Written - Grants For Pupils Where English Is Not Their First Language

I welcome the opportunity to make this Statement on the teaching of English as an Additional Language (EAL) in schools in Wales and the extent of the Welsh Assembly Government’s funding to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to support this provision.

Pupils for whom English is an additional language receive tuition and support from specialist EAL teachers and multi lingual teaching assistants employed by LEAs. Experience has shown that this works best when the pupils are not withdrawn from the main curriculum but when the EAL teaching complements their mainstream subjects and is made relevant to the curriculum. Teaching assistants fluent in the learners’ home language translate, interpret and generally support them in their new school and cultural setting.

These pupils’ acquisition of both social and academic English is key to their inclusion in the school community and in unlocking their potential. That is why EAL provision is central to the minority ethnic achievement agenda to which I am committed. Significant Assembly Government funding underpins this commitment and, in 2006-07, our Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) is worth £5million and is being shared by all 22 LEAs to support them in raising minority ethnic achievement, particularly amongst children for whom English is an additional language. A very significant proportion of this is devoted to the employment of specialist English language teachers and language support assistants.

EMAG funding has increased from £3.85m in 2003-04 to reflect the growing number of eligible pupils who currently stand at 19,315.  The Assembly Government also provides an annual grant to support LEAs who are educating asylum seeker children. The grant is used to meet central support costs and their special needs, including English language acquisition.  The Asylum Seeker Grant amounts to £2.4 million in 2006-07 and is being shared between the eight LEAs which applied; it is set to rise to £3.1 million in 2007-08.  (A further Assembly Government grant to LEAs of £900,000 annually supports the education of Gypsy Traveller children who are a specific minority group)

I recognise that the increasing numbers of migrant workers from the EU who are settling in Wales with their families mean an additional pressure on  many schools, particularly in providing for the children’s language needs. They are also adding significantly to the numbers of pupils eligible for EMAG and this is one of the main reasons why I asked officials to review the Assembly's minority ethnic achievement grants with a view to maximising the amount that can be used by schools for the teaching of English as an additional language and to making discrete provision for the children of migrant workers for the first time. I also wanted a grant system which is responsive to any future rises in the numbers of these children registering at schools – something which is difficult to predict.

Having considered a detailed case, I have recently approved changes to the minority ethnic achievement grants regime which will mean greater flexibility and additional funding  being available to LEAs for EAL provision and which will also make new, specific provision for the children of migrant workers. I have approved a merger of the EMAG and Asylum Seeker Grant and the creation of a new Minority Ethnic Achievement Grant (MEAG) worth £8.1 million with effect from 1 April 2007. LEAs will be able to apply for this grant for pupils up to the age of 18, thus ending the disparity between EMAG, which was limited to children of compulsory school age, and the Asylum Seeker Grant, which covered children to age 18. The new grant will continue to recognise the special needs of asylum seeker children for whom schools can provide transport, uniforms, meals and so on, quite apart from providing for their learning needs. The new arrangements have the support of the range of education practitioners who were consulted upon them.

As was the case with EMAG, MEAG allocations will be determined by the application of a formula which will be weighted according to pupils’ ages; Key Stage and linguistic ability. Two new weightings will be added and asylum seeker children will attract the new highest weighting throughout their school career. The next highest “new” weighting will be for ‘new arrivals’- principally the children of migrant workers – who are new to the English language and will apply for a year: they will then be included with other EAL pupils. Numbers of ‘new arrivals’ will be requested twice a year so that the grant can be reactive to any influx of new pupils. The overall result will be much larger, and flexible, funding pools for LEAs to use to meet local priorities.

I am confident that the changes I have described will make an appreciable difference to this service provision across Wales. A key feature of the new MEAG will be that much more funding can be devoted to EAL, not only because overall funding is set to rise by £700,000 in 2007-08, but because the new arrangements will be less prescriptive about how the funding must be apportioned between client groups and, thus, free up more for EAL.

There is no doubt that this is a key agenda and one where I will be asking officials to seek out further evidence of the scale and nature of the costs involved.  The Finance Minister has already recognised the importance of the matter by allocating an additional £500k to local authorities next year in the Final Budget.  All authorities will benefit from these extra funds that have been included with the RSG.  The Minority Ethnic Achievement Grant scheme is a priority and as such I will be keeping the level of funding under close review as we move through the year.