At The International School @ ParkCity Hanoi, 98% of students speak English as an additional language (EAL). For assistant head and EAL lead, Lewis Foster, supporting those learners efficiently is essential. The school needed a system that was robust, scalable and reliable across every year group.
“We turned to FlashAcademy® to streamline our EAL provision from Year 1 through to Year 11,” Lewis explains.
From time consuming to time saving
Before FlashAcademy®, assessment placed a heavy burden on both staff and students. Over the course of a year…
- 232 hours of staff time were spent preparing, marking and analysing just three assessments per student.
- 192 hours of student learning time was lost to sitting those assessments.
- In total, 424 hours across the year were dedicated purely to assessment activities.
Since adopting FlashAcademy®, the picture looks very different…
- Only 20 hours of staff time were needed to prepare, deliver and analyse six assessments – doubling assessment frequency.
- Students completed them in 48 hours, freeing up 75% more time for learning.
- The total time spent on assessment dropped to 68 hours, a staggering 84% reduction.
“FlashAcademy® helped us flip our priorities,” says Lewis. “We are spending more time planning high quality interventions and less time gathering the data.”
More assessments, less pressure
Within just one academic year the school has been able to double its assessment frequency without adding to the workload.
- Lewis and his team have saved 356 hours saved in assessment time
- 155 learners have completed over 5,700 lessons and learnt 31,500 new words
FlashAcademy®’s AI-assisted marking now allows a single member of staff to grade and analyse results across 11-year groups, meaning the EAL team can spend more time supporting students directly.
Data that shows progress
The time savings are only part of the story. Clear evidence of learner progress has been seen across the learners at ParkCity:
- 70% of learners progressed by at least one grade
- 91 learners advanced by three grades or more in writing skills
- 5 learners improved by seven grades
These insights are shaping pupil progress meetings, informing EAL grouping decisions and guiding a whole school approach to EAL.
Moving from EAL to first language English
One of the most positive outcomes is that more students are moving from EAL support into mainstream English groups. Interventions are now more targeted, groups are smaller and results are stronger. Teachers have more capacity and students have more opportunity to succeed.
“FlashAcademy® gives us clarity,” Lewis explains. “Whether we are supporting Year 1 phonics or preparing secondary students for mainstream English, we now have the tools to do it with confidence.”
Redefining EAL provision
For The International School @ ParkCity Hanoi, implementing FlashAcademy® has achieved more than just save time. It has reshaped how the school approaches EAL assessment and progress. With sharper insights, streamlined systems and more effective use of staff time, the school is showing what successful language provision can look like in an international context.