Thanks also to Helen for circulating the LLU+ response. Certainly a few
ideas to get people started. I too was shocked by the extent of the
measures proposed in the Green Paper, and by the rhetoric employed.
Thanks, Melanie, for getting the discussion going on ESOL-Research.
One of the many things I find repugnant about the whole notion of
testing spouses in English before they come to the UK is the
transparent, blatant discrimination against poorer and less well
educated people. Many people wanting to join their husbands or wives in
the UK will be from parts of the world where provision of even basic
education in their expert languages is patchy at best. What then of the
chances of having studied, or being able to study, in an English
language class? This, of course, is also a gender issue, and will affect
women most, as women are more likely than men to have missed out on
educational opportunities as youngsters.
Also at issue is the level of English that people need to reach,
according to the proposals in the 'pre-entry language requirement'
consultation document. This document states (paragraph 3.1):
"It is clearly important to set a realistic language proficiency level.
The aim in requiring spouses to demonstrate some ability in the English
language is not to deter people from joining their loved ones; it is to
help facilitate their integration and contribute to the cohesion of the
community they will join."
These, in my view, are weasel words. They either demonstrate a wilful
ignorance of language learning, or are a deliberate smokescreen to hide
the actual level proposed. A later paragraph in the document gives more
detail on the suggested level of the requirement (para. 3.4):
"An appropriate level for the pre-entry requirement might therefore be
CEFR [i.e. Common European Framework of Reference] level A1, which is
the level at which the Living and Working in Britain booklet would be
written. This requires a very basic understanding of English such as
asking simple questions, reading common signs and symbols and
understanding single step instructions. This level, which is the lowest
in the CEFR scale, should be achievable for the vast majority of
applicants."
I'll leave aside the problems with shoe-horning individuals into a
'one-size-fits-all' description of language ability. The CEFR level A1
may well be the lowest level on the Common European Framework of
Reference for languages, but it is still not an easy level to reach for
many learners. It corresponds to ESOL Entry level 1 in Cambridge ESOL's
benchmarking table (see
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/general-english/sfl/levels.html).
ESOL teachers know that many students, even when they are in the UK,
even when they have access to high quality ESOL classes, still find it
difficult to achieve Entry 1. The government is proposing that all
spouses wanting to join their husbands or wives will need the equivalent
of Entry Level 1 even before they come to the UK.
Those in government and policy circles who are responsible for promoting
the odious idea of a pre-entry language requirement for spouses should
hang their heads in shame. It is clear to me that the place for
supporting and providing English lessons is in the UK. Only when here
will they gain access to the social and cultural knowledge that is part
and parcel of language learning. Here is the link to the 'pre-entry
requirement' consultation again (sorry for the bad link earlier):
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/consultat
ions/preentryenglishrequirement/
Tomorrow is the deadline for this particular consultation.
The irony of the current wave of policies on language and migration is
not lost those involved in ESOL. Government ministers have perfected the
technique of haranguing people to learn English, often at the same time
denigrating their expert languages. As if migrants to the UK are unaware
of the importance of learning English! Yet the same government's
policies have led to dramatic cuts in ESOL provision. On that note,
don't forget the current consultation on the new proposals for ESOL. The
consultation documents are at http://www.esolconsultation.org.uk/ and
the closing date is 4 April.
Finally, I have been reading Sheila Rosenberg's new book 'A critical
history of ESOL in the UK 1870-2006'. It's a really good book, clear,
well-written and covering the key social, political, educational and
theoretical developments in our field over the past century plus. I
highly recommend it to anyone interested in situating ESOL historically
and socio-politically.
http://www.niace.org.uk/publications/C/CriticalHistory.asp
James
----------------
Dr James Simpson
School of Education
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
UK
[log in to unmask]
http://www.education.leeds.ac.uk/people/staff.php?staff=39
+44 (0)113 343 4687
Visit the ESOL Research home page:
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~edujsi/
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-----Original Message-----
From: Sunderland, Helen Charlotte [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 25 February 2008 14:09
To: James Simpson; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Consultation on English requirements for spouses prior to
entry to UK
Thanks James for reminding us.
Am attaching the response from the ESOL Division, LLU+.
Helen
Helen Sunderland
Head of ESOL
Assistant Director, LLU+
London South Bank University
103 Borough Road
London SE1 0AA
tel. +44 (0)207 815 6285
fax. +44 (0)207 815 6296
LLU+ (formerly London Language and Literacy Unit)
Why not visit our website at ww.lsbu.ac.uk/lluplus
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