Advice to subject teachers regarding the setting of bilingual pupils

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Advice to subject teachers regarding the setting of bilingual pupils

Many of the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests and GCSE examinations are graded into higher, lower, and sometimes intermediate tiers. Class teachers therefore have to give very careful attention to the setting of pupils. A bilingual child – particularly one in the early stages of learning English – may not yet have the linguistic competence to achieve to his or her academic potential in a series of tests which are principally designed for monolingual children. Consequently, a subject teacher may be tempted to place a bilingual child in a class where the level of work is lower than the child’s academic competence and the pace is slower. The hope is that the child will understand more of the subject matter because the range of English used in the classroom will be restricted and will find it easier to pass the exam.

However, there are sound academic, linguistic and social reasons why bilingual pupils should be settled according to academic ability and not according to linguistic competence.

Academic arguments

A bilingual child arriving in secondary school will already have received some education. S/he may already have covered a considerable amount of the curriculum. If s/he is assessed to be academically able, s/he will be stimulated by interesting, relevant work. S/he will gain confidence from the assumption on the part of the subject teacher that s/he is expected to succeed academically.

High ability classes are likely to contain patient, motivated children who can help a bilingual child look up key words, make notes etc., thus ensuring the bilingual child continues to receive support when the class teacher is working with other pupils. Although a lower set may contain a smaller number of pupils, the students it does contain will require a large amount of teacher time in order to cope with their own difficulties and will not be in a position to offer peer support.

All pupils have an equal entitlement to be taught the National Curriculum at a level appropriate to their ability. A bilingual child should not have this right denied on the grounds of linguistic competence.

Linguistic arguments

A bilingual child will learn English more successfully if s/he is exposed to good models of written and spoken English. This is most likely to happen in high ability classes. Contact with a wide range of English, used for a variety of academic and social purposes, will help make it a meaningful language for a bilingual child.

Social arguments

A bilingual child will feel comfortable working alongside children who are of a similar ability. S/he may form friendships that will continue outside the classroom, furthering his or her progress in English. A bilingual child’s academic ability will be acknowledged by his or her peers. If a bilingual child is placed in a low ability group, an assumption soon develops amongst his or her peers that s/he is deficient just because s/he finds it difficult to communicate in English.

Bilingual pupils who have been setted appropriately will therefore feel more relaxed than if they are placed with pupils with whom they cannot readily identify. Children are only receptive to learning language if they feel secure.

In conclusion

The Ethnic Minority Achievement Service recommends that if a bilingual child is assessed to be academically able, the child should be placed in high ability classes. This advice applies even if the child is a beginner in English. In the short term, the pupil may be unable to provide much evidence, either written or spoken, of progress and it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that s/he is not coping with the level of work. However, over time, bilingual children who are setted sensitively can gain impressive results when tested:

Example one – a Chinese boy arriving as a beginner at the very end of year 7 gained Level 7 in English, Mathematics and Science NC tests for Key Stage 3

Example two – a Japanese girl was admitted into year 9 as a beginner in the English language. She achieved the following results at GCSE:

Four ‘A’ grades (two Art and Design, Mathematics, Japanese)

One ‘B’ (food studies)

Two ‘C’ grades (Humanities, English Literature)

One ‘D’ grade (Science)

Example three – a Bangladeshi girl who arrived as a beginner in the summer term of year 9 achieved ‘A’ for Bengali, ‘B’ for Textiles, ‘C’ for English Literature, ‘D’ for English Language, Maths and Science.

Pupils who arrive with some knowledge of English may find it even easier to gain good results.

Advice regarding strategies for supporting bilingual pupils in the classroom is available from Ethnic Minority Achievement Service.

Last updated: 30 November 2009