Under the new arrangements for school inspection, inspection teams are to look hard at EAL and bilingual learners, the progress they make and the quality of the teaching they receive. Under the new evaluation schedule , inspectors are advised that 'Inspection is primarily about how individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential, especially those whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and/or additional support. EAL and bilingual learners are included in a key group list and inspectors are also advised that teaching is likely to be inadequate where 'pupils or groups of pupils currently in the school are making inadequate progress'. (OfSTED, 2011, p7)
In the draft evaluation framework for the inspection of maintained schools and academies (OfSTED, 2011) it is noted that:
Inspection is primarily about how individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential, especially those whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and/or additional support. In any particular school, such pupils may include:
-disabled pupils, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, and those who have special educational needs
-boys
-girls
-groups of pupils whose prior attainment may be different from that of other groups
-those who are academically more able
pupils for whom English is an additional language
-minority ethnic pupils
-Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children
-looked after children
-pupils known to be eligible for free school meals
-lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils
-transgender pupils
-young carers
-pupils from low income backgrounds
-other vulnerable groups.
NALDIC welcomes the renewed emphasis on the quality of teaching that bilingual learners receive. Taken together with the requirement in the new teachers' standards that every teacher must 'have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them'. we believe this will provide teachers and schools with a strong incentive to ensure that they are catering well for bilingual pupils' distinctive language learning needs.
