The ESOL Skills for Life qualifications are available to post-16 learners. Schools with ESOL learners younger than 16 should seek the advice of local and national bodies (eg their local authority or the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) about the best curriculum for their learners to follow.
It might be appropriate for ESOL learners aged under 16 to take Edexcel’s Literacy qualifications, available on Section 96 and therefore open to schools. These qualifications at entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 attract attainment points equivalent to half a GCSE (if taken at Level 1 or Level 2). Many schools are taking Edexcel’s Adult Literacy (and Adult Numeracy) qualifications with great success for their learners, in order to start preparing for the new functional skills qualifications in English, Maths and ICT, being piloted in selected centres from September 2007.
Centres teaching ESOL SfL, Adult Literacy or Adult Numeracy are all governed by the regulations for teachers set out by either the Training and Development Agency (TDA) for schools (including sixth forms), or Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) for FE colleges and post-16 centres other than schools.
For those centres governed by the regulations set out by LLUK, teachers new to teaching are required, from September 2004, to have or to be working towards an approved Level 4 subject specialist qualification in Literacy, Language (ESOL) or Numeracy. In addition the requirement is that by 2010 new and unqualified teachers should be qualified appropriately and encouraged to improve their skills through a range of national initiatives such as the Skills for Life Quality Initiative. For further information contact the Quality Improvement Agency at qia.org.uk, or the LLUK Helpline on 020 7936 5798.
** If you are interested in finding out more about our Adult Literacy or Adult Numeracy qualifications you should contact skillsforlife@edexcel.org.uk.
If you are interested in finding out more about how we are working with the QCA to develop the functional skills qualifications you should contact caroline.hughes@edexcel.org.uk. If you want to find out more about our teaching qualifications for post-16 learning you should contact jane.boehm@edexcel.org.uk.
