ABSTRACT
This chapter will set the scene for the rest of the book by beginning with a historical overview of children with EAL followed by a short discussion on the impact of rising numbers of children with EAL. There will then be an overview of the context of children with EAL and how increased immigration has led to categorisation and labelling. The focus then moves onto how Early Years education in England has gone through a complete change from non-existent intervention from the government to current regulation with key emphasis on marketisation and performativity (discussed in chapter eight) through a goal orientated curriculum. The current inclusion agenda implies that the needs of all children should be met including those children with EAL, but how and to what extent these needs are met can be contested and debated. Finally, this chapter concludes with a brief overview of some of the challenges associated with meeting the needs of children with EAL.
Key words: historical overview, migration, labelling, inclusion
