On September 4th 2020 our BM@Reading Co-Director, Dr Naomi Flynn, delivered a webinar for teachers in Scotland with her colleague Dr Yvonne Foley of Edinburgh University. This as part of the event ‘The new normal for languages at home, school and in the community’, co-organised by Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT) and Bilingualism Matters. In their presentation Naomi and Yvonne set out some enduring principles of pedagogy for EAL learners, and showcased examples of what these look like in primary and secondary schools. In response, Mattia Zingaretti, a volunteer with Bilingualism Matters Edinburgh, wrote this blog which draws together messages from their presentation and that of the lead speaker Prof Antonella Sorace.