Can My Child Join an International School Without Speaking English?

Published 13 September 2026 · AI-assisted SchoolMatch Europe editorial · Sources and approach

Sometimes, yes. Some schools can support a child who is new to English. Others need a certain level of English before the child joins. The answer depends on the school, the year group, the start date and the support it can offer.

Do not assume that “international” means “open to beginners at every age.” Ask the school about your child's exact situation before you apply or pay a fee.

This guide explains the words you may hear and the questions worth asking. It also gives you a plan for checking support before the move and during the first weeks. It does not promise how quickly any child will learn a language.

What does EAL mean?

EAL means English as an Additional Language. It describes pupils who use English alongside another language. A child described as EAL may be new to English or may already speak it well.

A child can know a great deal and still find it hard to show that knowledge in English. A maths problem, for example, may be difficult because of the words around the numbers rather than the maths itself.

The Bell Foundation stresses that pupils who use EAL have very different language skills and school histories. One label cannot describe all of them. Source: The Bell Foundation on multilingual pupils.

So give the school a fuller picture. Which languages can your child speak, read and write? Which language do they learn in now? Have they had gaps in school? What helps them when a task is new?

Speaking with friends is not the whole picture

A child may chat in English about a game but struggle to explain a science result. Another may read well yet feel unsure about speaking in a group.

Ask how the school checks listening, speaking, reading and writing. A brief conversation should not be treated as the full picture of what your child can do.

It also helps to ask about school tasks. Can the child follow a set of written steps? Explain why an answer is right? Compare two ideas? These questions make the discussion more useful than a simple label such as “good English.”

Ask the school to explain any level or test result in plain words. You need to know what the result means for lessons, entry and support, not just learn a new score.

Why the child's age and start date matter

Schools can set different entry rules for different stages. The work in an exam course is not the same as the work in a beginner class.

CAISL's published guidance gives a clear example. It says a pupil can enter Grade 8 in September with little or no English, while later entry involves a test. It sets higher English expectations for Grades 9 and 10, and requires English fluency for entry to Grades 11 and 12. These are CAISL's rules, not a rule for Portugal as a whole. Source: CAISL language support and entry requirements.

Ask your chosen school about the exact month and year group. A reply about September may not answer a question about January. A reply about primary school may not answer a question about the final years of secondary school.

What might language support look like?

Ask the school to describe the support in a real week. It might include work with a language teacher, help inside a normal lesson, small-group work, or a mix of approaches. Do not assume that a school's use of the term EAL tells you the number of lessons.

Find out whether support replaces another class. If it does, ask what the child will miss and how the school manages that trade-off.

AISZ, in Zagreb, describes English assessment as part of onboarding for pupils whose first language is not English. It explains that EAL can take the place of World Languages, with placement reviewed as pupils progress. This shows why it is useful to ask what happens inside the timetable. It does not promise a place for a particular child. Source: AISZ student support.

Ask these questions before you apply

You do not need to ask every question in one long email. Start with entry and space, then arrange a talk with the person who leads language support.

1. Can a child at this English level join this year group?
2. Is language support available at this campus and start date?
3. How do you check the child's English and past learning?
4. Who provides the support?
5. What would a normal week of support look like?
6. Is help given inside class, outside class, or both?
7. Does it replace another subject?
8. Is there an extra charge?
9. How will teachers know what help the child needs?
10. When will the plan be reviewed, and how will parents hear about progress?

Listen for answers tied to your child. “We have many nationalities” tells you about the school community. It does not tell you what happens when your child cannot understand a task.

Get a simple support plan in writing

Before accepting a place, try to agree on a short plan. It does not need to be full of technical terms.

This is a parent planning sheet. It is not a claim that every school uses the same system. The point is to turn a broad promise into an arrangement you can understand.

A made-up example: two offers that sound the same

Imagine a ten-year-old called Alex. Alex reads well in Polish and has studied some English, but has never learned science in English. This is a fictional example.

School A says, “We offer EAL.” School B says, “Our language teacher will assess Alex, explain the support timetable, and arrange a review with you.”

That does not prove B is the better school. School A may have a strong plan it has not yet explained. The next step is to ask A for the same details.

Now imagine both schools provide clear plans. One takes Alex out of a language class for support. The other provides some help during subject lessons. Ask how each plan would work for Alex, what it would replace, and how staff would decide when to change it.

You are comparing actual support, not just the same three letters on two websites.

Keep your home language in the picture

You do not have to turn every family moment into an English lesson. Keep talking, reading and sharing ideas in the language you use well together.

The Bell Foundation's parent guidance supports the use of a child's home language when helping them learn. It also encourages parents to ask the school for clear information about lessons and homework. Its guide is written for the UK, so use the learning ideas while checking local school arrangements. Source: Helping your child learn.

At home, you might read a story and talk about what happened. You might explain a school idea in a familiar language, then help the child find a few key English words. Ask the teacher which kind of help fits the current classwork.

Avoid turning yourself into a second examiner each evening. Your role can be to help your child understand, keep a workable routine, and tell the school what you notice.

Make the first day easier to understand

Ask the school for a simple picture of the day. Where does the child arrive? Who will meet them? Where are the toilets, lunch area and pickup point?

You can practise a few useful phrases together: “I need help,” “Please show me,” or “I do not understand yet.” This is not a test. It gives the child a way to ask for what they need.

Ask whether a named adult or pupil will help the child settle in. If the school uses a buddy system, find out what the buddy actually does. Showing someone the lunch queue is different from helping them follow a whole school day.

Tell the teacher how your child usually shows worry or tiredness. Keep the note brief and useful. It may help staff notice when the child needs a clearer explanation or a break.

What to check in the first few weeks

Agree with the school when you will talk again. Then collect a few specific observations rather than trying to judge the whole move each day.

You could note:

• Can the child explain what homework they have?
• Do they know who to ask for help?
• Are they joining activities they enjoy?
• Which parts of the day still seem unclear?
• What can they do now that they could not do at the start?

These are prompts for a conversation, not a test of normal progress. There is no fixed week by which every child should reach the same point.

Ask teachers for examples from class. A work sample, a short explanation and a next goal can tell you more than “doing fine.” If school and home see different things, discuss both views rather than assuming one is wrong.

If your child is struggling, ask what is being checked

Do not assume that every problem comes from English. Do not assume that a low score proves a learning difficulty either.

Ask how the school separates language demands from knowledge of the subject. Ask what it knows about the child's earlier schooling and strongest language. If concerns go beyond language, discuss the right next step with the school's qualified staff.

A child may need changes to a task, a clearer routine, a different level of language support, or further assessment. The right response depends on the child. An online checklist cannot decide it.

Do not buy a promise of instant fluency

A school cannot responsibly promise that every child will be fluent after the same number of weeks. Ask how it tracks progress and adapts help instead.

Be cautious about advice that treats being quiet as proof of failure or chatting happily as proof that all support can stop. Ask what the child can do across different school tasks.

Your goal is access to learning and school life. Perfect English is not a useful day-one target.

A clear next step

Make a short list of possible schools. Use the Portugal directory or the Croatia directory if those are your target countries. A teaching-language label helps you start; it does not confirm beginner admission or an EAL place.

Send each school the same brief picture of your child. Ask for the exact entry rule, support plan and cost. Then compare the replies with the child at the centre of the decision.

The strongest answer is more than “yes, we teach in English.” It tells you how your child will join, who will help, and how you will know what to do next.