History
ESL at Aranmore was started in 1986 and currently has 112 students. It operates as an independent department headed by a coordinator even though it is, at present, broadly under the English Learning Area.

Range of Nationalities
Aranmore’s ESl students are from a wide range of countries, some of which include: Poland, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam, Turkey, Ethiopia, Holland, Hong Kong – just to name a few, as the College itself has students of over 60 different nationalities, with no dominant nationality. Student competence in English is also wide-ranging, with some students having studied in English for only a few months, whereas others have several years of English study behind them.

Study Program
A special feature of ESL at Aranmore is that it is taught in all year levels, from Year Eight through to Year Twelve. In addition, there is a special Society and Environment course for Years Eight and Nine ESL students. The purpose of these courses is to prepare ESL students for mainstream SOSE classes in Year 10.

The focal study areas are Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading. Grammar and vocabulary are given special emphasis. Learning to know and understand the culture of Australia in order to access the curriculum, and balancing this with their own culture is also given attention. Years Eleven and Twelve follow the Curriculum Council syllabus. Passing ESL at the TEE level (minimum ‘C’ grade) gives the ESL student English Competence required for Secondary Graduation. At present, however, this cannot be counted in their TEE score, as is the case in all schools running this course.

Resources
The ESL Department has its own location on campus and is very well resourced. The students are able to learn in a caring, supportive and Christian environment.

The Future
A recent development in ESL is that it is being made a separate Course of Study. In the near future all years will follow the new Curriculum Framework System.

Contact
For further information, contact the ESL Coordinator, telephone 9201 5244.