Pre-sessional English receives excellent reaccreditation

A University programme designed to support international students as they prepare to study in the UK has been re-awarded professional accreditation, scoring highly across all areas evaluated. 

The International Study and Language Institute (ISLI) Pre-Sessional English (PSE) programme develops language and study skills and is available to students at six points across the academic year.

Over the last two years, the ISLI team has made extensive revisions to the PSE programme, to better reflect the core principles (contextualisation, constructive alignment and collaboration) of the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP), who administer the accreditation scheme.

This work was recognised in feedback from BALEAP which noted that ISLI is well positioned to deliver a good PSE curriculum which is inclusive, locally embedded, responsive to student needs, and informed by the academic context.

Across 20 categories, the programme received no score below ‘Good Practice’ and four scores of ‘Exemplary Practice’ for: collaborative work with academic subject specialists, an induction engaging teachers with the core principles underpinning the provision, constructive alignment, and materials appropriate for the students’ academic contexts.

BALEAP supports the professional development of those involved in learning, teaching, scholarship and research in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and its accreditation scheme is recognised as best practice across HE institutions both nationally and internationally. This makes it an important framework to ensure the PSE course on offer here at Reading is of industry leading standard.

Clare Furneaux, Teaching & Learning Dean for ISLI, said “It is wonderful to see this excellent accreditation outcome for ISLI’s Pre-Sessional English programme. It is a very rigorous external validation process and ISLI’s result is exceptional.

“Huge congratulations are due to the PSE team, including our summer teachers who come from around the world to teach on this programme. We are really proud to be able to offer such an outstanding PSE course at Reading, preparing our international students for their studies.”

To find out more about our PSE course visit the ISLI website.