2 minute read
English as a Second or Additional Language
Bolton is an ethnically diverse borough, with approximately 21% of the population being born outside the UK and a large black and minority ethnic (BME) population, with 17% of residents considering themselves to be part of non- white ethnic groups and 83% of the population describing themselves as white British or from another white background. Bolton has sizeable Indian and Pakistani communities. The most recent figures state that these communities accounted for 7.8% and 4.3% respectively.
Bolton is also home to new and emerging communities, who have settled in Bolton through economic migration or Britain’s refugee and asylum arrangements. Bolton has welcomed large numbers of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East and the UNHCR’s Gateway Protection Programme has brought groups of refugees to Bolton from many countries, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Syria, DR Congo, Sudan, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia. All resettlement has been paused in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic but resettlement seems likely to continue via the planned UK Resettlement scheme (UKRS) once launched.
While the years since the Brexit referendum have seen fluctuations in net migration from European countries, large numbers of existing migrants from EU countries such as Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, have settled in the borough. The vast majority have successfully applied for settled or pre-settled status. Trends suggest that increased non-EU migration is likely to compensate for reduced EU migration as the UK moves away from the European Union.
All this contributes to a borough with a high degree of ethnic diversity, and an especially high demand for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision across Bolton, which the College continues to prioritise for curriculum offer.
In 2019/2020 the College recruited a higher proportion of learners from minority ethnic backgrounds (52%) when compared to Bolton as whole (21%). The vast majority of these learners are disadvantaged with 66% of them coming from widening participation postcodes. In response to local needs, the College offers a substantial ESOL curriculum delivered from our main campus as well as a variety of smaller community centres across the borough, located in areas of high deprivation. 90% of ESOL learners come from widening participation postcodes. Nearly 60% of the learners in the department were women during the academic year 2019/2020 indicating the key role ESOL classes play in supporting female migrants to integrate into life in the UK. Ethnicity data alone does not capture the stunning diversity of cultures that make up the cohort of ESOL learners at Bolton College. However a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Association of Colleges identified that there were over 70 different nationalities and first languages represented in the department. Very few of these learners have qualifications on entry because the majority are new arrivals to the UK. For a large number of learners on our Pre-entry and Entry Level 1 provision, this is their first experience of formal education in any setting. For higher level ESOL students the department offers excellent opportunities for progression to mainstream courses and there is now a direct progression pathway to HE Foundation courses at the University of Bolton for learners with prior achievement in their home countries.
