Language doubts on eve of UK census

Plans to count the number of people in Britain who need English language classes as part of this month's national census are in doubt because of the lack of support materials for learners who may struggle to complete the complex form in English. Census forms will be posted to over 25m households in England and Wales later this month. Separate forms designed for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be dispatched at the same time. The forms include up to 60 questions asking for information about living accommodation and the personal details of people sharing the same home. Each householder must answer the questions in English or Welsh either on a paper form or online. Failure to complete the form will result in a $1,600 fine. But with census day on 27 March fast approaching, questions are being raised about the decision of the Office of National Statistics , the government agency conducting the census in England in Wales, to wait until last week to publish support materials for speakers of other languages. Translations of the census forms in 56 languages, support booklets and access to telephone helplines were made available on 4 March. This contrasts with Scotland, where the census form has been available to read in 11 languages since last October. In addition, the Scottish parliament commissioned a full set of downloadable support materials for English language and literacy teachers working with adults, which were published in September at a cost of $13,000. The 85‑page set of lesson plans is designed to develop the reading, writing and cultural awareness skills needed to complete complex forms. Sharon Mackenzie, an English for speakers of other languages (Esol) teacher in the Borders region of Scotland, who contributed to the materials and is using them in her classes, said the census form could appear overwhelming for learners. "My students are horrified when they first see the form, but when you start breaking it down and take one section at a time they become more confident," she said. While learners in Scotland have had access to these materials for more than six months, no comparable materials have been made available for Esol learners in England and Wales. Esol teachers' groups say this omission is even more striking because this year's census will for the first time ask about people's main language and their proficiency in English. According to the government, these questions are designed to help plan and deliver more effective Esol support to communities. The ONS's own research suggests that over 6 million census respondents are likely to need support to complete the form because of language difficulties and it has appealed to local government and community groups to organise support sessions. It has also recruited up to 35,000 staff, including field workers and census collectors to visit households to offer advice and follow up on unreturned forms. ONS spokesman William Mach said: "Field staff will be issued with a set of language identification cards which they can show to the householder on the doorstep. The householder can point to their recognised language, which will inform them of the language helpline and provide the URL to download a translation booklet. "Recruitment has ensured that where there is a specific language need, the field staff have the appropriate language skills." The National Association for Teaching English and Other Community Languages to Adults represents Esol teachers in England. Its spokeswoman Pam Frame said Natecla had concerns about the ultimate reliability of the data "when there appears to have been no strategy to support those with limited English to complete their responses". "If teachers had had access to materials similar to those made available in Scotland then they could have been working on preparation for the census since the start of the autumn term. While translations and telephone support are welcome and can be of great assistance in developing understanding, it is unlikely that beginner-level speakers of English could realistically be prepared to complete the form independently. It would require sophisticated bilingual skills to use the translated samples or telephone support to guide the actual completion of the form in English. "The timing of the support that is being made available is entirely inappropriate and leaves insufficient time for teaching and learning to take place. It is truly a missed opportunity." In a statement the ONS said: "The same time period – 23 days in advance – was given in the 2001 Census and no complaints were lodged to the effect that this was not enough time to study the form."