[eal-bilingual] GCSEs and new to schooling and new to EAL

And this one!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dominique Moore" <dominique_moore at bristol-city.gov.uk>
To: <eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 3:59 PM
Subject: [eal-bilingual] GCSEs and new to schooling and new to EAL

Does anyone know if there is any information about how long a student, who 
has had little or no formal schooling and is new to learning English, has 
had to be in the UK to pass a GCSE exam?

The question occurs because I am currently working with pupils in KS3 and 
KS4 who have very limited previous schooling (some with no expereince of 
schooling).

At what point should alternative qualifications be considered for such 
students? What are the best grades such a student arriving in Yr 9, for 
example, could hope to achieve? Is there a point at which it would be of 
greater benefit for that student's future prospects, in FE, HE or 
employment, to consider alternative recognised qualifications? Or is it best 
to have the approach that the student should continue to aim for GCSEs but 
to sit for these later than other students?

Some of the students I work with have high aspirations, for example one 
student arrived from Somalia in YR 10 knowing only a few words in English, 
having had no formal education and with very limited literacy in Somali. She 
would like to be a doctor. I see no reason to beleive that she is not 
capable of achieving her ambition however I don't see a realistic prospect 
of her getting 3 or 4 A* A Levels by the time she is 18. Other students may 
not have such high ambitions but similarly, in time they have in secondary 
education, they may not be able to acquire subject knowledge and appropriate 
level of academic English to get grades that are necessary for steps towards 
their chosen careers.

Would welcome any advice about best ways to guide/help such students.

Dominique Moore
EMAS Teacher
Tutor - Newly Arrived Students
Whitefield, Speedwell, Monks Park Schools
Bristol