As members will know, over the last two years, the range of qualifications available to bilingual learners has been extended. EAL learners can now follow: IGCSE ESL, ESOL Skills for life qualifications, Functional skills qualifications in addition to, or instead of, English GCSE.
The QCDA website states that
'All EAL learners are encouraged to follow courses leading to a GCSE in English, where this is appropriate to their current capability. For learners not yet in a position to undertake a GCSE in English, it may be appropriate to consider:
- English for speakers of other languages qualifications
- a functional skills qualification in English
- English Language GCSE.
- English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Skills for Life
Whilst NALDIC supports the development of qualifications which reflect the linguistic and educational diversity of our school population, there are a number of possible issues which need to be carefully considered.
As members will know, ESOL Skills for Life and Skills for Work qualifications are the only qualifications which have been developed for use with post-compulsory ESOL learners in the UK i.e. they are neither EFL nor literacy nor general English qualifications. This is reflected in the content and approach of the qualifications. However their development was informed by the post compulsory adult context and colleagues at
NATECLA have expressed concern at the 'inappropriate use of these adult-focussed qualifications with learners in the school sector'. In addition, many organisations have expressed reservations regarding the functional skills qualifications. NATECLA, for example note that 'ESOL learner needs have not been adequately taken into account in developing these qualifications even though it is inevitable that ESOL learners will enter for this accreditation'. One example is the lack of attention paid to 'spiky' learner profiles through the task-based assessment methods.
NALDIC believes that it is important that pathways exist for bilingual learners through a framework of qualifications which are both linguistically and educationally appropriate and which support bilingual learners to achieve their goals. We would be interested in hearing from members of their experience with these qualifications.
