Initially set up by the Aspire Higher team in 2020 as a way for the University to support ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) tutors at Bedford College, the partnership has now extended to 16-18-year-olds at Mark Rutherford School and will soon also be introduced to the same age group at Castle Newnham School.

Currently run by ‘student associates’ from the University, the language sessions contribute to Bedford College’s Employability Enrichment Programme. The project has also been established to help individual pupils from both aforementioned Bedford-based schools via one-on-one tutoring which will begin from the September 2021 term.

The majority of pupils taking part are 'looked after children' who have been living in the UK for less than two years. As well as receiving help with their English language skills, student associates will support the participants in exploring their post-school options, where relevant, with lesson topics ranging from an introduction to university life to interview tips, apprenticeships and budgeting.

Camay Garlic, ESOL Personal Achievement Officer at Bedford College, is delighted with how the scheme has helped her teenage pupils with both their language and employability skills. She said:

“The excellent standard of the presentations given to our pupils by the University of Bedfordshire students has led them to have a better understanding about the world of work and volunteering in the UK.

“It has also helped our cohort to improve their English language skills as they have to listen carefully to the presentation, read some literature – via which they learn a lot of new words – and participate vocally, as much as they can, in English.

“It has also helped participants improve their IT skills such as getting online, learning how to mute the call and learning how to use the chat box function. Some of our pupils have never used IT or the internet before they arrived in the UK, so this has been a wonderful learning curve for them. It has also given them a boost in confidence, being able to log in and participate in discussions.

“We really appreciate the support given to our pupils, and they also enjoy having different presenters rather than their teacher all of the time.”

The programme’s success owes a great deal of thanks to the teaching and mentoring skills of the student associates who deliver the sessions. When recruiting the associates, the University’s Linguistics students were identified as ideal candidates and so Aspire Higher reached out to Theo Maniski – Principal Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics – for his help in hand-picking the perfect people for the job.

Through Theo, MA Applied Linguistics (TEFL) students Valeria Bragar and Margareta Hajdo came forward and have taken the project from strength to strength. Both former learners of English as an Additional Language (EAL), they are relatable to the pupils they teach.

Having moved from Greece to study in the UK, Valeria says she is enjoying helping others, using her own experiences to help her pupils. She said:

“I took part in this programme because I am passionate about helping other people improve their skills. It reminds me of myself needing the help of my professors, who were always there for me. They motivated me and they believed in me and that made a big difference in my personality and self-esteem. Now I want to do the same thing with my students.

“In this programme we have to approach every topic differently when teaching – we must take into consideration the students' feelings, interests, needs and their level of spoken English, and we adapt our vocabulary based on their capability.”

She continued: “The skills I learn from teaching on the programme, such as time management and working under pressure, are skills that can be used outside of the classroom. Because I am still a student myself, I try to understand how students may feel when they are struggling with unknown words, tasks, and when learning a lot of new information – I try to motivate and encourage them to keep going.”

The student associates are adaptable with their teaching methods. Due to current restrictions, presentations are delivered over Microsoft Teams and each topic must be approached differently with each individual student, taking into account feelings, interests, needs and their level of English.

Margareta, an international student from Hungary, explained that such activities have proved to be rewarding for her and other student associates:

"I wanted to take part in this programme because the idea of mentoring students always appealed to me. I find it very rewarding.

"I mostly enjoy seeing students' personal and professional development. Knowing that I contributed to their progression is a bonus. I feel very lucky to be in a position where I can help others and I believe that I learn from my students as much as they learn from me. It's simply amazing."

She added: “This is the type of work I would be very happy to carry on in the future, even full time. Taking part has boosted my confidence and allowed me to have a better understanding of what teaching is in real life."

Emma Semi, Aspire Higher Project Officer and lead organiser of the partnership said:

“It has been very rewarding working with the ESOL students at Bedford College, seeing them grow and develop especially with their confidence at speaking English. The partnership between Aspire Higher and the college has and will continue to grow through our close-knit working relationship.

“I am also very excited about working with the newly assigned schools in Bedford to support their EAL students. Even though this has been online during the last year, we will be offering our support in person which will also give the Linguistics and TEFL students at the University of Bedfordshire more experience, which is fantastic for their employability skills.”

For details of programmes and projects organised by Aspire Higher, visit their dedicated website.

For information about courses within the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Education and English Language, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/education-and-english-language