30th January 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The government has recently proposed to reduce the support available to students who do not speak English as a first language. Reported on the BBC, the government are looking to cut the education budget by limiting English support to 3-5 years. One in six primary school students in England currently speak English as their second language, a number which is on the increase, but it’s been stated that no decision has yet been made.
The National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum (Naldic) is worried that funding for English as an Additional Language (EAL) is no longer ring-fenced, after it was incorporated into general education funding a few years ago, as were many such specific education budgets. Frank Monaghan, the vice chair of Naldic said that he thinks the funding should be available for 5-7 years.
The head teacher of Montem Primary School in Slough said that in their school, which contains 70% of pupils who are bilingual, the extra English help has been essential in allowing these students to close the academic gap on their English counterparts. However, the recent government report into EAL suggests that many primary school students have a sufficient level of English by age 11, and that there is not necessarily a need to continue the support after that age.