Tute’s ESOL curriculum: A lifeline for young asylum seekers

Young asylum-seeking people need to make a rapid start on their English learning journey, to enable them to access school, college and life in the wider community. Evidence shows that it takes over 6 years to reach the academic proficiency required to pass exams, providing the gateway to further education and employment opportunities (Bell Foundation).

Post-16’s should be allocated a place on a course at an ESOL college, with the aim of working towards Entry 3, the minimum level required for employment in the UK.  

However, depending on when young people arrive in the academic year, they often need to wait for a place, sometimes for up to 9 months, especially for the lower-level courses which are always over-subscribed. As they are generally housed in residential accommodation, often with people of their own nationality, they may not hear people speaking English on a regular basis. Any exposure to English lessons (online, informal, community) is literally a lifeline.

The situation is slightly different for under-16’s, who receive care in a foster home, where English may be spoken. Again, their arrival time is crucial to them getting a school place. Those who are Year 11 age will find it hard to get a place, and many will have to accept that they will have to stay at home until they can attend college in the next academic year. It is all a far cry from their high aspirations, and it must be hard to stay motivated. 

Every year, as the summer term approaches, we notice an exponential increase in numbers signing up for our online courses, which now continue through the school summer holidays. Students are getting ready for a flying start when they finally receive their coveted college place in September. Some might even manage to go straight into an Entry 2 or 3 class, cutting their educational journey a bit shorter. 

I have found these young people to be among the most highly motivated and committed of any I have come across in my career in secondary education, a good example of this is a 16 year-old from Afghanistan, who constantly tells me “Teach me more grammar!”.  

Then there is the young person from Eritrea, who has never been to school, but prior to attending my lessons, had taught herself fluent English and maths by watching YouTube videos, because, in her words, “you need it, don’t you?”.  

Whenever I explain the British education system of GCSE’s, A-levels, apprenticeships and college courses, I am met with rapt attention, followed by a barrage of questions. 

“What do I need to pass to get into university? What if I want to become a doctor/lawyer/engineer? What do I have to read to get my GCSE in English? Can you give me the reading list?” 

And you just know, that despite all the difficulties and barriers, some of these people have the dedication and resilience to be tomorrow’s success stories, because what’s another set-back, when you have already overcome so much, just to be here. 

If you’re a school or local authority looking to explore ESOL provision, find out how Tute’s curriculum can support your learners.

Written by Penny Lynch

Head of ESOL at Tute Education