Page 35 - ELG1803 Mar Issue 455

INTERVIEW . REVIEWS & RESOURCES

least two of the elements of the new scheme
may come as a new experience for many
overseas schools.
The first is the experience of being
inspected. As well as having all their
paperwork checked, the average language
school will be visited by two inspectors for
two days.
And, as any veteran of a British-style
inspection will tell you, it inevitably involves
inspectors sitting in on classes.
More British still, all inspection reports
will be published on the BAC’s website for
the students and their families to check.
Schools will not be forced to publish their
reports in full on their website, as is the case
with all British government schemes.
‘But they must provide a link to the report
on their website so that students and parents
can find it,’ Fear says firmly.
The second big shock is the emphasis the
BAC gives to student progress, something
that private sector English language teaching
has done it’s best to avoid. Fear has no
Paul Fear at work sympathy for schools who say measuring
progress is impossible.
‘We have been doing this in mainstream
An inspector calls education for thirty years…. At the
beginning we found it difficult to do. We
sat down and asked ourselves questions like
what progress do we expect to see? How can
we measure it?’
It is time, he clearly feels, for English
Paul Fear tells Melanie Butler about a new language schools to do some catching up.
accreditation scheme aiming to raise standards After all, as he and I agree, how can you
talk about good teaching and learning if you
outside of the English speaking world don’t know how much the students have
actually learned?
Given that the BAC is aiming specifically
ccrediting EFL courses is not Fear himself, with a background running at providers offering international English
something we went looking international schools, is all too familiar with exams, and, in most cases, their students will
for.’ Paul Fear, chief executive the problems of English learners. be enrolled on long term extensive courses,
‘Aof the British Accreditation He says: ‘Everybody imagines that schools have very little excuse not to make
Council (BAC), is talking about the handful international schools are full of expatriate individual student progress a key concern.
of English language course providers it English-speaking children but in fact, Schools receive feedback on exam courses
accredits under its short courses scheme. nowadays, most of the students come from very quickly. Either students pass the exam,
But now there is the BAC’s new local families and English is their second or they complain.
international scheme for English Language language. English language teachers play a And under the new accreditation system,
Providers, being launched this month. vital role.’ if the school won’t deal with the student
Aimed squarely at local schools operating complaint properly they can complain to the
outside the English speaking world, it will How can you talk BAC.
inspect and accredit providers offering about good teaching But it is not just student progress that this
international examinations in English for former headmaster is interested in, it is the
students over the age of 12. and learning if you don’t progress of the schools.
‘Overseas language schools just kept The experience of BAC’s other five
phoning us up and asking whether we know how much the accreditation schemes is that one of the
could accredit them,’ he smiles. ‘So finally students have actually main benefits of accreditation is the gradual
we decided to sit down and see if we could improvement you can achieve in schools,
design a scheme to fit what is clearly a hole learned? when you inspect them every three years.
in the market.’ Take student welfare. The whole problem
Better known for accrediting post school The new accreditation scheme will of safeguarding, of student well-being, is
education – pretty much everything from look very familiar to most people in British relatively new in most countries. So to begin
vocational courses to degrees – the BAC may education. It covers the traditional areas of with the aim is to make them fully aware
seem an odd choice for an EFL scheme. But management, teaching and learning, student of it and encourage them to improve their
their in-house expertise is impressive. welfare and premises and facilities. processes gradually and so the standards
‘Our chief inspector led the first inspection But its inclusion of online and blended improve.
team for EFL accreditation in the UK for the courses, one of BAC’s other areas of ‘We are,’ says Fear with a smile, ‘really
Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI),’ he expertise, will come as a welcome addition to interested in progress.’
says. many. As Fear is only too aware, however, at It’s the British way.
34 March 2018