Writing in English as an Additional Language at Key Stage 2
Writing in English as an Additional Language at Key Stage 2
Writing in English as an Additional Language at Key Stage 2
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<strong>Writ<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>English</strong> <strong>as</strong> <strong>an</strong> <strong>Additional</strong> L<strong>an</strong>guage <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong> 2 18<br />
Percent of EAL <strong>an</strong>d EMT girls achiev<strong>in</strong>g level 4 or above <strong>in</strong> KS2 <strong>English</strong> (2003)<br />
100<br />
90<br />
80<br />
70<br />
88 89<br />
69<br />
82<br />
77<br />
66<br />
87<br />
75 75 74<br />
82<br />
69<br />
77<br />
73<br />
94<br />
85<br />
85<br />
64<br />
81<br />
72<br />
60<br />
50<br />
% 4+ EMT<br />
% 4+ EAL<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
Any other<br />
White<br />
background<br />
Indi<strong>an</strong> Pakist<strong>an</strong>i B<strong>an</strong>gladeshi Any other Black Afric<strong>an</strong> Any other<br />
Asi<strong>an</strong><br />
Black<br />
background<br />
background<br />
Ch<strong>in</strong>ese<br />
Any other<br />
ethnic group<br />
All pupils<br />
Figure 4 % of EAL <strong>an</strong>d EMT girls achiev<strong>in</strong>g level 4 or above <strong>in</strong> KS2 <strong>English</strong> (2003)<br />
A p<strong>at</strong>tern of under-achievement is visible <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong> 1, <strong>an</strong>d after <strong>in</strong>cre<strong>as</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong><br />
<strong>Stage</strong> 2 <strong>as</strong> seen above, is ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong> 3 (age around 14 years). At schoolleav<strong>in</strong>g<br />
age, only 34.7% of boys of Pakist<strong>an</strong>i background learn<strong>in</strong>g EAL p<strong>as</strong>s 5 or<br />
more GCSEs <strong>at</strong> grade C or above, <strong>as</strong> compared with 46% of boys whose mother<br />
tongue is <strong>English</strong>.<br />
The development of <strong>English</strong> <strong>as</strong> <strong>an</strong> additional l<strong>an</strong>guage is <strong>as</strong>sumed to take place<br />
through immersion <strong>in</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>stream school<strong>in</strong>g, comb<strong>in</strong>ed with some specialist<br />
<strong>as</strong>sist<strong>an</strong>ce <strong>at</strong> the early stages from L<strong>an</strong>guage Support or L<strong>an</strong>guage Development<br />
teachers. Research <strong>in</strong> other countries, particularly North America, suggests th<strong>at</strong> it<br />
takes between 5 <strong>an</strong>d 7 years for children’s additional l<strong>an</strong>guage to reach a level<br />
comparable with their mother tongue peers (Collier, 1996). By the end of <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong><br />
2, therefore, we would expect differences <strong>in</strong> achievement due to first l<strong>an</strong>guage to be<br />
disappear<strong>in</strong>g, r<strong>at</strong>her th<strong>an</strong> to be widen<strong>in</strong>g. While a r<strong>an</strong>ge of other factors, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
socio-economic background, may <strong>in</strong>fluence achievement, it is import<strong>an</strong>t to consider<br />
l<strong>an</strong>guage issues so th<strong>at</strong> children c<strong>an</strong> be given appropri<strong>at</strong>e support <strong>an</strong>d teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the<br />
primary school.<br />
1.3 L<strong>in</strong>ks to the “<strong>Writ<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> EAL <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong> 4 <strong>an</strong>d post-16”<br />
project<br />
The project w<strong>as</strong> designed to follow <strong>an</strong> earlier, Ofsted-funded research study of writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />
by more adv<strong>an</strong>ced learners of EAL <strong>at</strong> <strong>Key</strong> <strong>Stage</strong> 4 <strong>an</strong>d post-16 (Cameron, 2003). In<br />
th<strong>at</strong> project, the writ<strong>in</strong>g of bil<strong>in</strong>gual learners w<strong>as</strong> <strong>an</strong>alysed <strong>an</strong>d compared with writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />
from first l<strong>an</strong>guage peers <strong>an</strong>d from higher achiev<strong>in</strong>g EAL learners. It w<strong>as</strong> found th<strong>at</strong><br />
some l<strong>an</strong>guage fe<strong>at</strong>ures were still caus<strong>in</strong>g difficulties for bil<strong>in</strong>gual learners,<br />
particularly <strong>at</strong> the levels of genre <strong>an</strong>d phr<strong>as</strong>e.