Page 33 - ELG1903 Mar-Apr Issue 464
P. 33

SPECIAL FEATURE

                                             handful of experimental bilingual schools,
                                                                                 “We do not select children. We find the
                                           EMETERIO SUAREZ  part of a British Council project.  children who have become bilingual and we
                                                                                invite them to join the section.”
                                              “They were struggling,” he concedes,
                                                                                 I’ve give up arguing with Xavier Gisbert
                                             “but I thought bilingual could be a very
                                             interesting possibility. So I cleared my desk,
                                             and I took a large piece of paper and I began   about these things. His opinions are strong
                                                                                and, when the evidence comes in, it tends to
                                             to sketch out a plan.”             support him. I remember, a couple of years
                                              The plan became the Madrid bilingual   ago, asking him whether bilingual schools
                                             school project, a project which by 2017 had   disadvantaged students with low Socio-
                                            revolutionized the level of English in Madrid’s   Economic Status, or SES.
                                            state schools. At age 16, nearly 60 per cent   “Children with low SES always do worse,”
                                            of children in the programme test at B2 or   he snapped back. “The question is can we
                                            above with, 27 per cent reaching C1 or above,   reduce the gap?”
                                            according to British Council research.  And reduce it they have. The L2 levels of
                                              The figures are even higher in the elite   low SES children in Madrid’s bilingual schools is
                                            bilingual sections, the special secondary school   lower than that of their more affluent peers, but
                                            programme for children who test well in their L2   the difference is significantly wider in the non-
                                            at the end of their bilingual primary. The British   bilingual schools, the British Council found. In
                                            Council found that 85 per cent                     fact, low SES children in
                                            of them were at B2 or above,    We do not select     bilingual schools were
                                            the kind of result you would                         at the same language
                                            only expect to see in Sweden   children. We fi nd the   level as middle-class
                                            or the Netherlands, the best                         children in non-
                                            performing English language   children who have      bilingual education.
                                            learners in the world.  become bilingual and          Not what the
        were from immigrant families but most were   Now, the whole bilingual                   centre left politicians
        from Latin America. Only 5 per cent did not   school project is contentious  we invite them to join   in the current Spanish
        speak either Spanish or English at home.  in Spain. The bilingual                       government probably
          There is very little Xavier Gisbert doesn’t   sections are a major political   the section.  want to hear.
        know about Madrid state schools. Madrid is   hot potato, with parties on                Perhaps they hope
        where, while working as Director General   the left labelling it as selective.  Xavier Gisbert is no longer there to answer
        for Quality Improvement of Teaching for   Selective education is not allowed under   back. But though he has left the Madrid
        the regional government, he came across a   Spanish law.                bilingual project, the warrior has not left the
                                                                                field. He has set up an accreditation scheme
                                                                                for bilingual schools across Spain, working
                                                                                with language consultancy NewLink.
 drid’s bilingual project                                                       piece of advice he gives the schools he is
                                                                                 And what is the single most important
                                                                                looking to accredit?
                                                                                 “Your teachers must be C1 in the language,
                                            In 2017 the British Council         or your school will not be a bilingual school.”
                                            tested the English of nearly         It’s the Gisbert mantra.
                                            2,000 16 year olds in 170 Madrid     “And why do teachers need to be C1?”
                                            schools, including 45 bilingual      “Because the language of the student…”
                                            state schools using Aptis for       he starts.
                                            Teenagers, an exam which is new      “will never be better than the teacher’s”
                                            to Spain.                           I finish.
                                                                                 We laugh. All migrant children know that.
                                              The results, shown in the table   All language teachers, too. He drains his
                                            at left, are reported across all four   coffee and stands up to leave. But I have one
                                            skills for both bilingual and non-  more question. He is the migrant child who
                                            bilingual schools. On average,      climbed the greasy pole of education, but why
                                            students in bilingual schools       did he never become a politician?”
                                            tested at B2 and C1 level.           He shrugs and smiles. “Because I always say
                                                                                what I think.”


                                                                ■ Xavier Gisbert da Cruz has a degree in French Philology from the Complutense
                                                                University of Madrid. He has been Education Counselor at the Embassy of
                                                                Spain in London, Director of the Regional Center of Innovation and Training
                                         BRITISH COUNCIL        “Las Acacias”, Director General of Improvement of the Quality of Education
                                                                of the Ministry of Education of the Community of
                                                                Madrid, General Director of Evaluation and Territorial
                                                                Cooperation in the Ministry of Education, Culture and
                                                                Sport and Education Counselor of the Embassy of Spain
                                                                in Washington. He was a promoter of the International
                                                                Congresses of Bilingual Teaching (CIEB). He is the
                                                                author of several publications and is currently President of
                                                                the Bilingual Teaching Association (EB).


        editorial@elgazette.com                                                                                33
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