School language policies: a case for research-informed, cohesive policies

Language plays a crucial role in education; yet, on daily basis teachers and school leaders must navigate complex web of competing often conflicting priorities relation to various dimensions language education. This includes supporting students’ first literacy development, sustaining the teaching foreign languages curriculum considering other community or home spoken by students. However, while issues are undoubtedly relevant all teachers, school-level policies, which aim provide explicit guidance underpinned clear set principles, too conspicuous their absence. For example, left own devices decide whether how allow space for classroom; questions arise such as use classroom, ‘allow’ migrant students resource learning. paper, therefore, aims an overview some key theoretical perspectives multilingualism classroom consider practical implications schools when developing research-informed policies. It will draw briefly preliminary findings from project analysed policies relating across representative sample 998 secondary England. A case be made researchers collaborate develop research-informed, cohesive incorporate schools.