Case Study

Background

Bristol Metropolitan College is located in Bristol and has a 650+ student population with a strong mix of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The school was granted specialist status as a Language College in January 2005.

The school motto reflects the school’s approach to community language learning:

'The school at the heart of the community, the community at the heart of the school.'

The school is committed to community languages and liaises widely with other primary, secondary and supplementary schools. Its status as a Language College has allowed it to increase the range of languages it offers, invest in improving classroom space for language teaching, purchase new resources and technology and appoint new staff.

The school has 6 language classrooms that are fully equipped with Interactive Whiteboards and has purchased 60 laptops for students to use for independent learning in the classroom. It runs GCSE accreditation in 4 languages, accredits home languages for students from other cultural backgrounds (including students from other schools), provides ‘twilight’ language lessons, has introduced the Certificate of Business Language Competence (CBLC) at Key Stage 4, runs language lessons in 5 partner primary schools, provides Briarfield - a shared-site school for children with severe disabilities - with ‘taster’ language classes, and has offered adult language classes to the local community.

It has a thriving and innovative Culture and Language Week each July during which a specially designed 5-day timetable allows all subject areas to explore activities relating to different countries, languages and cultures.

Support for community languages and newly arrived Somali students

The school has a high percentage (53%) of Black and Minority Ethnic Students, most with a home language other than English. Many have arrived in the UK during their childhood and 52 different languages are spoken within the school. An indication of the scale of inward migration and its impact on the school is demonstrated by the 50 new arrivals since September 2007.

All new arrivals have a daily English lesson, intended as a short term intervention, where students are grouped according to their language level. Students are withdrawn from other classes, as anything outside of normal school hours is difficult and limited because of religious/family obligations. Students are assessed every second term and leave the support classes as soon as they have right level of competence to maximize their participation in mainstream classes.

Some students are new to schooling generally and some bilingual classes are provided for core subjects such as maths and science. Initially these subjects are taught in Somali to facilitate pupils' understanding with key words and phrases in English, to support comprehension of the subject. Once the pupil is more comfortable with the material the focus switches to English, with minimal support in Somali still available. The classes are extremely popular with students working collaboratively together and offering each other peer support in their learning.

The Bilingual/EAL coordinator, Dominique Moore, is supportive of allowing use of a home language in the classroom. Research shows that the stronger the first language, the better students are likely to be at learning a second or third. Use of the home language gives students the opportunity to explore a subject freely without being limited by their English abilities, boosts the value of language and promotes diversity within the school, and engenders respect from students for others’ language and culture.

Somali teaching

Somali students make up the largest ethnic student group within the school. Some come to the UK directly from Somalia or Somaliland, many come indirectly from other European countries such as Holland or Finland. About 80% were born in Europe or in the UK. There are two Somali supplementary schools in Bristol providing Saturday classes, both with a cultural/religious focus.

Somali classes are taught by Abdi Waais who works closely with the EAL teacher Dominique Moore. He teaches small classes of year 8 and 9 students, in place of French or German classes, whose spoken skills are often good as they use the language regularly outside of school but who can lack reading and writing skills. One of the key challenges is the paucity of available teaching and learning materials although this is improving slowly. Some primary level materials do exist, but Abdi is currently working on a text book aimed at filling this gap for students with more advanced skills. The first Somali language examination was taken at the school in 2000. Last year, 20 year 8 and 9 pupils achieved passes, at the first attempt, in the Asset Somali examination at Breakthrough level in reading and listening.

The students are generally keen to pursue their language and to gain accreditation for their skills. In the year 8 class observed, there were six students of whom two had very recently arrived from Somalia. In a reverse of their position in other subjects, these recent arrivals are usually the strongest in the Somali class for obvious reasons, and this importantly gives them a sense of pride and achievement they may not be able to experience immediately elsewhere at school and acts as a good motivational factor for them. When observed, the group was working on independently acquired laptops using a Eurotalk Talk Now package. Although a beginner level package, it gives students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with different accents and the written word.

Although working independently, the students assisted each other when help was required and congratulated each other on achievement. In the course of the lesson one student achieved the score required to gain his Bronze Award – and a certificate is printed for him to take home and a second is put on display in the classroom.

The student experience

Nagib Hussein came to England from Somalia 9 years ago with no English at all and started at Millpond Primary School in Bristol. Life in England was completely different to life in Somalia – Nagib was fascinated by TV, proper roads, shops, the availability of chocolate, etc. Within a year of arriving he was speaking English well, but he found learning to read and write and adapting to the culture took much longer and was more difficult. He was supported by the Bristol Ethnic Minority Achievement Services (EMAS) who provided a tutor to help him with reading and writing.

He first took Somali lessons in year 8, realising that it was important to keep up his Somali language. He uses the language at home and is responsible for helping his family when dealing with the authorities, accompanying them to the doctor’s and other appointments when he acts as an interpreter for them. His father took him back to Somalia for a few months during year 8 to ensure that he did not lose touch with his cultural background and to gain experience of life back in Somalia. He started Somali lessons again in year 9 finding it easier than before his visit because he had learnt to read and write Somali whilst there.

Nagib is now in year 11 and has just passed his Asset Somali examination at Breakthrough Level achieving the highest Grade – 3 - in Listening and Grade 2 in Reading (NB this is the only level available at the moment in Somali). When asked about the impact having two languages has on his life, he answered “If I see someone new, I’ve more chance of being able to talk to them” and “I’m better at understanding people, their body language”. Nagib is also studying for the CBLC (Certificate of Business Language Competence) in French. He is planning on taking A levels in Government and Politics, Sociology and Law and Critical Thinking and would like to study Law at university.

About the School