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

And this one!

In Newham when I worked there in late 1990's we were tracking EAL pupils and found that pupils with prior schooling in L1 and 3 years plus in English medium schooling were able to pass some GCSEs A*- C. Student data was analysed by less than 3 years schooling in UK and 3 years plus schooling..
However this was late 1990s and so not sure whether that is still the picture now...

Sara

Sara Green
Head of Language Development Service
Family and Children's Services Kensington and Chelsea
Isaac Newton PDC
108a Lancaster Road
London W11 1QS

Tel: 020 7598 4817
Fax: 020 7598 4808

Email: sara.green at rbkc.gov.uk
www.rbkc.gov.uk/eal14to19

-----Original Message-----
From: eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk [mailto:eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of real.public
Sent: 23 January 2007 14:01
To: For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic andlinguisticminorities
Subject: Re: [eal-bilingual] GCSEs and new to schooling and new to EAL

Apologies everyone, particularly Dominique.  Was forwarding this old email 
to someone else and pressed the wrong button!
Jonathan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "real.public" <real.public at btinternet.com>
To: "For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic 
andlinguisticminorities" <eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: [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
>
>
>
>
> 

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