Scottish Qualifications Authority
The City of Edinburgh EAL Service
An English for Speakers of Other Languages Case Study
Background
The City of Edinburgh EAL Service is a centrally based peripatetic service comprising
approximately 30 FTE teachers and 15 Bilingual Support Assistants covering a wide
range of languages. Last session the service provided regular visits to 112 City of
Edinburgh Council (CEC) Schools. EAL staff worked with a total of 1901 pupils in 88
primary, 23 secondary and 1 special school. A total of 87 different languages were
spoken by bilingual pupils during session 2005-2006. The highest number of speakers of
another language in 2005-2006 was Punjabi/Urdu with 432, followed by Arabic at 202
and then Polish which has jumped significantly to third place with 190 speakers.
Issues Faced Prior To Starting SQA ESOL
Luan Porter, Headteacher of the City of Edinburgh EAL Service, explained that as the
team has such a large number of schools and pupils to support, individual EAL teachers
have limited time with each school each week. Indeed there is no school where a member
of the EAL Service is present everyday and only a small number of staff visit one school
for even half of the week. Edinburgh City Council EAL Service was therefore simply not
able to take responsibility for the delivery of SQA ESOL courses in schools due to
resourcing constraints.
At the same time the EAL service recognised that many secondary aged bilingual pupils
would benefit from an increased range of certificated English language courses in
addition to those traditionally offered by schools. By broadening the range of courses it
is hoped that bilingual pupils will have increased opportunities to both develop and gain
recognition for their achievements in English language acquisition.
The School-College Partnership Model
Faced with conflicting pressures of a lack of resources and a pressing need for a solution
that would meet the specific needs of an ever-increasing number of bilingual pupils, the
EAL service has liaised with local colleges and secondary school managers to facilitate
the provision of ESOL classes at Higher and Access 3 level by means of School –
College Partnerships.
From September 2006 a SQA Higher ESOL Course in addition to the existing IELTS
preparation class was made available to S5/S6 bilingual pupils city wide. ESOL tutors
from Stevenson College, Edinburgh deliver Higher ESOL classes in Drummond
Community High School on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 4.15pm – 6.15pm. The
Course comprises internally assessed units and an externally assessed component in the
main diet of SQA Examinations in May/June. Internally assessed units consist of a
double credit Unit in Everyday Communication and a choice of either the single credit
unit ESOL: Study–related Contexts or single credit ESOL: Work-related Contexts.
In addition, Edinburgh’s Telford College is delivering SQA ESOL Access 3 Units
through a school-college partnership for pupils in schools in the North neighbourhood of
the City. The classes are also held twice a week on Mondays 4-5pm and Fridays 1 –
2.30pm at Broughton High School and are targeted primarily at S3/S4 pupils. Both this
class and that at Drummond are now running at full capacity.
Luan Porter explained that the classes have been funded under the Flexible Curriculum
initiative, informed by the SEED document “Lifelong Partners” which provides funding
to support pupils accessing college learning. Pupils use public transport to reach the
schools or colleges where classes are held and can obtain bus tokens from their school.
The Benefits for Candidates
By undertaking and achieving a Higher ESOL, IELTS or Access 3 certificate it is hoped
that more pupils will be able to progress more easily to the next stage of their education
or career.
The increased support with English language acquisition will occur outwith their regular
timetables in school and will therefore not impact on the range of courses and support
available to them in school, thus maximising their opportunities to access a full and
balanced curriculum.
In addition the classes can provide a supportive environment for pupils, who may often
feel isolated but who will be experiencing the same challenges and issues, to meet and
provide mutual help and advice. The social benefits derived from such classes can play a
key role in the academic success of bilingual learners.
The Benefits for the School
In addition, there are benefits for the school too. Undertaking an ESOL course helps
pupils develop confidence and the transferable skills needed to perform better in other
subjects, thus raising overall achievement.
Furthermore, by increasing the range of provision for bilingual pupils to develop their
English language skills, schools are being supported in meeting their duty to address the
needs of such pupils as specified in the Education (Additional Support for Learning)
(Scotland) Act 2004, which became law in November 2005.
The Role of the EAL Service
A major benefit of the school college partnership is that the colleges are responsible for
all aspects of learning and assessment as well as all data management with SQA. Input
from the EAL service is limited to initial negotiation with schools and colleges to
establish classes, the identification of suitable candidates for each course and thereafter
administration with advertising the courses and forwarding applications to the colleges
concerned.
It is hoped that further classes will be established in the future to help meet the needs of
bilingual pupils in different neighbourhoods of the city. The CEC EAL service continues
to work with school managers and college ESOL providers to this end.
Further Information
For advice and further information on SQA’s range of ESOL Units and Courses please
visit SQA’s website www.sqa.org.uk/esol or contact either of the following:
Eunice McAllister
Business Development Manager
Tel: 0845 213 5519
Email: Alan.Wilson@sqa.org.uk
Margaret Allan
ESOL Development Manager
Tel: 07887 797087
Email: Margaret.Allan@sqa.org.uk