Page 22 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 22

TRENDS: BOARDING .

Inside the independent school classroom

Melanie Butler investigates the ELT methods used in Britain’s boarding schools

ST EDMUND’S COLLEGE

Studying at St Edmund's College summer school
hen you talk to teachers in EMI+ (English as a Medium of Instruction). The difference from language schools, of
British boarding schools about The secret of success for the ISCs is in course is that school students need to acquire
teaching academic subjects in experience. The academic subject staff need not just general English, but the transactional
WEnglish to international kids, experience in working with L2 children, and language of school, and the academic English
the name you hear most often is ‘BAISIS’. the English language teachers need to have which underpins not only their school
The British Association of Independent worked in an academic environment. subjects but also the all-important IELTS
Schools with International Students, to give Take the staff profiles of the teachers at exam.
BAISIS its full name, has some 60 members Bishopstrow College, the top-performing ISC, Elyse, who is deputy chair of BAISIS and
among British independent schools. all of based on British Council inspection. The heavily involved with its much-lauded
whom, as their name suggests, enroll head teacher, Stuart Nicholson, started in Continuous Professional Development
international pupils whose first language is mainstream independent schools before Programme, says that attention is switching to
not English. moving to an international sixth form college, helping teachers of other subjects support
Since it was founded, in 1997, BAISIS has another type of school which features widely their language learners. “CLIL is becoming
been pioneering ways of supporting English in BAISIS. By contrast, the director of studies very fashionable,” she admits.
learning for L2 children. “The approach has trained as a school teacher but worked in EFL For Elyse, introducing subject teachers to
always been very pragmatic,” says Lee Hawkes in both overseas private language schools, in a CLIL techniques is “a way of up-skilling our
of St Edmond’s College. “It doesn’t start with London international schools and in colleagues, making them more language
theory and principles, it concentrates on what university pathway programmes. aware,” in a classroom environment where
works.” A similar mix of EMI-informed academic non-native speakers are in a minority.
But as Lee, former head of EAL at St instruction and EAP-focused language But CLIL principles are also beginning to
Edmund’s and now in charge of its summer teaching also works well for sixth form influence the EAL classroom, too. Why not
school operations, points out, success in colleges, like Concord College, and 14+ use texts from the geography class to illustrate
boarding schools is not just about language boarding school members, such as the King’s the passive voice, or teach vocabulary from
levels. “The question is not just do they pass Group, where the student intake is wholly or physics? “It’s all about embedding the subject
IELTS, but also do they pass maths?” mainly non-native speakers. language into their learning.”
BAISIS members include a wide variety of As Elyse Conlon, of Moreton Hall ISC This ‘soft CLIL’ approach is also being
types of school, adopting a wide variety of explains, many boarding schools have turned adopted into the international summer
methods. The association was started, for to mainstreaming English language learners. schools offered by many BAISIS members, as
example, by a group of Independent Study Not only because the English language level the market demand moves away from general
Centres or ISCs. These are schools which of new students is now higher, but also English and towards English for education.
specialise in preparing L2 children for entry because, “parents are increasingly insisting on Our top-ranking summer boarding school,
into mainstream education by improving their full school integration.” St Edmund’s College, for example, added soft
English, while keeping up their subject Elyse, who is head of EAL (English as an CLIL content to its language classes. As Lee
knowledge in key areas like maths and Additional Language) at Moreton Hall, Hawkes notes, success, as always, depends on
science. explains the approach. “The term EAL comes getting the right teacher to teach the right
The approach they evolved, and generally from the state school system. Generally, in subject. “Maths and EFL teachers are
still use, is a mix of English language lessons, independent schools it means that English generally not a great mix,” he says, adding,
focusing on EAP, and language-aware subject language learning is treated as a school “But literature, drama, big social issues –
teaching. It could be described perhaps, as subject, with its own specialist department.” that’s where EFL teachers really excel.”
22 November 2019