted English language programs via English language schools or centres, with refugee students receiving extra language support.
Schools outside metropolitan areas that do not receive EAL funding because of the small numbers of EAL students enrolled can form a cluster to employ trained educators to build capacity in their own teachers and schools. There are 14 EAL clusters across Victoria.
The Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council chief executive, Suzanne Ryan-Evers, says there has been an increase in demand for EAL support over the last few years, particularly from the Chinese, Ukrainian, Sri Lankan and Indian communities.
“We are also receiving weekly inquiries from high school students requesting language support,” she says.
BRMC has a free homework club where many parents seek EAL support for their children but Ryan-Evers says more research and funding is required. “Funding and capacity have played a major barrier to BRMC going down this road to date.”
The Victorian education department says $45m was set aside in the 2024-25 state budget to support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including through EAL teachers.
Gerrard says having a trained EAL teacher has been “incredibly beneficial”. “Her guidance has enabled me to understand how to set more appropriate, individualised goals … ensuring they have the best possible chance to succeed academically and socially,” she says.
