Episode 31: Multilingual Pupils and Creating Home-School Connections with Susan Stewart | Working with Families to Support EAL Learners | Talking Their Language with Helen Bodell

Episode 31: Multilingual Pupils and Creating Home-School Connections with Susan Stewart | Working with Families to Support EAL Learners | Talking Their Language with Helen BodellWelcome to Talking Their Language with Helen Bodell, the podcast for teachers, school leaders, EAL specialists, and educators who are passionate about supporting multilingual learners and building inclusive school communities.In Episode 31, Helen Bodell is joined by Susan Stewart, Director at Articulate Multilingual, to explore how schools can strengthen home-school connections with multilingual families and better support pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL).Together, Helen and Susan discuss the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers to understand children’s language backgrounds, experiences, and identities. They explore how schools can create meaningful relationships with multilingual families, encourage home language use, and celebrate the cultural richness that families bring to the school community.Susan shares her expertise in multilingual education, language policy, and bilingualism, offering practical ideas for educators who want to develop stronger connections with families and make multilingual learners feel valued and understood.In this episode, you'll discover:Why strong home-school partnerships are important for multilingual learners.How schools can learn more about pupils’ language profiles and experiences.Ways to encourage and celebrate home language use.How families’ cultures and languages can enrich the school community.Practical approaches for engaging multilingual parents and carers.The role of language policy in supporting bilingual children and families.Building relationships with multilingual families helps schools understand the whole child. When children’s languages, cultures, and identities are recognised, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and confidence in their learning.Whether you are an EAL Lead, classroom teacher, teaching assistant, school leader, or family engagement lead, this episode provides practical guidance for creating stronger partnerships with multilingual communities.Meet Susan StewartSusan Stewart is Director at Articulate Multilingual and has extensive experience in international education, multilingual language programmes, and developing research-informed language curricula.Having lived and worked in South Africa, Thailand, the UAE, Belgium, Oman, Sweden, and the UK, Susan brings a global perspective to multilingual education. She has raised two bilingual children and is a lifelong learner of languages, speaking English, French, Dutch, German, Afrikaans, Swedish, Arabic, and British Sign Language (BSL) to varying degrees.Susan regularly delivers parent workshops on raising bilingual children and has a particular interest in language policy as a tool for promoting multilingualism within families, schools, and wider communities.Connect with SusanFind Susan Stewart on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-stewart-55064249/Explore more Twinkl EAL resourcesJoin Twinkl EAL:https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/72uh3Browse the full Twinkl EAL resource collection:https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/1gx63tFree EAL CPD sessionsBook your free online EAL CPD sessions:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/the-twinkl-eal-collection-2587299If you enjoyed this episode of Talking Their Language with Helen Bodell, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with colleagues. Each episode explores practical strategies, research, and real experiences that help educators support multilingual learners and create inclusive schools where every language is valued.