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NATIONAL 'ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES' (ESOL) STRATEGY
MAPPING EXERCISE AND SCOPING STUDY

CHAPTER TWO ESOL IN SCOTLAND

INTRODUCTION

2.1 This chapter describes the nature and extent of ESOL provision in Scotland. Findings from the managers' questionnaire are described and analysed, and information derived from interviews with a number of ESOL managers and stakeholders - mainly from the four survey cluster areas of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dumfriesshire - is also presented.

2.2 An online questionnaire was sent to a total of 91 managers of ESOL departments in FE Colleges, managers responsible for ESOL in Council Community Learning and Development Departments and some Voluntary sector co-ordinators. Efforts were made to contact every College and Council department, but we are aware that we did not manage to do this in every case. 67% of managers responded.

THE ESOL POPULATION

2.3 There is no accurate source of information on the number of people in Scotland who may require assistance with English. In addition, there are no data on the number of people whose first language is not English. This has the potential to cause problems in the effective planning of ESOL provision in Scotland. Schellekens (2001) suggests that a combination of Census and Home Office data can be used to estimate the number of second language speakers. Table 2.1 (below) shows the 2001 Census data, which provides details on country of birth. From this we can estimate that there were 135,000 second language speakers resident in Scotland in 2001.

2.4 While the 2001 Census data provides a starting point there have been additional in-flows of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants, whose first language is not English, over the period 2001-04. The Scottish Refugee Council estimates that there are around 10,000 asylum seekers/ refugees resident in Scotland - the majority from countries where English is not the first language. In addition, there is likely to be a significantly higher number of economic migrants resident in Scotland either on a temporary or permanent basis. The First Minister, Jack McConnell, stated in February 2004 that he hoped to be able to attract around 8,000 economic migrants to Scotland every year. We feel, therefore, that it is reasonable to assume that a proportion of these will come from parts of the world where English is not the first language (e.g. the EU). On this basis, we estimate that there were at least 150,000 second-language speakers living in Scotland in 2004. Not all of these, however, will need to learn English.

2.5 Estimates by Carr-Hill et al (1996) and the work by Schellekens (2001) suggest that approximately one-third of second language speakers will need to improve their English language skills if they are to participate fully in education, work and society. This, therefore, suggests that there were likely to be around 50,000 people in Scotland requiring some form of English language support in 2004.

2.6 Table 2.2 presents our estimates of those who may require English language support at the local authority level in Scotland. It should be noted, however, that these are best estimates derived from available data and should be used with caution. Nevertheless, it is clear that the 50,000 estimate is considerably in excess of the estimated 9,000 currently enrolled in English classes in Scotland.

Table 2.1 Estimates of Second Language Speakers in Scotland by Local Authority ³

Table 2.2 Estimates of Demand for English Language Support in Scotland, 2004

Source: Scottish Economic Research, University of Abertay Dundee

COVERAGE

2.7 Of the 46 FE Colleges which are members of the Association of Scottish Colleges, 31 Colleges responded to the "manager's" questionnaire. Of those 31, nine Colleges told us that they did not provide ESOL (although some "hosted" them - i.e. provided accommodation for CE classes).

2.8 Thirty-four CE Centres completed the questionnaire and four voluntary centres responded.

2.9 The imbalance between the FE and the CE sectors is largely explained by the smaller size of classes in CE, and the narrower range of levels catered for. In addition, Colleges in Edinburgh and Glasgow are responsible for staffing and co-ordinating most of the community-based (outreach) classes. Elsewhere, CE is the sole provider - not only in more sparsely populated areas such as the Highlands, but also in some significant centres of population such as Stirling, Kirkcaldy and Dumfries.

2.10 Responses to the questionnaire gives total enrolments for 2003-04 as 8,198 (see Table 2.3). Some students will have enrolled on or attended more than one course in more than one sector. 66% of the total were female. Using information from additional sources ⁴, it is possible to add another 994 to this total, giving a national ESOL figure of over 9,100. Table 2.4 illustrates the breakdown of ESOL enrolments by category of learner/ student.

Table 2.3 Total Number of Students enrolled 2003-04

Table 2.4 Categories of Students enrolled 2003-04

In Scotland unlike in England, most institutions integrate students in the same classes, regardless of fee-paying status and background. According to those we interviewed, this is viewed positively by all learners and teachers alike: classes are more likely to contain mixed nationalities, and to be more vibrant and stimulating as a result.

2.11 The majority of students and courses are found in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Table 2.5 below shows the distribution of courses by council area..

Table 2.5 Distribution of classes by Council area (FE, CE and Voluntary sectors)

* "other courses" include part-time, evening and short courses and home or 1:1 tuition

From other sources - late survey returns and preliminary interviews, we can add another 63 courses and 994 enrolled ESOL learners as shown in Table 2.6 below. The figures in Table 2.6 are not included in the analysis that follows.

Table 2.6 Courses and Student Numbers from Late Survey Respondents

2.12 A number of centres, mainly in cities, offer specific English for Work classes (General English classes often include language and skills for work, or for applying for jobs). Four FE Colleges and six Community Education Centres stated that they ran English for Work classes. Thirty-one Colleges and Centres (including a Voluntary centre) provide ESOL Literacy or Reading and Writing classes, for over 500 students. Short courses might include courses on health and job-seeking.

2.13 Mainly from discussions with stakeholders and ESOL practitioners, some evidence was collected on English classes run informally in Refugee support centres and classes which take place in work premises. Refugee support centres and churches, tend to offer conversational English. One college in the North East of Scotland provides a teacher for women workers from Eastern Europe in a fish-processing factory. A stable in the South West pays for a CE ESOL teacher to teach stable lads on the premises.

2.14 More students were on part-time courses (i.e. less than 15 hours per week) than any other kind of course (Table 2.7). Almost as many students attended less than 5 hours per week as were enrolled on full-time (15 hours and over) courses.

2.15 Only FE is funded to provide full-time ESOL courses, but CE is sometimes able to offer up to 10 hours per week to learners (see section on Funding below). Centres offering only 4 hours or less per week tended to be in more rural areas, but were also found in towns - sometimes where they were the sole ESOL providers.

2.16 By far the most common type of class was the General English class, offered by all institutions. Such classes offer language and skills-focussed lessons designed to develop general communicative competence for most everyday situations. English for Study classes, often preparing students for the IELTS test, are offered mainly, though not exclusively, to fee-paying international students, at colleges. English for Work classes are also more commonly offered by colleges (including outreach) than by CE. ESOL literacy classes on the other hand are more often found in CE-delivered ESOL.

Table 2.7 Mode of delivery by sector

Table 2.8 Type of class by sector ⁶

2.17 Although we did not question managers about ways they publicised classes, the learners (data from the Learner questionnaire) told us that they found out about classes overwhelmingly by word of mouth, as indicated in Table 2.9 below.

Table 2.9 How learners find out about classes

Amongst the other sources of information the learners told us about (written in under "other") were: an agency or institution such as the British Council in their own country (24), employer or workplace (5), family members (44), another institution or former teacher (14) and support agencies such as the Scottish Refugee Council, charities and social workers or their children's school (39). These figures reinforce the conclusion that word of mouth has been the most powerful "marketing tool" for ESOL.

2.18 Students who took part in the 5 focus groups organised for the Survey in the cluster areas confirmed that, for the most part, friends, acquaintances, or refugee support workers (and the Scottish Refugee Council itself which refers students, mainly to Colleges) had told them about the classes they attended. An exception was the group in Dumfries, who commented on the easy availability of leaflets about ESOL classes, in libraries, community centres and elsewhere.

2.19 Learners in Glasgow can access the Glasgow ESOL Forum's website, which gives detailed and up-to-date information on classes in 55 venues (although this is only accessible by those with computing skills). Some centres make a point of producing leaflets in migrant languages. Council and College websites however are often less helpful, and depend on the user knowing how to navigate an often complex site and exactly which search word(s) to type in ("ESOL" is not always the right one).

WAITING LISTS

2.20 Of the 60 institutions responding to the survey, less than half (25) reported that they had no waiting list and were able to offer a place immediately to all applicants. Most waiting lists are found in the FE sector (Table 2.10).

Table 2.10 Waiting lists by sector

Average Numbers in 2003-04 (totals)

Maximum numbers in 2003-04

Institutions have approached the problem of waiting lists and how to manage them in a variety of ways. Of the institutions who responded, 15 (mostly in FE) assess students' English proficiency when they apply, while 8 only assess when a place becomes available. 6 did not operate a waiting list, but advised students to reapply at a later date, or try elsewhere.

2.21 There are waiting lists for FE classes in most cities (Table 2.11), regardless of whether or not the area contains refugees and asylum seekers. One Glasgow College, at the end of March 2004, could not offer entrance tests until May, even though its policy was to test students on the waiting list (rather than wait until a place became available) There are also often waiting lists for crèche places. Amongst people waiting to join a class may be students who want to join a specific class, e.g. English for computing, or to move from one kind of class, in community-based ESOL or the voluntary sector.

Table 2.11 Waiting lists by council area/LEC

Table 2.12 Length of time on waiting lists

2.22 One institution reported that the average length of time on its waiting list was one year. There is however variation according to the type of class, and student need: a pre-literacy class for students without literacy in English and in their first language had a long and slow-moving waiting list, partly because class numbers were limited to 12. Not all applicants will stay on a waiting list until a place becomes available: some will apply elsewhere, while others may find work or move house. One informant also noted that applicants from settled ethnic minority communities, perhaps feeling the need for English tuition as less urgent than refugees and asylum-seekers, would be more likely to give up when faced with a long wait. Waiting list numbers at any given time are therefore unlikely to be completely accurate. Nevertheless, the fact that learners are not able to join classes when they try to, and may have to wait for many months, is both discouraging and detrimental to their language development.

2.23 Managers in institutions with waiting lists told us that they check attendance rigorously and will drop students with poor attendance, so that their places can be offered to others. This can lead to students enrolled on afternoon classes leaving school-age children unsupervised at home - and there have been instances of the police being called to break down the front-door of a flat, and claims for asylum being jeopardised as a result. Childcare offered by institutions does not normally include after-school care - as a result afternoon classes are much less popular than morning classes (sometimes leading to under-utilisation of the available capacity).

STAFF AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS

2.24 326 teachers were employed and 288 volunteers were involved in Scottish ESOL in 2003-04, according to the managers' survey returns. In Table 2.13 numbers employed on different types of contract in the three sectors are given. Of the paid staff just 27 % were employed full-time and 30% were employed for 6 hours per week or less. In FE, 66% of paid staff were part-time. For FE as a whole, according to figures from SFEFC, only 31% were not employed as permanent full-time teaching staff. Most volunteers work in Community Education. 65 of the volunteers in FE work in Stevenson College Community-based ESL and 12 work in Stirling, in classes delivered by Falkirk College.

Table 2.13 Staff employed

25% of the institutions that responded had no support staff involved (wholly or partly) with ESOL learners. 4 had 10 or more.

2.25 There are significant differences between minimum qualifications required of staff in FE and CE: Fifteen of the 45 institutions which responded to this item did not stipulate TEFL qualifications (i.e. they required TEFL experience, Literacies training, FE qualifications or "none"). Of these 15, 10 are in the CE sector.

2.26 32% of all paid and volunteer staff had a recognised initial certificate, while 14% had none. In FE 47% of all staff held a recognised certificate and only 2 FE staff were recorded as having no teaching qualification of any kind. This compares with 14% in the whole of FE who had no teaching qualification in 2002-03 (SFEFC, 2004) - outside ESOL there are unlikely to be many volunteers. In CE there are many more volunteers, many of whom will have no formal qualifications. Table 2.14 illustrates the type of qualification held.

Table 2.14 Teaching staff qualifications by sector

Note 1: multiple answers

Note 2: 49 out of 61 institutions responded to this question. * relates to the 581 staff in the 49 institutions which responded to this question.

2.27 In Glasgow and Edinburgh FE Colleges supply teachers for Community-based classes, and these teachers may work in both sectors at the same time. Elsewhere, there is more likely to be a clear division between the sectors and tutors of ESOL classes may have an Adult Literacy background, with limited training and experience of ESOL. In Aberdeen only Adult Literacy teaching qualifications are required for example. There is a view amongst some Community Education managers that standard TEFL certificates (CELTA, Cert TESOL) are not appropriate preparation for teaching mixed levels, although elsewhere, CELTA or equivalent is the minimum requirement for ESOL tutors.

2.28 ESOL teachers trained in literacy teaching (as opposed to teachers of literacy to native speakers) are also rare, particularly in community-based ESOL. Glasgow ESOL Forum has started to fill this gap by developing a training module for experienced and qualified ESOL teachers who want to teach ESOL literacy. This course ran in pilot form from September to October 2004, with 19 participants, from all over Scotland. The ESOL Forum expects the PDA to be validated by the SQA early in 2005.

2.29 In Glasgow volunteers are trained by Glasgow ESOL Forum, with a grant from the Home Office Integration Unit Challenge Fund. Eight 8-week courses have been completed at Anniesland and Langside Colleges as well as at Glasgow University. Up to 20 prospective volunteers attend for 3 hours a week over 8 weeks, taught by experienced teacher trainers. In the current academic year 3 courses have been run. In Edinburgh Stevenson College runs a free one-year course for volunteers (leading to a College Certificate), while Duncan Place Resource Centre offers a 6-week training course. After training, home tutors are supported by co-ordinators and have access to resource centres and regular training, information or ideas-sharing meetings. In some places volunteers also work with class tutors in mixed level classes.

2.30 Volunteer tutors are a flexible and adaptable resource but their prominence in Scotland seems to be partly at least a function of the shortage of places in classes, or a shortage of classes per se in certain areas. Stephanie Bach, who runs the volunteer training scheme for the Glasgow ESOL Forum, stated that although volunteers cannot replace professionally-trained teachers, and may have limited "lives" (they are required in this scheme to commit to at least 6 months of volunteering), they can help with social integration and with a wide range of learners who are unable to access classes - people with no formal education, more advanced learners in mixed ability classes who are preparing for an exam or need more of a challenge, people with children, people with disabilities and the elderly.

2.31 Volunteers also help in CE mixed ability classes working with small groups of less or more advanced learners.

THE SECTORS

2.32 The responsibilities of all three sectors involved in ESOL in Scotland overlap in respect of students, teachers, classes, funding and venues. In different council areas, FE will be responsible for providing nearly all the teaching staff in all sectors (e.g. Glasgow), CE will provide everything except venues (e.g. Fife) or volunteers will take on the bulk of teaching, in council-run premises (e.g. Stirling). To a considerable extent therefore, ESOL in Scotland is a single entity and its needs and its future have to be considered holistically. Nevertheless, there are significant differences.

Community Education

2.33 CE ESOL classes have a long tradition in Scotland, and pre-date College-based tuition. In most rural areas and small towns, and even in some cities in Scotland, Council Community Learning departments provide the only ESOL tuition available.

2.34 The Scottish Executive's 2001 initiative for expanding adult literacy and numeracy provision has had a major impact on ESOL, with classes in ESOL and ESOL literacy being set up by local ALN partnerships. Some of these partnerships include FE colleges.

2.35 Community-based classes are more likely to be offered at low levels or to be mixed level; they are more likely to be part-time, often only 2 or 4 hours per week; classes are more likely to be in General English and perhaps perceived as a stepping stone towards College classes. On the other hand sites are smaller-scale and may also be perceived as more friendly and informal, less intimidating and more oriented to students' needs. Where the only provision is CE, as in Dumfries, mixed level classes can however be large and include pre-intermediate to advanced as there is nowhere else to go.

2.36 Presently Community-based classes may be organised and delivered by Colleges (e.g. Langside, Anniesland, Stevenson) or by ALN partnerships which often include Colleges. In Aberdeen, Aberdeen College provides EFL classes at some Community centres, while EAL (sic) classes take place elsewhere, delivered by tutors employed by Community Based Adult Learning, who may be mainly Adult Literacy tutors. Learning Connections report that ALN partnerships supported 4,424 ESOL learners under ALN during 2003-4. Community Education departments reported only 1,474 enrolments. The discrepancy is due to the large number of outreach classes provided (i.e. taught and administered) by Colleges under ALN - College managers (not Community Education managers) included these in their questionnaire returns.

2.37 The ESOL student population has changed markedly in recent years, not only in Glasgow where the majority of refugees and asylum-seekers have been dispersed to, but throughout the country. In Dundee for example Community-based ESOL used to provide for the settled ethnic minority population but now teaches many spouses of students and of doctors at Ninewells Hospital (who in the past may have been catered for by university EFL departments). Projects to reach people who may be reluctant to take steps to find out about ESOL classes, notably older women in the settled ethnic minority population, have also been launched in Dundee and have achieved successes.

2.38 College classes normally mix the sexes, but single-sex classes are very common in the Community-based sector. In Dundee, 15 out of 16 classes at the Mitchell Street Centre are single-sex and the Co-ordinator explained that learners of all backgrounds often preferred this kind of class.

2.39 CE also runs home tutor schemes in many areas, especially in more remote Highland communities. Home tutors are volunteers, supported and often trained by CE workers although in Edinburgh, uniquely, Stevenson College runs a home learning scheme, with 65 volunteers.

2.40 Learning Connections, part of the Regeneration Division of Communities Scotland, consists of two teams: Adult Literacies and Community Learning and Development. The adult literacies team is responsible for carrying out the recommendations of the ALNIS Report (2001), which identified as one of the priority groups people learning English as a Second or Additional Language. The funding that the report prompted - 22m over 3 years from 2001 - had no element earmarked for ESOL. Tuition was to be delivered by ALN partnerships, including the voluntary sector, Scottish Enterprise, Careers Scotland and FE.

2.41 However they are funded or delivered, Community-based ESOL classes offer free or almost free tuition up to intermediate level - occasionally to advanced. Clare El Azebbi, Adult Literacies Development Co-ordinator at Learning Connections noted that this kind of provision targets learners, generally outwith the cities, who would not consider themselves suitable for colleges: "it is a channel for excluded people" - such as, in North Lanarkshire, Chinese restaurant workers and Asian mothers. Focus group discussions revealed strong appreciation of the accessibility, friendliness and smaller scale of CE classes. Nevertheless CE-run classes are as noted above the only provision available to any learners in many parts of Scotland. In Dumfries for example advanced level students were joining already large classes because there was nowhere else for them to go.

2.42 Not all practitioners are happy about the role of ESOL within Community Education. One experienced teacher interviewed for the in-depth teacher interviews described ESOL as "the poor relation in this sort of area [i.e. semi-rural]": the "huge focus" on Adult Literacy and Numeracy meant that ESOL was to some extent marginalised. A manager expressed concerns that the proliferation of small groups risked compromising quality standards. Another however, saw ESOL and adult literacy as natural partners, particularly where ESOL learners lacked experience of formal education. In fact, according to Learning Connections, in some areas, ESOL and native speaker learners attend the same classes, although in the only case we came across, this practice had been abandoned. It may be significant that the Evaluation Report on the piloting of the Introductory Training in Adult Literacies Learning (ITALL) qualification published in September 2003 mentions ESOL only 3 times (but Numeracy 15 times).

The Further Education Sector

2.43 Most ESOL teaching now goes on in FE Colleges and in outreach classes delivered and co-ordinated by FE staff. ESOL classes in FE range from Beginner level to Advanced. FE can usually offer more resources and facilities - libraries, computing labs, social areas as well as crèches and financial support such as bus passes for those students who qualify - than CE. Students have had more opportunities to prepare and enter for ESOL examinations in FE, until the recent advent of the SQA ESOL NQ Units (although there are exceptions, such as Fife). Colleges are also able to offer a wider variety of classes, including English for study, combined ESOL + (Computing, car mechanics, beauty). Last but not least, ESOL students can progress to mainstream college courses, often still accessing language support from the ESOL department.

2.44 Students in FE are now encouraged to study at least 15 hours per week (i.e. 5 mornings or 5 afternoons) - largely due to the change in fee-waiver arrangements (see Funding). Before the dispersal policy and the arrival of refugees and asylum-seekers in Glasgow, Anniesland College ESOL Section had 6 full-time staff including one senior lecturer. Today there are three senior lecturers and 21 full- and part-time staff. Nevertheless, there are still long waiting lists for College places, as has already been explained.

2.45 The huge increase in students, especially in Glasgow, and the change to full-time courses for most students has led to pressure on rooms, staffing, teaching resources and facilities such as childcare (for which waiting lists are also "huge"). One experienced Glasgow senior lecturer working in both the College-based and the Community-based sectors stated that these changes had impacted adversely on ethnic minority students - she felt that their needs, where they differed from those of refugees and asylum-seekers (e.g. they might prefer part-time courses), were being neglected and fewer were enrolling than in the past. She also pointed out that they were likely to be less strongly motivated than refugees and asylum-seekers, and therefore needed more sensitively tailored provision. Full-time courses were not always appropriate for developing students' confidence in using English, especially women students. What such students could do with are more community classes sited in for example primary schools or other familiar settings, closer to their homes. Others echoed this view. However in Edinburgh at least security considerations have led to the exclusion of adult classes from primary schools.

2.46 The same informant also felt that fee-paying international students are now regarded as more important than before because of their financial contribution to increasingly stretched College funds. One perhaps unforeseen result of this development is that integrated provision becomes harder. College marketing departments deal with overseas agents, who supply most overseas students and find that agents are less enthusiastic about sending students to Colleges where they will be in classes with fee-waiver students - although the students themselves are keen. Colleges mostly run integrated classes, bringing fee-paying international students together with refugees and asylum-seekers and students from the settled ethnic minority communities. This policy has been generally successful - "language learning is about life as well as language" as one teacher put it, with the occasional complaint from some fee-paying students. A realisation of the earning potential of EFL/ESOL can of course help both to raise the profile of a department, and open up more courses to non-fee-paying students (as "infill"). But Colleges do need to realise that ESOL is not "just an appendage" however lucrative, as one informant expressed it: ESOL students need a different kind of support and guidance, even just to complete enrolment forms.

2.47 Standards of ESOL provision vary across colleges. An informant with long experience of ESOL provision from the standpoint of the learners described some colleges as taking a "bums on seats" approach - they will find funding for a course and enrol students without assessing them as to their suitability for this course. Other informants also mentioned occasional cases like this, together with a serious lack of guidance and support for students (see Chapter Four). As the managers' questionnaire findings showed, only 50 support staff dealing with ESOL learners were reported for FE, and seven Colleges employed none at all. In such circumstances, it is the teachers who assess and place students as well as following up and checking on students' progress. It is hardly surprising that students find themselves in the "wrong" classes.

2.48 Some refugees and asylum-seekers prefer college classes, rather than community-based classes, because they can enrol on free full-time courses and make use of all the College facilities, especially libraries and computer labs. They also appreciate being regarded as students, with a purpose like other students, and losing if temporarily the label of asylum-seeker. It was also clear from interviews that learners at Colleges also see training and educational routes on the doorstep, as it were, of the ESOL class and can often find flexible combinations of language and non-language courses (e.g. computing).

2.49 However, we also heard from learners, particularly from the settled ethnic communities with little formal education, who find the atmosphere, size and relative impersonality of an FE College intimidating and the size of classes (generally around 20) off-putting. In Aberdeen, the CE Co-ordinator estimated that only around 25% of her students moved on to College classes each year, and some returned to the CE class. Just as importantly, FE Colleges do not always offer crèche places. Community-based provision is often much more to the taste of women with children and older students, because it is closer to home. It should be noted however, that CE classes can also reach 20, even in mixed level courses.

2.50 It is worth noting here that for non-ESOL informants such as the SRC and Jobcentre Plus, the FE sector is the key player for learners trying to enter the job market. Moreover some of these informants appeared to know very little about community-based provision and might be inclined to discount it, although the value of small-scale local classes for some groups is acknowledged.

2.51 A model of well-resourced and flexible provision is Stevenson College Edinburgh's Community-based courses. This section has a base in Duncan Place Resource Centre in Leith, which is now under threat of closure by Edinburgh Council ⁷. Community-based ESOL is delivered in 17 venues across Edinburgh and offers every type and level of tuition: home learning, with 60-70 students and volunteers; beginners classes; ESOL literacy classes; tutor-led flexible learning sessions; computing; mixed levels (i.e. mixed intermediate) and English for work or study at advanced level. They also, unusually, offer 10 hours of classes, for Beginners at least, together with tutor-guided flexible learning.

The Voluntary Sector

2.52 Although volunteers are active in ESOL across the country, Edinburgh and Glasgow have the most flourishing voluntary sectors. Umbrella organisations such as Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector co-ordinate classes across the city, often in ALN partnership arrangements.

2.53 The arrival of refugees and asylum-seekers after 2001 inspired many to come forward to help with welfare, housing, childcare and other support - and English language teaching. Sheila Arthur, of the Glasgow Committee to Welcome Refugees, started an English and support class in Sighthill in 2001, with volunteer teachers. Initially learners of all ages and conditions including teenagers came for support rather than English, as there were at that stage no systems in place to help refugees to get what they needed for everyday life. Clients would then move on to College classes. Today, her students are all women with children, both newly arrived (there's a constant stream) and here for several years. Ms Arthur, like other informants, identified this group as the least able to get to regular college classes. Provision is entirely led by the supply of volunteers: a daytime class had to stop because no volunteers were available, while finding volunteers for evening classes, which are very popular, is relatively easier. Also in Sighthill, where the largest numbers of asylum-seekers and refugees have been housed, are college outreach classes at different levels taught by ESOL lecturers.

2.54 Refugees and asylum-seekers in Glasgow could not have started learning English so quickly had it not been for volunteers, who continue to provide language support both at home and in community centres, which may be the only feasible provision for mothers with young children who live too far from colleges or community classes. In remote areas of the Highlands and Islands, where classes cannot be funded, many volunteers are teaching 1:1. Stirling Council runs what may be a unique service, where volunteers, often teach classes, supported by paid tutors from Falkirk College. Volunteers may find themselves teaching beginners who need literacy help, or advanced level university students, but their greatest contribution, apart from gap filling, is in providing a personal and friendly bridge to social integration. Volunteers typically work with mothers of small children or people who live too far from a class or learners who do not feel confident enough to join a class.

LIAISON AMONGST PROVIDERS

2.55 As the previous section indicates there is no single pattern of joint provision amongst the sectors in Scotland: in some areas CE is responsible for all ESOL, with or without the assistance of volunteer tutors and sometimes is able to offer classes at all levels; in others, particularly Glasgow and Edinburgh, nearly all classes including those provided by the Voluntary sector are staffed and administered by FE Colleges whether in College or as outreach. Elsewhere again, there is a strict demarcation between what CE offers (free, low-level, and part-time) and FE provision (all levels, free to eligible students, full or part-time).

2.56 In most areas with substantial numbers of ESOL learners, however, there are multiple providers. The question of liaison and co-operation was therefore raised in stakeholder and teacher interviews.

2.57 In Edinburgh, an ESOL Co-ordinators Committee has been functioning since the early 1980s. It survived the early period of incorporation when Colleges became more wary of sharing information, and now acts mainly as an information exchange. Glasgow now has the Glasgow ESOL Forum, which brings together teachers from all sectors in a part lobbying, part professional development and part training scheme nexus. The Forum also maintains a website for learners listing all classes by area. In Aberdeen, there used to be an EFL liaison committee linking all providers, but this ceased 7 years ago. Interviews with managers in all these cities suggest that institutions prefer to act independently, unless they are linked through an ALN partnership: but in this case, one partner will normally provide all the teaching staff. Outside these partnerships, there is little inter or intra-sector co-operation. The impact of this on area provision and on learners seeking the best class in their locality remains to be investigated.

2.58 In the early days of the Refugee and Asylum-seeker Dispersal policy, when providers were struggling to cope with unprecedented and unplanned demand, regular contact in Glasgow between agencies, colleges, community education and voluntary organisations was essential and effective. Some years later, it appears that, although regular contact between educational providers and the Scottish Refugee Council continues - via referrals, meetings and personal encounters, connections amongst the providers themselves have weakened. A number of college managers - at departmental head level - told us that they did not have regular exchanges with their counterparts and a voluntary sector co-ordinator told us that she did not have a clear view of other provision locally.

QUALITY

2.59 Many factors are involved in determining and assessing the quality of educational provision: curriculum, accommodation, resourcing, equipment, staffing and management are all implicated. This section deals with views of quality issues derived from questionnaires findings, from interviews and discussions with teachers, learners and other stakeholders. It also refers to formal evaluations made by HMIE and accrediting bodies.

2.60 94% of the learners surveyed in the 4 key areas stated that they found their class either "very useful" (56%) or "useful" (38%). When asked about specific aspects of their English classes, their responses were equally enthusiastic (Tables 2.15 and 2.16).

Table 2.15 Learners' opinions of their current English class

Table 2.16 Learners' opinions of their English lessons

2.61 92% of respondents considered their teacher "very good" or "good". Well over 75% of learners rated as "very good" or "good" the time of the class, the location, the books and worksheets used and the opportunity to meet other students. Asked about the number of students in the class 80% said it was just right, 16% said there were too many and 4% too few. Other aspects of the learner experience were "just right" for 77% in terms of the length of the class, and 74% in regard to amount of homework. 24% however considered they did too few tests and examinations.

2.62 Teaching quality can, to a certain extent, be measured by the professionalism of the teachers. Amongst those employed by FE Colleges, 60.3% held recognised initial certificates. In CE the proportion was 43%. 18% had no ESOL or EFL qualifications. This issue is discussed in greater depth in Chapter Four.

2.63 Stakeholders interviewed for this Survey generally supported and approved existing provision. In the opinion of Peter Barry, Head of Integration for the Scottish Refugee Council, FE Colleges have expanded provision successfully to cope with the enormously increased demand in Glasgow within continuing resource limitations. Stakeholders tended to be more familiar with College ESOL provision and to discount or be ignorant of community-based provision, as mentioned above.

2.64 Both Peter Barry and another interviewee in Glasgow, Dr Peter von Kaehne of Fernbank Medical Practice, which provides primary care to around 3,500 asylum-seekers and refugees, noted that women with small children appear "to be poorly catered for" by existing provision, and Dr von Kaehne also identified learners with literacy needs as less well provided for. In Glasgow, the chief concern is the large number of learners on waiting lists, but a Scottish Refugee Council official also noted that while most learners benefit from classes, many reach a plateau after 2-3 years in English-only classes. His impression was that "learners make more rapid progress with vocational English - more motivation". Employers and professional bodies could play a role in setting up work-based classes. Jai Dhillon, Minority Ethnic Outreach Worker for Jobcentre Plus, concurred arguing that more classes and more vocational training in a wider range of trades would be more relevant for ESOL learners.

2.65 The Director of Grampian Race Equality Council, based in Aberdeen, criticised the low level of public spending on ESOL in the city, in spite of the very large demand and the relative prosperity of the area. The two colleges in the area, Aberdeen and Banff and Buchan, he considered to be doing their best to respond to rising demand, although, in his view, there was very little community-based provision.

2.66 FE Colleges are subject to HMIE inspections. In the last four years, Languages departments at four FE Colleges (Stevenson, Edinburgh's Telford, Anniesland and Langside) have been inspected (Table 2.17 below). In all of these departments, ESOL students and courses represent the largest group.

Table 2.17 Summary of HMIE evaluations of FE Languages departments 2001-04

Source: HMIE

89% of evaluations were "good" or "very good". This compares favourably with 83% of evaluations for all subjects in FE inspected by HMIE between 2000 and 2003.

2.67 The Anniesland report states that "ESOL staff had responded positively to unanticipated changes in practice, resources and professional skills required to meet the needs of large numbers of new learners with diverse and complicated needs." (p3) It went on to note that "ESOL lecturers had created a stimulating high-quality range of differentiated learning resources" (p 5) and to single out the College's Refugee Doctors' initiative (see below) as an example of good practice. The more recent inspection of Edinburgh's Telford College (2003) also praised ESOL lessons although it criticized informal assessment methods as insufficiently tailored and constructive (pp 4-5). The Stevenson College report makes mention of Community Based English as a Second Language (CBESL) programmes which "were very much tailored to the learning needs of students." "Work placement was an important design feature of some courses. All community-based English courses made a major contribution to the development of students' core skills" (p 3). In the community-based classes, most students "achieved their personal goals, including any formal qualifications included in their plans." Langside College also received praise for its response to the needs of asylum-seekers and refugees, especially in its outreach programmes. The Inspectors, while commending the innovative ICT provision, criticized inadequate "opportunities to develop the language and skills necessary for accessing vocational training and employment."

2.68 Five FE College ESOL/ EFL departments (Aberdeen, Anniesland, Dundee, Edinburgh's Telford and Stevenson) ⁸ are also accredited by the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme (EiBAS), run by the British Council and English UK ⁹, which is the quality assurance scheme for the UK ELT sector (including state institutions and private language schools). Accreditation involves a lengthy and comprehensive inspection, repeated every four years (initial inspection costs - up to 5,000; annual membership - around 1,000). Accreditation not only assures quality but means enhanced marketing opportunities abroad.

2.69 In Community Education there have been 44 inspections since 2000. Of these, 3 mentioned ESOL: Dumfries, Cambuslang and Rutherglen and South Clydebank. Where substantive comments are given, they are generally favourable. In Dumfries (Feb 2004), "ESOL tutors gave skilful and well-judged input to participants with complex needs", although the service is criticised for not providing publicity material in any other language but English and for lack of crèche provision. In February 2001 Cambuslang and Rutherglen (S. Lanarkshire) was praised - "Staff input to learning was good overall. They ensured that both essential skills and ESOL classes were well prepared, with thought given to objectives, learning environment, and needs and interests of the learners. Volunteers were confident and supported well". Resources, initial assessment and programme design are all rated highly, although CPD and the hours allocated to ESOL co-ordination receive criticism. The South Clydebank report, of July 2004, unfortunately, only mentions a "Cambridge English test" (sic) which learners have the opportunity to sit.

2.70 HMIE reports of CE ESOL published over the last four years are sparse and give only a very partial picture. Evidence of the quality of Community-based provision run by Councils (rather than College outreach services) is particularly lacking.

FUNDING

2.71 Nearly every teacher and manager interviewed, and several non-ESOL informants, named increased funding for ESOL as the most important issue, particularly in view of the zero growth in planned student numbers for two years - 2003-04 and 2004-05 (SFEFC Circular letter FE/16/04). ESOL managers and teachers expressed their concern in interviews about the need for more classes, more variety of classes, learning support for students on mainstream courses, teaching materials, induction for new staff, support and guidance for learners, and - at a national level - for the further revision and development of the SQA ESOL NQ Units and related teaching materials. One College principal also pointed out that the system has no spare capacity to cope with sudden increases in student numbers, or changes in the nature of provision required.

2.72 One effect of zero growth, according to some managers, has been the increased importance of international student fees, which may mean integrating paying and non-paying students in FE classes becomes more difficult, as noted above. However, more than one informant also pointed to the still relatively untapped possibilities presented by international students - and the last few years have seen more and more colleges starting to venture abroad to recruit students for ESOL and mainstream courses, often from China.

2.73 Data from the online questionnaire gives the funding sources for each sector. Table 2.18 highlights how ESOL tuition is funded. There are six possible options in answer to this question and the respondent was able to answer more than one option, therefore the answers do not reflect the number of institutions but where the overall funding comes from.

Table 2.18: Sources of funding for ESOL

For FE, the main sources of funding are the SFEFC, ALN partnerships and international student fees. ALN partnerships are the main funders of CE.

Funding for ESOL students in Colleges from SFEFC is provided at the rate of 0.74 of a SUM (Student unit of measurement). Thirty-nine institutions reported receiving funding from Adult Literacy and Numeracy partnerships, over one-third of them FE Colleges. Twenty-two institutions reported that this source pays for over 50% of their provision whilst seventeen institutions stated that this pays for less than 50% of provision.

2.74 According to the learners' survey, 30% of respondents paid for their English classes. Table 2.19, below, shows the proportion of different categories of learner ¹⁰ who pay for classes.

Table 2.19 Payment for English classes by learner category

2.75 For 2003-04, SFEFC awarded the 10 Glasgow Colleges 341,000 (300,000 in 2002-03) in additional resourcing to support asylum-seekers, 70% going to Langside, Food Technology, the Central College of Commerce and Anniesland. (26th May 2004 - SFEFC Circular letter FE/22/04).

2.76 Outside Glasgow and Edinburgh where FE Colleges are the main providers of community-based ESOL, through outreach classes, this type of provision is usually funded through local authority Community Based Adult Learning (CBAL) budgets. Adult Literacy and Numeracy partnerships have received around 41million for the period 2001 - 2006, to develop adult literacies provision including ESOL. Community-based ESOL, usually with smaller classes, is more expensive to run than College-based, but is normally funded only to provide for beginner to intermediate level students. At least one exception to this, Fife Council, runs free courses for higher level students including examination classes, funded by Fife Council, the Scottish Executive and the European Social Fund. ¹¹

2.77 The majority of the funding for ALN partnerships is provided directly by the Department of Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning. However, other agencies may also contribute to Community-based ESOL. In Aberdeen, for example, the Sure Start programme as well as New Futures (via Grampian REC) also contributes.

2.78 A separate but equally important issue is the impact of ALN partnership funding on Community-based ESOL. The inclusion of ESOL in ALN partnership funding is recognised as having given a very welcome boost to ESOL provision since 2000, but several informants voiced reservations. One argument frequently put forward in interviews was that ESOL students approach the prospect of attending English classes quite differently from literacy students: they have often had, as has been described, successful educations, and even where their previous education has been limited it may have been positive.

2.79 Students attending Community-based ESOL classes are normally exempt from fees. Stevenson College in Edinburgh has a sliding scale of (low) fees from 50 per year for 10 or more hours per week, down to 10.00 per year for 3 hours, although beginners and ESOL literacy classes are free.

2.80 Colleges are able to waive fees for students on benefit or low income. Since September 2001 the SFEFC has exempted asylum-seekers from fees for English classes. Asylum seekers and their families enrolled on full or part-time ESOL courses (and those enrolled on part-time advanced or non-advanced mainstream courses) pay no fees.

2.81 Also eligible for fee-waivers, dependent on income, are students on part-time ESOL courses whose primary purpose for living in the EU is not educational - i.e. who are deemed to be "settled". Hence EU students can qualify for free part-time tuition. This is likely to change as very large numbers of EU citizens, especially from the new member states, enrol on classes.

2.82 Eligibility for free tuition varies not only between sectors but according to funding sources. For example, council-run provision is free but most Councils do not admit students resident for less than 6 months - sometimes the minimum residence length is one year or longer. In Fife, where funding comes from Fife Council, the Scottish Executive's Literacy and Numeracy Fund and the European Social Fund (ESF), each funding partner has different eligibility criteria and requires evidence that students meet these criteria. ESF criteria include unemployed people, on a very wide definition of unemployed which encompasses part-time workers in unskilled jobs, but excludes skilled part-time workers. However, until now, students in full-time employment who meet the residence criteria (6 months) have also been able to join classes free of charge. ¹²

2.83 Students who want to progress to full-time FE or HE courses are regarded as international students and hence liable for full international student fees until they have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years.

2.84 129,000 of funding is currently provided through SRIF to a number of Glasgow initiatives for asylum-seekers and refugees, notably a church-based project to bring young asylum-seekers and local youth together, a childcare project and two "into-work" schemes. Colleges also fund childcare and bus passes, from central funds, hardship funds or from other sources, see Table 2.20.

Table 2.20 Financial and practical support for learners from institutions

2.85 Respondents also told us that they also received money in the form of bursaries etc (11 respondents), books and free use of the Library and internet (10), advice and support, and entertainment (free trips).

DISCUSSION

2.86 Estimates of need, from census data, suggest that existing provision nationally may be falling well short of demand. Waiting lists, considerable in Glasgow and Edinburgh, can indicate something of the extent of this demand, but it is equally possible, given the limited advertising that providers can or want to deploy (because of supply constraints) that there is demand which is not shown through waiting list figures. Considering waiting lists alone, however, the fact that learners are not able to join classes when they try to, and may have to wait for many months, is both discouraging and detrimental to their language development.

2.87 The type of ESOL tuition available to learners varies widely across the country. Learners in most of the cities have access to a range of classes, full or part-time, in Colleges or in Community Centres. Others have far fewer opportunities, often only very part-time, and limited to General English, usually in mixed level classes.

2.88 One step towards improving access to classes, and variety of classes, could be greater co-ordination amongst local providers. A recommendation of the Glasgow ESOL Survey of 2000 was for "co-ordinated ESOL provision across the city". This recommendation was urged on a teachers' association, the Glasgow ESOL Forum, but would be more appropriately taken up by the providers themselves. Arenas exist - the Glasgow Colleges Group and the Edinburgh ESOL providers committee - and co-operation could be deepened through these.

2.89 Liaison amongst providers is usually ad hoc and means that waiting list problems cannot easily be solved on a city-wide basis. Quality of provision and of support for learners also varies widely between institutions in the same sector in the same locality. While this may encourage local initiative, it may not be helpful to students seeking the best tuition in their own area.

2.90 Learners largely find out about classes by word-of-mouth. Apart from the Glasgow ESOL Forum website, other means of information are hard to come by. Learners need access to objective and complete information about the classes that are available in their area. This again could be a shared responsibility of all the providers in a city or area.

2.91 For teachers who are employed ESOL is largely a part-time profession and this has implications for continuity and development, not least teacher development. ESOL teachers are commended by students, stakeholders and HMIE alike. According to the Ofsted Report of September 2003, a major difficulty caused by the expansion of ESOL in England and Wales (under "Skills for Life") has been the often severe shortage of qualified teachers: "some of the weakest teaching [in colleges] is in ESOL" [p. 13]. This is not, apparently, the perception in Scotland.: while the four HMIE subject inspections conducted in Scottish FE Colleges produced very favourable reports, Ofsted concluded that "the proportion of good provision [in FE colleges] is much lower in literacy, numeracy and ESOL than it is in any other area of learning".

2.92 Nevertheless, there are serious gaps in teacher qualifications. There are still over one-third without a TESOL qualification or without any teaching qualification. This qualification gap needs to be addressed by institutions. This issue is dealt with in greater detail in Chapter Four.

2.93 Many of the problems and gaps in ESOL in Scotland could of course be dealt with through greater resources. ESOL, as we have described it here, encompasses all public and voluntary sector English language teaching apart from universities. It has the potential, as most colleges realise, to attract fee-paying students from abroad in increasing numbers, as well as providing high quality education for learners domiciled here. ESOL can and should be involved with the Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent initiative to attract more people to live and work in Scotland.

2.94 In Community Education, where classes are free, there are different eligibility criteria in different Council areas, which need to be standardised across the country. ALN partnerships have been responsible for much of the increase in provision over the last few years, but there is still debate over the appropriateness of positioning ESOL in an adult literacy and numeracy service. This debate goes on elsewhere too. ¹³

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

2.95 Since the early summer of 2004, large numbers of people from the new EU member states have started to arrive in Scotland, for work and for study ¹⁴. All Colleges and CE centres have enrolled large numbers of Eastern European students. Some have found work in the largely rural Council areas such as Highland, the Western Isles and the Scottish Borders, as well as in the cities and towns. According to anecdotal evidence from within the ESOL profession, these migrant workers have been seeking out English classes at local Colleges and Community Education centres often in unprecedented numbers.

2.96 Most of these surges in demand are predictable, especially in Scotland - for example the dispersal of refugees to Glasgow, or the arrival of Eastern Europeans after 1 ^st May 2004. However, the dispersal programme initially made no provision for adult ESOL learners, and Colleges and centres were left to improvise - which, on the basis of previous experience (Kosovars, Vietnamese, Chileans, to name a few) they managed admirably.

2.97 Such large and sudden changes in demand require a national response. The ESOL profession now has a wealth of experience, especially in Glasgow and Edinburgh, which should be shared nationally, through a central agency. A national policy on eligibility for free English courses needs to be agreed. A national fund for exceptional needs would allow institutions in smaller centres of population to recruit staff, or organise mobile classrooms to cope with new groups of students. And where employers are actively recruiting foreign workers, they could be expected to contribute towards teaching costs, whether on their own premises or in educational centres.

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