ESOL resourcing

Addressing the needs of individual students can be a real challenge for schools, particularly when many NESB students arrive at school with minimal skills in English and may have low literacy levels in their first language. The Ministry of Education has put in place a sustainable, long-term level of funding to support these learners with their English language needs.

Criteria for funding 

• Students with the highest language needs are entitled to funding. Criteria have been developed to identify these students. (Refer to section on applying for funding.)
• Eligible students from a migrant or refugee background generate funding for a maximum of five years (20 terms).
• New Zealand born students of migrant or refugee parents become eligible after two terms in school. They may be funded for a maximum of three years (12 terms) during the first four years of their schooling.

Funding rates 

• Funding rates vary between $600-$1800 per year for each student depending on the year level and status of students and allow for an initial period of intensive funding for the first one or two years.
• Details of funding levels are available at www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/esol

Applying for funding

• An ESOL Assessment Form (ESOL/AF) must be completed for each student who is eligible to receive ESOL funding. (See Section C Assessing Students).
• Schools then enter student details onto the appropriate ESOL Application Forms (ESOL/AP-M, ESOL/AP-R, ESOL/AP-NZ) to apply for funding for new students.
• These forms, together with the updated Status List that details all the students in the school who are currently funded, must be sent in to the Ministry of Education before the biennial closing dates.

Payment procedures

• The funding allocation is made on a six-monthly basis.  The ESOL database will generate payments to schools towards the end of Terms 1 and 3.
• About 4 weeks after applications close, schools will be notified of their ESOL funding allocations. Along with the funding notification letter, the Status List of funded students will be sent to the school.
• Funding will be deposited in the school’s bank account and the transaction code ‘ESL’ will appear on the bank statement.  It will be GST inclusive.
• New students who arrive at school after the closing date will generate funding for the following terms.

Verification

• Verifiers ensure that schools are identifying and providing programmes for the appropriate students.
• The ESOL Assessment Forms (ESOL/AF) will be required for verification and must be retained in the school for audit purposes. When a student changes school the ESOL/AF should be forwarded to the new school.
• A centralised Ministry of Education ESOL database stores data about funded students including their assessment scores. The database keeps a record of each student’s entitlement. It provides general statistical reports and verification details, and is used for research purposes.

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Supporting Ministry initiatives

As well as the standard ESOL funding for eligible students the Ministry has a number of other initiatives in place that may offer support to schools with NESB students

• TESSOL Scholarships: Skilled teachers with appropriate experience and ESOL qualifications can lift the quality of programme delivery to NESB students and boost the oracy and literacy levels of their students. The TESSOL (Teaching English in Schools to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification aims to give teachers theoretical knowledge and effective practical techniques for enhancing students' language development through the curriculum. Each year the Ministry of Education offers scholarships to teachers all around the country to study for TESSOL qualifications. Information is sent out to schools about these scholarships and they are advertised in the Gazette in October of each year.
• There are Regional Refugee Education Coordinators in the Ministry offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Their role is to provide information and assist with the enrolment, placement and adjustment of refugee students into schools. They may also provide information on refugee education and ongoing support to schools and liaise with families and community groups. The Refugee Education Coordinators may also assist schools to work with Group Special Education, to provide specialist advice and assistance for students who have high and complex needs.
• In addition the Ministry has established a Flexible Funding Proposals Pool to provide schools with additional resources to address some of the broader issues that may prevent refugee students from participating and achieving in mainstream school programmes. Schools should contact their regional coordinator, or the National Refugee Education Coordinator for further details.
• Regional Migrant Education Coordinator operate in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch to work alongside the Refugee Education Coordinators to provide support for migrant students.

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Supporting Ministry publications

The Ministry has produced a number of publications designed to provide additional support to schools for the management and implementation of ESOL programmes for NESB students. These documents are part of a family of ESOL-related publications.  They are outlined below:

• NESB Students: A Handbook for Schools: The handbook is written to help principals, boards of trustees, and school management and teachers in state primary and secondary schools to develop and implement policies and practices that are appropriate and supportive of NESB students. The handbook contains: descriptions and case-studies of NESB students in New Zealand; suggestions on ways in which schools can accommodate and communicate with diverse multicultural communities; discussion on school policies and procedures; assessment and recording issues relating to NESB students; examples of ESOL programmes and strategies and teaching and professional development issues.
• NESB Students: A Study of Programmes and Support in New Zealand Schools;  This research study, that was conducted in New Zealand schools and distributed at the end of 1997, contains a rich collection of information on NESB students and on ESOL programmes.
• ESOL Funding Assessment Guidelines: The guidelines are written to help teachers to assess their NESB students against the criteria in the ESOL Assessment Form (ESOL/AF) and to diagnose student needs so that effective and appropriate programmes can be developed. The guidelines contain: examples of ‘initial assessments’ of NESB students; suggested assessment tasks in the four English language modes (listening, speaking, reading, writing); samples of a range of students’ work along with teachers' comments, analysis and ratings and sample plans, reports, student lists and useful references.
• English language Intensive Programme (ELIP): This resource, which is provided free to schools with English language learners in years 7 – 13,  is designed to support ESOL programmes for students in these years. It is not intended as a whole programme in itself, but provides guidelines for teachers of ESOL programmes and mainstream and classroom teachers by selecting some language outcomes and language learning focus points at three phases of English language learning.
• ESOL Progress Assessment Guidelines: These guidelines have two main purposes: to provide information about a range of assessment tools and processes that are used in New Zealand schools,  and to explain how these tools and processes can be used to assess the language learning needs and describe the progress of English language learners. They will help teachers to reflect critically on assessment tools and processes and to make informed choices about them.
• NESB Students: Families Learning Together; The booklets, designed for use by the refugee and migrant communities, are published in 9 languages.. They include information on the levels of schooling, how schools are managed, the rights and responsibilities of caregivers, attendance, fees, uniforms, discipline, homework, school terms and holidays and how parents can support their children’s learning in the home.
• Refugee Students: A Handbook for Schools; The handbook has been developed to enable schools to make effective provision for refugees students. It includes sections on: welcoming students; enrolment, placement and monitoring; planning and delivering effective teaching programmes; using bilingual support workers, providing pastoral care and supporting students at transition points.
• Effective Provisions For International Students; This document guides schools in making appropriate decisions when developing support programmes for International fee-paying students. It includes references  to  pastoral care of students as detailed in the Code of Practice, together with ESOL programme guidelines.