We are delighted to announce that Lincoln Bishop University has been formally accredited as a Centre of Expertise for English as an Additional Language (EAL) by The Bell Foundation.
This national recognition reflects the University’s sustained commitment to linguistic and cultural inclusion and our leadership in embedding effective EAL pedagogy and critical oracy within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and professional development for schools.
As an accredited Centre of Expertise, Lincoln Bishop University is now licensed to deliver a range of Bell Foundation Language for Results courses, supporting schools and educators to strengthen provision for learners who use English as an Additional Language across both Primary and Secondary phases.
What we offer
Our accredited team can now deliver evidence‑informed CPD aligned with Bell Foundation frameworks, including:
Primary phase
- Adaptive Teaching for Learners who use EAL
- Comprehensible English for New Arrivals
- Teaching Assistants: Working with Learners who use EAL
- Understanding Language for Learning in Multilingual Schools
- EAL Coordinators: Leading EAL in Your School
- Whole School Strategy and Evaluation
- ITT Modules 1–3 for student teachers
Secondary phase
- Introduction to EAL Assessment
- Embedding EAL Assessment
- Supporting New Arrivals who are New to English
- Leading a Whole School Strategy
- Understanding Language for Learning
- EAL Coordinators: Leading EAL in Your School
- Teaching Assistants: Working with Learners who use EAL
- ITT Modules 1–3 for student teachers
All sessions are designed to be flexible, evidence‑informed and immediately applicable, supporting both classroom practice and whole‑school development.
Building capacity and sustainability
We are pleased to be growing our delivery team, with colleagues from across the Faculty of Education engaging in Bell Foundation training to support our expanding offer.
Further details about our accredited practitioners will be shared shortly.
This approach ensures our provision remains collaborative, research‑informed and responsive to the evolving needs of multilingual learners and the schools that support them.
Sharing our practice nationally
Over the past two years, colleagues from Lincoln Bishop University have shared research‑informed practice nationally through presentations at UCET 2024 and UCET 2025, contributing to sector‑wide conversations on EAL, linguistic justice and oracy in Initial Teacher Education. This work has also been shared through institutional platforms, including the University’s EDI Week.
Our research dissemination also continues through conference papers at the Oxford Ethnography and Education Conference (OEEC), with further work scheduled for OEEC 2026 later this year, exploring ethnographic and practice‑based approaches to inclusion, voice and multilingual learning. In parallel, this work is being extended through a practice‑based research project linked to the BA Primary Education programme, focused on the Inclusion ITaP and led by Primary colleagues, examining how trainee teachers develop inclusive practice for learners who use English as an Additional Language.
We very much look forward to continuing to contribute to national and international research spaces as our Centre of Expertise for EAL develops further.
If you are interested in inviting colleagues from the Centre of Expertise to contribute to a keynote, workshop, panel discussion or professional learning event, we would be very happy to hear from you.
What’s next
This accreditation marks the beginning of an exciting next phase of work.
In the coming months we will be sharing further information about:
- our CPD calendar
- partnership opportunities with schools
- regional engagement activity
- research and knowledge exchange connected to EAL and inclusion
To find out more about the Centre of Expertise for EAL at Lincoln Bishop University, including how to work with us, please visit our dedicated webpage, or contact Ami Montgomery, Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Education & Head of School for Teacher Education by emailing Ami.montgomery@lincolnbishop.ac.uk.