[eal-bilingual] Recording more than one language

"A pupil’s first language is defined as any language other than English 
that a child was exposed to during early development and continues to 
be exposed to in the home or community. If a child was exposed to more 
than one language (which may include English) during early development, 
a language other than English should be recorded, irrespective of the 
child’s proficiency in English.

For primary aged pupils parents should determine the first language.  
For pupils aged between 11-15 the DFES recommend that decisions 
regarding a pupil’s own identity are best made with the support and 
knowledge of their parent(s), in a family context. For pupils aged 16 
and over, the pupils are expected to make their own decision.

Data such as that on first language should be regarded as personal to 
that pupil and the individual’s decision should be respected. If pupils 
or parents are reluctant to provide information they should be 
encouraged to do so but not be pressed. They have the right to refuse 
to provide sensitive personal data. If a pupil or parent has actively 
refused to provide this information schools must not record a language.

Further details and the full DfES guidance document are available 
online at: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities."

Is this the version of the guidance you refer to Amy. The link you 
gave does not seem to work. I suspect in some cases it will be 
difficult to decide on a first - there are many cases where two 
languages are best recorded especially since the knowledge may need to 
be applied to improve teaching and learning. 

Stuart

----Original Message----
From: amy.thompson at medway.gov.uk
Date: Jan 28, 2008 14:05 
To: "For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from ethnic 
andlinguistic
	minorities"<eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk>
Subj: RE: [eal-bilingual] Recording more than one language

Dear colleagues

I refer you to the supplementary guidance produced by the DCSF for
collecting language data which provides definitions for first language
and home language:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.
uk/ethnicminorities/resources/First_Lang_S
upp_Gdnc_Jan08

Amy Thompson 
Adviser for Minority Ethnic Achievement & 
Primary School Improvement Partner
Medway Children's Services 
Civic Centre 
Strood, Rochester 
Kent, ME2 4AU 
Tel: 01634 338594 
Fax: 01634 331171 

-----Original Message-----
From: eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:eal-bilingual-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of
Sara.Green at rbkc.gov.uk
Sent: 28 January 2008 13:57
To: eal-bilingual at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: RE: [eal-bilingual] Recording more than one language

Colleagues

Our SIMS team has confirmed that while there are two fields currently
(the first language is what census and CTF collect. The home language 
is
a very condensed lookup which can be edited) their understanding is 
that
the home language field will eventually become obsolete. If people 
need
to collect
several home languages the alterative way is user defined fields. The
team is currently setting these up in all our schools.

Sara

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

Email: sara.green at rbkc.gov.uk
Direct line: 020 7598 4817
Fax: 020 7598 4808
Website: www.rbkc.gov.uk   
LDS 14-19 website: 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 
CATHARINE
DRIVER
Sent: 26 January 2008 18:38
To: stuart.scott; For practitioners involved in teaching pupils from
ethnic andlinguistic minorities
Subject: Re: [eal-bilingual] Recording more than one language

Yes I've come across some of these problems too. 
  However, SIMS can record two languages. I think it has a section for
home language and another for mother tongue. I cannot however, put in 
3
languages. 

  We still find SIMS cannot record some of the more obscure languages,
but you can customise it to do so. It's just that when you get a new
language it's never seen before that the data manager has to alter the
field or something.
  Our system didn't like Thai, Mongolian, Oromo and Malayalam this 
year
for example!

  From what I remember the DCSF think that if one parent speaks 
English
and the child has been speaking English at home, she cannot then be 
EAL-
but I just ignore this and record whatever home language is spoken as
well as English and no one has complained yet!

  Generally  the inputting of data is only as good as the admission
form, so the onus on schools is to get that right first. 

  Catharine

"stuart.scott" <stuart.scott at collaborativelearning.org> wrote:
  I was in a school yesterday where a group of new arrivals were being
put on the school data system.Two of them had parents who had 
different
first languages and the children had acquired both. The school used
Integris and there was only apparent space on the system to record one
language. I think
that if schools use SIMS there is a way in which both languages can be
recorded.

Some questions.

Are you giving guidance to schools about recording their languages?

Are you encouraging them to record more than one language?

Have you encountered a two/three... language issue?

Are schools recording languages arbitrarily e.g. from the language of
the father only/the mother only?

If a child has an English father and consequently an English sounding
family name but speaks another language, is this getting recorded?

Stuart

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Collaborative Learning Project, 17 Barford Street, London N1 0QB
A network of teaching professionals developing and disseminating accessible talk-for-learning teaching materials in all subject areas and for all ages..
Telephone: 0044 (0)207 226 8885
Website:http://www.collaborativelearning.org
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