NSW Department of Education and Training

Future Directions
Continue to monitor and support the implementation of the Cultural Diversity and
Community Relations Policy: Multicultural education in schools.
Access to flexible delivery, workplace assessment and recognition is a challenge for
many people from language backgrounds other than English, especially those who are
overseas qualified and need opportunities to have local work experience.
There is an on-going need to improve course and unit completion rates for students from
language backgrounds other than English.
2.4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERACY PROGRAMS
Proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the English language is an essential
tool for success in education and training and for full participation in Australian society.
Students who are learning English as a second or other language require appropriate
support to develop their English language and literacy skills so that they are able to fully
participate in education and training and achieve equitable outcomes.
Achievements
Schools
A total of 82,554 students from language backgrounds other than English at all ages
and stages of schooling received English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in a
total of 732 schools. This included 65,046 primary ESL students in 535 primary schools
and 17,408 secondary ESL students in 197 high schools.
On-arrival ESL support was provided to a total of 7,573 newly-arrived students including
1,152 newly arrived refugees. Of these newly arrived students 2,362 were enrolled in 14
Intensive English Centres (IECs) and the Intensive English High School (IEHS). 4,177
were enrolled in primary schools and 1,034 were enrolled in secondary schools.
Of the newly arrived ESL students, a total of 544 were enrolled in 216 schools in rural
and regional areas and received on-arrival ESL support through the ESL New Arrivals
Program.
During 2008, from a total of 7,989 temporary visa holders enrolled in NSW government
schools, 1,802 were granted individual exemption from the temporary visa holder
education fee based on capacity to pay. A further 2,755 students were automatically
exempt based on visa sub class.
ESL support was provided to 2,731 international students in high schools, 245 in primary
schools and 517 in Intensive English Centres and the Intensive English High School.
Resources were developed to link the NAPLAN assessment program to ESL teaching
across the curriculum. The resources, available on NSW DET intranet and internet at
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/7-
12assessments/naplan/teachstrategies/yr2008/index.htm, link sets of ESL teaching
sequences to literacy and numeracy skills for Stages 2 - 4.
A range of teacher support materials were developed to assist assessment and reporting
of ESL student learning outcomes using the ESL Scales.
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