Elmwood College - family ESOL in a rural town
The ESOL link between Elmwood College and St Columba's Primary School in Cupar was formed after a Polish boy wouldn't take part in PE class because he thought it was an extra that his parents wouldn't be able to afford. As more Polish children arrived the school brought in an interpreter and held meetings for the parents to explain how Scottish primary schools work.
It became clear that providing information in this way was confusing and that the parents were not learning English as fast as their children. The school contacted Elmwood College and together they ran a Family ESOL class that teaches children and adults together to help English language development.
A visit in September 2008 by Fiona Hyslop MSP, the then Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, and frequent visits by interested teachers from outside Fife have turned St Columba's Family English Group into a model for similar ventures across Scotland. An additional project with a second primary school in St. Andrews, Fife is proving just as successful as the initial project.