British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Polish migrant children "need greater English language support"
Research funded by the British Academy Small Research Grants Scheme, and conducted by Dr Daniela Sime and Dr Anne McArthur at the University of Strathclyde, has found that the children of Polish migrants in Scotland need more English language tuition both in and out of school.
Local authorities were warned earlier this year that lack of investment in bilingual school staff could trigger an exodus of Polish workers who have become increasingly important to the Scottish economy since restrictions on Eastern European migration were lifted in 2004.
Dr Sime said:
"Given the increase in the number of Polish families living and working in this country it is important that policy-makers take our findings into account. We need to provide more support for language learning and ensure that information about key services -- medical, sports and leisure -- is accessible in other languages. We also need to target information at parents as well as children to ensure that families are aware of the services available and the benefits of using them."
Dr Sime's findings were presented to the British Educational Research Association's conference, 3-6 September 2008, at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. See press release
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Published:
09 September 2008
The qualitative study explored Polish children's use of public and private services in Scotland from the perspectives of public service providers and children as service users. The study was conducted between 1 June 2007- 30 March 2008. Ten service providers and sixteen children (aged 7 to 14) were interviewed.
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Established by Royal Charter in 1902, the British Academy is an independent learned society promoting the humanities and social sciences. It is composed of Fellows elected in recognition of their distinction as scholars in the humanities and social sciences. The Academy distributes funding to support high quality research.