Scottish Government Policy: the Context of Support for ESOL
With the publication of the Race Relations Amendment Act in 2000, public bodies had a legal duty to examine their roles and practices and the Scottish Executive, as it was then, supported publicly the inclusion and diversity agenda.
The following documents underpin the Scottish ESOL learning and teaching context:
Research and the Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland
In 2004 the National ESOL Strategy: mapping exercise and scoping study was published which detailed the nature of ESOL provision in Scotland: ESOL learners, practitioners and their experience and qualifications in ESOL tutoring, and the assessment and achievements of learners in ESOL provision. The study proposed a number of recommendations to help address issues in ESOL provision, professional development for practitioners and learning and teaching resources for learners in Scotland. This study helped to inform the Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland which was launched in 2007 and has since addressed (and continues to address) many of the issues that were raised from the research such as continuing professional development for practitioners and better partnership working between providers to ensure successful learning and progression of learners. The Strategy is a reflection of the recognition in Scotland that the need for high quality ESOL provision to support Scotland’s ambitions of growing the economy and encourage active citizenship in a diverse and pluralistic society is and remains a priority.
The vision of the Strategy is
That all Scottish residents ¹ for whom English is not a first language have the opportunity to access high quality English language provision so that they can acquire the language skills to enable them to participate in Scottish life: in the workplace, through further study, within the family, the local community, Scottish society and the economy. These language skills are central to giving people a democratic voice and supporting them to contribute to the society in which they live.
¹ The term Scottish resident carries no legal definition. However, there are a number of eligibility criteria, currently used in Scotland, for access to funding for learning. These are set out in the Scottish Executive’s guide to learner funding, Helping you meet the costs of learning: Your guide to Funding and on the Scottish Government’s website. Adult ESOL literacy learners - i.e. those who have little or no literacy in their own mother-tongue and who have little or no literacy in English and whose spoken English may range from basic to fluent - are eligible for free ESOL with literacies courses, funded under adult literacy and numeracy streams.
The Strategy aspires to the following guiding principles for adult ESOL provision in Scotland:
View the Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland (pdf).
Research
National "English for Speakers of Other Languages" (ESOL) Strategy: Mapping Exercise and Scoping Study (National research relating to ESOL in Scotland) - view this study here.
Migration to Scotland
Scotland has always been host to migrant populations, from the Romans through to the Italians and Poles at the beginning of the 20th Century. More recently, migration has again had an impact on the demographics and linguistic map of Scotland, and thus its diverse population of ESOL learners.
In 2000, after the publication of the Immigration and Asylum Act (1999), asylum seekers from such diverse countries as, for example, Iraq, Iran, Somalia and the Congo were dispersed across Scotland's Central belt; in 2004, with the opening of borders in Europe, a variety of Scottish regions became host to migrants from Eastern Europe.
Of these, some chose to come to Scotland; others found themselves here, having fled political or social unrest, even persecution, in their own countries. Since their arrival some have decided, while others have been forced, to leave; many have fought for and won for the right to remain. In contrast, many 'economic' migrants’ arrived with both the intention and the right to remain.
What many of these migrants want, in common with settled minority ethnic Scots, is to stay in Scotland, to work and to contribute to society in some way. and may find themselves learning in ESOL classes along with members of the settled or settling, as in the case of family reunification, community of ESOL learners.
For those who have no English at all, and perhaps no literacy in their own language, there is a real need to acquire English: to take an active part, even at a very basic level, in their surroundings. For others who may have an existing command of or even facility with the English language, they may be required to extend their language skills in order to find employment or to pursue academic study; a level of English Language competence is required, by law, of all migrants who want to become British citizens and also by universities for entry to higher level courses. It is often forgotten that many new migrants are highly skilled, have been well educated in their own countries, have come from professional backgrounds even though, currently, they may be employed in a capacity far below their level of academic competence.
The following case study illustrates how ESOL learning can impact the final outcome achieved by a working professional in Scotland with English language learning needs.
Dr X entered the United Kingdom as an Asylum Seeker in January 2002 from Iraq where they had qualified as a medical doctor some years earlier. Dr X was transferred from London to Glasgow by the Home Office in March 2002. The Scottish Refugee Council referred Dr X to the NHS Education for Scotland's Refugee Doctors' Programme. This programme is designed to assist Refugee Doctors into medical practice in the United Kingdom. Dr X was subsequently granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom, the status required to work in the UK.
Deanery staff arranged for Dr X's English language to be assessed at Anniesland College. Following assessment it was arranged that they join ESOL classes. In August 2002 lecturers at Anniesland College arranged a mock IELTS examination (International English Language Testing System). Dr X obtained level 5 in this exam which qualified them entry into IELTS classes. Dr X continued to attend IELTS classes until August 2004 when they passed IELTS at level 7 (this was the third attempt at IELTS). Level 7 is the outcome required to allow progression to the General Medical Council PLAB examinations. Passing PLAB 1 and 2 is a requirement to obtain GMC professional registration.
There were periods of frustration when Dr X felt like giving up on the struggle to pass IELTS but was supported and encouraged by English language lecturers at Anniesland College. Without this support Dr X would have been unable to progress to the GMC PLAB examinations and their efforts to re-enter the medical profession would have come to an end.
Dr X passed PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 with the support of NHS Education for Scotland. Dr X entered medical practice as a junior doctor in the West of Scotland and has progressed into specialty training. Dr X continues to work in the West of Scotland and now considers Scotland home.
Dr X was granted British Citizenship in 2009.
(NHS Education for Scotland Refugee Doctors' Programme)
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