Jane Moyo of the British Council reports on English in Britain: the accreditation scheme for English language courses in Britain that gives guarantees on quality standards, making Britain the ideal destination for international students to come to learn English.

Every year, well over 600,000 students decide to learn English in Britain. They come from all over the world and for a whole variety of reasons. But what they all have in common is a desire to learn English, the world's most popular language, in Britain - the land of Shakespeare, the Brontë sisters and the Beatles.

Young people often come to improve their skills in speaking and writing before starting a course at college or university. These will be the world's future politicians and leaders, businessmen and women - the opinion formers of the 21st century.

There are also directors of international companies and presidents of national banks often studying individually and receiving specialist tuition. Italian and Brazilian footballers, stars from the arenas of music, television and film, and even refugees are in this melting pot. From Europe and the Middle East, from Asia and Latin America, all are welcome to learn English in Britain.Everyone who wants to learn English, and for whatever reason, is looking for quality and high standards. In answer to this demand, the British Council, which is Britain's official agency for cultural relations overseas, has set up English in Britain. This is an accreditation scheme that commits participating schools and colleges to the maintenance of high quality teaching, welfare and accommodation standards.

English in Britain is a partnership between the British Council, ARELs - Association of Recognised English Language Services - the group that represents privately owned English language institutions, and BASELT - the British Association of State English Language Teaching - representing the state controlled sector.

At present, just over 300 institutions belong to the scheme. Some schools are not accredited because Britain operates such programmes on a voluntary basis. But because English in Britain provides overseas students with a straightforward accreditation package, many British institutions are queuing up to join. Soon it is hoped that every competent educational institution offering English lessons will be regulated in the same way. For the first time, overseas students have one source from which to find out about accreditation and standards across the whole range of British English language teaching. And there is so much to choose from.

Britain's English language teaching industry has courses and materials for teaching students at their own pace and in their own way. The methods used are appropriate to the students' ages, purposes and linguistic backgrounds. All of this is offered in excellent institutions across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

At the moment, for example, many students are taking 'full immersion' or homestay courses where a student lives in their teacher's home for the length of their studies. Students can also study English within a specialist context. English for Banking, Science, Law, Computing and Medicine are all widely available. Hobbies too are catered for. From music to art, from pony trekking to sport, there is a course available that will suit everyone.

Whatever the course on offer, being accredited means being scrutinised, checking up on the quality of service in English teaching institutions, setting standards and monitoring them. It means rigorous and regular independent inspections organised by the British Council, and spot checks to ensure standards in teaching, teaching qualifications, management, accommodation, premises, resources and student care.

Accreditation also means vetting publicity material to ensure that schools deliver what they claim to deliver. It means a complaints scheme, so that any individual student or their sponsor can appeal to an external assessor if they feel they have been misled, mistreated or have not had value for money.

Complaints, however, are rare - in 1995, the British Council dealt with just about thirty for its English language courses, and these were mostly about accommodation. Every complaint is followed up. Even when it is about British plumbing, which is not always what people expect! This service has continued in the new scheme. Why? Because a good name and reputation are absolutely essential.

The member institutions choose to subject themselves to inspection and assessment. They pay an annual fee and meet the costs of inspections themselves. No inspection means no recognition. A team of over fifty inspectors travel the country ensuring that standards are enforced and conduct guaranteed. This scheme has teeth.

By joining the scheme, schools and colleges commit themselves to quality in language education and to care for the paying customer. Cultural awareness and educational professionalism are widespread. Standards in the accredited sector are high, and are set to get higher, thanks to English in Britain.