PROVISION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LINGUISTIC PROFICIENCY OF YOUNG IMMIGRANTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES AND FRANCE - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

During the last 40 years or so, England and Wales and France have had to face the challenge of trying to educate a significant number of you ng immigrants whose mother tongue is not that of the host country. Thi s paper compares and contrasts the approaches adopted and the measures taken to develop the linguistic competence of these young immigrants in the two countries, with particular reference to Toulouse in France and the London borough of Brent in England. Initially segregationist, the approach in both countries is now more integrationist, particularl y in Brent. The differences in approach and provision reflect the diff ering educational traditions of the two countries. The degree of indiv idual attention which immigrant pupils may receive differs in Brent an d Toulouse. There ave indications of success in developing second lang uage skills in France, but national data on the effectiveness of secon d language teaching in England and Wales are lacking. Little mother-to ngue tuition takes place in either country.