Learning Village by Across Cultures

What’s the difference between parental involvement and parental engagement - and why does it matter?

Parental involvement is what we often see: attending meetings, helping with homework, joining school events. These are valuable, but they’re usually led and defined by the school. Parental engagement goes a step further. It’s about partnership — where parents share their insights, voice concerns, and work alongside schools to support their child’s learning. It’s built on trust, communication, and mutual respect.

Both matter, but engagement tends to have the biggest impact - strengthening relationships and supporting children’s academic, emotional, and personal development. A useful reminder to reflect on how we’re working with families, not just involving them.

What is the difference between ‘Parental involvement’ and ‘Parental engagement’? Effective teacher-parent collaboration has undoubtedly been found to be beneficial for a child’s wellbeing and academic performance with relevant research recently highlighting two distinct approaches to home-school partnerships associated with specific parent behaviours each (Epstein, 2001). Belo...

Looking for an ESOL programme that supports learners from their very first words in English through to more advanced study and employment pathways?

Join our free webinar and discover **Community Village (The City)** – a blended learning programme designed for adult and post-16 ESOL learners.

✨ Supports learners from Pre-Entry ESOL to Level 3 ESOL
✨ Includes a Survival Language pathway for everyday English
✨ Develops literacy skills, including phonics, decoding, fluency and comprehension specifically for adults and post-16 learners
✨ Covers workplace English and other specialist language needs
✨ Includes printable resources to support classroom teaching

Whether you're supporting new arrivals, low-literacy learners or adults preparing for work and further study, Community Village provides a flexible and engaging pathway to success. Register here: https://buff.ly/prnoI0g

Introduction to the Community Village Webinar (Adult ESOL) - June session A free to access live webinar providing an introduction to the Community Village for adult learners.

Our competition has started! Here is our leaderboard showing the points so far!

At Learning Village, we believe effective EAL provision starts with high-quality professional development that is practical, flexible, and evidence-based.
Our EAL professional development offer is designed to support schools at every stage, combining:
• Expert-led webinars and resources to build staff knowledge
• Bespoke consultancy and INSET training tailored to your setting
• Ready-to-use materials that translate theory into classroom practice
The goal is simple: to equip educators with the skills, confidence, and tools needed to support multilingual learners effectively across the curriculum.
Explore how we can support your school:
https://buff.ly/HfbzGnx

English Language Learning and Literacy Professional Development Service The Learning Village offers a full EAL professional development service, including: Complimentary - Regular EAL newsletters with associated evidence-based resources to share CPD Complimentary - Regular EAL webinars delivered by EAL experts Complimentary - Ready-made printable resources including cur...

Let's celebrate World Rainforest Day on 22nd June by spreading awareness about the importance of these vital ecosystems. Download our EAL vocabulary resource now & bring the magic of the rainforest into your classroom!
https://buff.ly/q1LmxJ5

Many refugee learners arrive at school carrying far more than a backpack. They may have experienced disruption, loss, or long periods without education - and this can show up in the classroom in ways we don’t always immediately recognise. This article foffers a thoughtful reminder of the link between refugee experiences and mental health, and what that means for us as teachers day to day. It doesn’t offer quick fixes — but it does highlight something important: schools can be a place of stability, routine and belonging, and that in itself can make a real difference. Worth a read if you’re working with EAL learners or thinking about how to better support pupils who’ve had very different journeys to the classroom. 📖
https://buff.ly/MhFEtNq

Refugee student mental health in schools Many refugee learners arrive at their new school carrying far more than a backpack - they may also carry experiences of trauma, loss, and uncertainty. Their journey to the school gates might have come after experiences of war, separation from family members, or long periods without education. While....

This video provides an introduction to AssessEP, our robust English language proficiency assessment tool.

AssessEP has been specifically designed to help you identify your learners’ starting points in English, providing you with a quick, summative spot check of their current level in all four language skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking).

It also allows you to track learner progress, aligning with other EAL continua (such as BELL and CEFR).

Access here: https://buff.ly/5rWlvCn

Teachers — looking for an easy, engaging way to motivate your learners this term?

The Learning Village Annual Competition 2026 is here — and it’s designed with your classroom in mind.

📅 15–28 June 2026
🔒 Exclusive to Learning Village members
🏫 Enter as a class or whole school
📊 Track progress on a global leaderboard
🏆 Celebrate real learner achievement

Perfect for supporting EAL, SEND, and mixed-ability classes, this competition helps:
✔️ Build confidence
✔️ Increase engagement
✔️ Reinforce language and literacy skills
✔️ Give learners a clear, motivating goal

No complicated setup — just a simple way to bring a sense of purpose and excitement into your lessons at the end of term.

👉 Find out more and register your class: https://buff.ly/c4VP9uD

Download our World Refugee Day EAL resource pack to help multilingual learners explore themes of resilience, empathy, identity, and belonging through meaningful and engaging language activities. 🌍💙
https://buff.ly/BF1aqHM