ESOL provision in England

1. ESOL provision in England Recent government policy, sector response and the ESOL Manifesto Elaine Williamson ESOL lecturer

2. Overview of session • Proposed reforms to ESOL in England under the Coalition government • How teachers and students responded – the Action for ESOL campaign • The ESOL Manifesto • offered for your comments and discussion

3. ESOL in the context of work and study: Preparing learners for participation How does this session link to the theme of the day? • ESOL provides vital language/literacy education, facilitating progression to work and HE • Teaches language for day to day living and survival • Promotes ‘citizenship’ – rights, responsibilities, the law • Provides language qualifications (often linked to above) • Helps learners socialize into a new culture • Fosters political participation

4. ESOL in England • English language education for a diverse range of migrants, including settled communities, newly arrived spouses, refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers • Provision in FE colleges, by local authorities, community, voluntary sector, workplace, prisons, private providers • Most is state funded / co-funded

5. Policy history • Prior to 2001 ESOL had a chequered history • 2001-2009 – Skills for Life • 2009 – Community cohesion and disassociation with Skills for Life • 2010 – still funded but in ‘no mans land’

6. Initial Coalition government proposal • Full funding only to be available for those ‘actively seeking work’ on Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance benefits • For others ESOL co-funded • No funding for ESOL training in the workplace • Removal of learner support fund • Loss of programme weighting

7. Figures and impact AoC survey on ESOL (2010) • 187,000 ESOL learners in England (a conservative estimate) • 55% have additional literacy and numeracy basic skills needs • 99,000 learners likely to be affected by the cuts • 74% of those affected will be women (80% in London) • Inevitable job losses

8. Sector response • National campaign Action for ESOL: teachers, students, NATECLA, Refugee Council, NIACE, UCU and others • Action for ESOL web site • 1000’s of letters to MP’s by students • Petition 20,000 signatures • National day of action: London, Nottingham, Brighton, Manchester etc • Local events • Press coverage – BBC, The Guardian, Independent, TES, Radio 4 • Letters of support

9. Government response • Equalities Impact Assessment • Short term change of policy – fee remission for students on most benefits • August policy change too late for 2011 - some losses • Provision secured for 2012 then 2013 • Future undecided

10. What emerged from the campaign? As a sector we identified: • Reprieve for ESOL was short lived • Contrasting understanding of ESOL government/policy makers and teachers • Other issues to address: • lack of sustainable funding • ESOL as a distinct area of practice • language as a right • professionalism • pedagogy • access to a range of provision

11. The ESOL Manifesto

12. The ESOL Manifesto • Collaboration between 60+ ESOL teachers and other interested parties • ‘A statement of our beliefs and values’ • Makes some demands of policy makers and also of practitioners

13. Next step: • To share this with you and ask for your thoughts • Identify any parallels/differences in provision in your own area of work • Opportunity to discuss issues in your own area of work • Ask for your input about how we might take this forward

14. Five themes: • Funding and the right to learn • Language, community and diversity • ESOL identity • Teacher professionalism • Pedagogy

15. Funding and the right to learn • Removing financial barriers to participation • joined-up thinking between different government departments and providers • a statutory entitlement to ESOL? • Free ESOL for all?

16. 2. Language, community and diversity • Language provision for full participation in society (not just employment) • Recognising and valuing multilingualism • Responding to diversity in ESOL learners and their motivation (incl. migrant workers) • Need for a wide range of levels

17. 3. ESOL identity • Is ESOL a distinct area of practice? • Support infrastructure to attend e.g. Childcare • High quality advice and guidance • Women with children – access to more than community based provision and family learning

18. 4. Teacher professionalism • Pay, contracts and working conditions • Marginalization and casualization of the workforce • Ongoing opportunities for teachers to develop practice including a ‘communities of practice’ approach • A well funded research community • More BME teachers • Teachers have a right and responsibility to engage with political and policy issues

19. 5. Pedagogy • Research should involve a dialogue between practice and research institutions • Prescribed central curricula can be proscriptive • A one size fits all model doesn’t fit • An over emphasis on examination and qualifications for funding purposes • Holism of ESOL “language education is about the whole person – about taking charge of their lives, active and critical participation in all aspects of life – the classroom and beyond”

20. Task: Select a theme of interest In groups: • What do you think of the points raised by the manifesto? • Are there any parallels/differences with your own practice? • What are the issues in your own field of practice? • What should the AfE campaign do with the manifesto now?

21. Five themes: • Funding and the right to learn • Language, community and diversity • ESOL identity • Teacher professionalism • Pedagogy