Non-Native English Speakers in Primary Schools Today
Wednesday, 25th March 2009
According to an article published recently on the Daily Mail’s website, English is now a second language for 1 in 7 primary school pupils.
This is an issue which has featured intermittently in the news over the last few years especially, and which has principally been considered as a negative influence on education today.
The general concern stems from worries about the enormous pressure it puts on teaching staff, and the fact that large concentrations of children with a poor grasp of English can lead to some schools being unfairly condemned by inspectors.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green is reported to have said that almost a million primary and secondary pupils now speak English as a second language. He comments that: ‘These shocking figures illustrate how difficult life is for many teachers because of the Government’s long-term failure to control immigration.” and that ‘Whether or not they can speak English, everyone suffers when it’s more difficult for teachers in the classroom.”
He also mentions the huge pressure on local authorities trying to cope with uncontrolled immigration. It’s true that whereas schools in (largely urban) districts that have long catered for international communities are now more used to the kind of extra measures and provisions needed to accommodate the mix of nationalities and languages in their classrooms, schools located in more rural areas are struggling to adapt.
It is certainly understandable that when it comes to something as important as a child’s education, parents and teachers are concerned about any issue that may affect the quality of the teaching they receive, but are there any positives that may emerge from this phenomenon?
One, it could be argued, is that it might facilitate an enhancement of children’s cultural and linguistic education and awareness from an earlier age.
Is there anything else?
Tags: primary education, native speaker, juniors, children, language, english
Posted by Laura Lippert 2009-03 under In the news,
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