Polish parents of pupils at a Midlothian secondary are being given the opportunity to improve their language skills and employment potential through a pilot online English for speakers of other languages course.
The course has been developed by St David’s High in conjunction with Newbattle Abbey College.
Parents taking it will initially be coached in the use of ICT by senior pupils at St David’s, while Polish pupils will act as translators.
Learners will then go on to study the SQA-accredited ESOL course online, increasing their competency in English to a level recognised within the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
The interactive course includes tasks, activities, quizzes, graphics and audio, with learners able to access resources at home in their own time and develop their English skills at their own pace.
A DVD has been made at St David’s High for P7 pupils and their parents across Midlothian and East Lothian to help them understand the Scottish education system.
Marian Docherty, headteacher, said: “We hope our Polish community will gain from learning about our school system in their own language, as well as developing their skills in English and ICT. We plan to offer the same support for speakers of other community languages in St David’s, and our own senior pupils can only gain from this project.”
