Page 26 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 26

TRENDS: NURSERY .

News from the nursery The elusive quality

of a great school
Melanie Butler looks at the market for tots
From next year, infants in Madrid state nurseries will be taught
English using a new methodology, and native speaker assistants will
be hired to focus on pronunciation, according to the Spanish press. Smaller is beautiful in EFL, says Jonathan
English language teaching is already the norm for children under Swindell of Quality English
three in Madrid state nurseries, but the current teaching method is not
working. Neither of these facts should come as a surprise.
Across the world, the age at which children start learning English is You come from a background of general education. How did
dropping. The emergence of preschool English is most notable in you end up running Quality English, an association of EFL
countries, like China, where the majority of preschools are privately- schools?
run.
In 2017, China had 30 million children in private preschools, with I have always had a passion for education and working in the industry
an estimated 3 million Chinese students attending preschools which was inevitable for me. My varied experiences have given me a broad
offer some English language teaching with a native speaker. Perhaps 1 background and understanding of the many elements of the education
million more are enrolled in bilingual preschools with a ‘native speaker world as a whole.
teacher’ permanently present. These are the best paid teaching jobs in Working at the General Teaching Council exposed me to the
China, and all you need to get one is a ‘native speaker’ passport, a challenges faced by teachers in what is often an underappreciated
degree and a CELTA equivalent. profession, while my diverse role at the Association of Business
Do these ‘teachers’ have a clue what they are doing? Executives gave me a taste for collaboration between similarly- minded
In many countries, including Taiwan and Korea, where English schools. Subsequently, focusing on international partnerships and
language preschools are illegal, the middle class are increasingly sending recruitment at the University of Reading, opened my eyes to the
their children to private language schools instead. The Korean press importance of international education, learning a second language and
reports that preschool English classes now cost more than a medical becoming a ‘global citizen’.
degree. My role at Quality English (QE) has enabled me to bring all of this
Private language schools outside the English-speaking world which together. Four years in and I’m still loving the industry and our role in it.
are not offering preschool language classes may find their days are
numbered. Most British Council schools in Asia already do so, and the
Council set up two fully bilingual preschool programmes. ...a worldwide network of
The patter of tiny feet is also being heard in language travel. Dublin
City University enrolls children from the age of six as part of its family similarly-minded schools that support
courses. Burlington School in London is taking ‘family course’ children and care for their students.
from age four. Meanwhile, an increasing number of Japanese mothers
are taking their babies to English courses in the Philippines, according
to press reports. Your association emphasizes the importance of non-chain
Is any of this a good idea? independent language schools. From the point of view of
Research by Professor Patrica Kuhl has shown that children up to agents, parents and, of course, the students, what are the
the age of three can learn to naturally discriminate and reproduce three most important reasons for choosing your schools?
sounds in a second language when hyper-stimulated by native speakers
using ‘parentese’. We were established more than 16 years ago to support and showcase
Bilingual preschool programmes with two trained preschool teachers carefully selected, independent English Language Schools in English-
in the room are well established. There is some evidence that, since speaking countries. So, I would say there are three main reasons for
younger children learn entirely by ear, native speaker or bilingual classes choosing a QE school or a Quality Education (QED) college.
offer an advantage with children under six. First, their dedicated and passionate owners are involved in the day-
But as for using teachers who are trained in adult communicative to-day running of the schools, and take enormous pride in the
methodology, including explicit grammar based on verb tenses and a education and the service they provide to their students.
lot of emphasis on reading and writing? Second, these unique schools are often smaller than chain schools,
As one professor of early years education told us: “I can’t think of so each student is treated as an individual and welcomed in as part of
anything worse”. a family.
Finally, our schools must have local accreditation. But we go above
WIKIMEDIA and beyond that by running our own inspections to ensure that every
element of the service and student experience is excellent.

The association has moved into the ‘domestic’ EFL market –
schools in non-English speaking countries catering for local
students.

We introduced Quality English Associate Schools (QEAS) in order to
form collaborations between our members and high-quality EFL
schools in non-English speaking countries.
There are now 10 QEAS in nine different countries, all small,
independent institutions that offer high standards of teaching and
support and also often work as agents to send students overseas.
Students who progress from one of them to a member school in
English-speaking countries benefit from a consistent style of learning
environment and a seamless transition from one supportive institution
Chinese preschool
to another.
26 November 2019