Croydon College ran provision for 50-100 (the number varied quite widely between years) 15-16 year olds on behalf of the LEA for 6 or 7 years, although it has been ‘taken back’ into schools this academic year. I was the person who set it up, although I am now working elsewhere.

 

The learners were on specific courses for their age-group, not mixed with older learners, and the LEA provided FT classroom assistants for each group, and an advisor/counsellor/social worker or home liaison person who was part time. She also ran some PSHE sessions with each group and arranged specific enrichment activities (mostly sport) for the groups, although they were also free to join in the college’s enrichment programme. They studied ESOL, Maths, Science, and IT, as did the 16-18 groups. While not fully balanced, if local and UK geography/ history was covered in the ESOL sessions, this provided quite a wide curriculum.

 

As a general rule of thumb, if they were initially assessed at Entry 3 or above, they would be expected to be placed in a school- the provision worked at Pre-Entry and Entry 1 and 2 levels. The LEA would guarantee an agreed number of courses/places each year, and the course gradually filled. At first the learners were placed on the roll of different schools, but later on the roll of a PRU; in both cases, they were ‘seconded‘ full time to the college. The provision was inspected as part of the PRU provision.

 

If you need any further information, get back to me.

 

Margaret

 

 

We have been approached by the Local Education Authority to see if we could provide education for Year 11 pupils for whom appropriate provision is not available in schools.

Last year, 15/16 year olds who arrived in January were being offered places in the unit for excluded children, if there were no school provision available.

We took the decision, with the LEA, to enrol them on ESOL courses, as a more constructive alternative, aware that we were not able to offer a balanced curriculum.

 

Has any one else been approached in a similar way?

Do any other institutions have an ESOL-stream foundation-type programme?

 

What other solutions are there in other areas to this issue?