Supporting the ESOL Sector

The Mayor’s ESOL Plus Employer Partnership worked with partners to fill gaps in ESOL provision for workers, particularly those in low-paid work and insecure employment. We awarded £20,000 match-funding to Battersea Academy for Skills and Excellence (BASE) to pilot the provision of ESOL to employees and evaluate this work to support the case for employer investment in ESOL.

The project ran from September 2018 to September 2019.

The ESOL Plus Employer Partnership guidance has been formulated from the project's learning, and is designed to provide practical advice to adult learning providers and employers on how to set up or improve provision for learners on employer premises.

The Mayor’s ESOL Plus Childcare initiative worked with partners to meet gaps in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) provision for learners with childcare responsibilities. City Hall awarded £80,000 funding to two grantees - Poplar HARCA and Sutton College - to deliver innovative pilot projects to meet the needs of learners with childcare responsibilities, and to evaluate this work to support the case for more accessible ESOL with childcare.

The projects ran between 2019 and 2020 and learning from the projects can be found below.

The projects were presented at a workshop for ESOL providers interested in learning from the programme as well as contributing their existing expertise from delivery outside the remit of the ESOL Plus Childcare projects. Notes from this workshop have been integrated into the learning from the projects, and form part of a piece of the guidance which provides practical advice on how to set up or improve provision for learners with childcare responsibilities.

Our third and final ESOL Plus programme, ESOL Plus Arts, aimed to promote cross-sectoral collaboration with the arts, culture and heritage sector.

City Hall awarded £100,000 grant funding for four innovative projects delivered in partnership between organisations working in ESOL and practitioners, organisations or institutions in the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Partners worked together on a project that creatively met the needs of Londoners who face barriers to accessing or progressing in formal ESOL provision.

These projects were designed and delivered by ESOL professionals and creative or heritage practitioners, and supported by volunteers.

The evaluation of the projects and the programme as a whole will inform future City Hall policy and programmes, enhancing access to opportunities for Londoners learning English and unlocking the knowledge and resources in London’s creative industries to support social integration. Click the button to access tool-kits and resources produced by grantees.

Poplar HARCA

Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association (HARCA) was awarded funding by the GLA to deliver a one year pilot ESOL Plus Childcare programme between July 2018 and July 2019. Poplar HARCA set out to deliver a provision that catered for parents, ensured local accessibility, offered a family friendly environment, had a crèche on site, and offered a timetable that fitted around school times and holidays. In addition to the term-time programme, holiday activities were to be provided for the whole family, including the school-aged children of learners. Learn more about the project from Poplar HARCA and their experience.

Sutton College

Sutton College was awarded funding ​​​​ by the GLA to deliver an innovative ESOL Plus Childcare pilot between November 2018 and March 2019. This was a partnership between four local authority-run Adult and Community Learning providers (ACL): Sutton (SC), Croydon (CALAT), Kingston (KAE) and Westminster (WAES). The project supported learners with pre-school children or expectant mothers. The project was primarily designed to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for parents to develop their language skills through designing a ‘book’ or a ‘keepsake’ box for their children which describes their journey into society in this country. Learn more about the project and Suttons College's experience.

Other ESOL with childcare projects

• Vauxhall Children's Centre
• See also following section on ESOL and Family Learning

Battersea Academy for Skills and Employment (BASE)

Battersea Academy for Skills and Employment (BASE) and High Trees Community Development Trust received funding from the GLA and Battersea Power Station (BPS), to work with partners to identify gaps in ESOL provision for local workers.

The initiative sought to support workers to progress in the workplace, address barriers to participation, build confidence and increase engagement of employers with learning providers at BPS. BASE coordinated the pilot and recruited participants – BPS employers – with the offer of free onsite English language classes for their staff. The key innovation of the programme was conducting the lessons at an onsite location at BPS, just minutes away from the learners’ workplaces.

The ESOL courses were delivered by High Trees, the pilot’s teaching partner. High Trees used its standard ESOL syllabus but customised it for the pilot to match the needs of BPS employers. This involved retaining the same format and teaching methods, but incorporating some content focused on customer service and hospitality. Read more about the project and key learning in BASE's evaluation of the project.

Picture This!

Learning Unlimited partnered with Fotosynthesis to deliver this innovative participatory photography and creative writing project, which encouraged ESOL learners to express themselves while exploring their surroundings, their lives and identities. The key component of this project was the online and offline support provided by the team of volunteers. The learners shared their stories through online and physical exhibitions. Learn more about the project and view learners' creations at Learning Unlimited and Fotosynthesis. A toolkit to share learning and expertise has been produced and can be found above.

COMPASS

Groundwork and Counterpoint Arts came together for the COMPASS project, weekly conversational English sessions across London, interweaving language learning with arts sessions facilitated by a professional artist. Learning was facilitated by bringing English learners together with English speakers and engaging them in practical art projects that tested and expanded their English proficiency. The project integrated participatory ESOL at its core by choosing an art form based on participants’ interests and promoting the sharing of existing skills. Find out more about the project on at Groundwork and Counterpoints Arts. A toolkit to share learning and expertise has been produced and can be found above.

A Mile in My Shoes

This project, delivered in a partnership between City Literary Institute, and the Empathy Museum, provided participants with the opportunity to develop higher level English language skills through participating in storytelling activities; sharing their stories with the general public and participating first-hand in organising arts installation. Learners prepared digital stories, and donated a pair of shoes that is connected to them which visitors wore to experience how it feels to be in the storyteller’s shoes. Find our more about the project at City Lit, The Empathy Museum and this blog. You can find the audio from the exhibition on this page.

The Xenia Hackney Museum Take Over

Xenia and the Hackney Museum collaborated to combine a focus on language practice and social integration with the discovery of local heritage collections. The Xenia Museum Take Over brought together English learning and English speaking women of all ages, cultural and religious backgrounds to connect, share and learn from each other. The project enabled them to newly discover and engage with Hackney Museum and other local heritage organisations, becoming actively involved in exhibition, which, due to the pandemic, was held on Hackney Museum's social media account. Find out more about Hackney Museum and Xenia.

ACDA Skills Training

ACDA Skills Training is a community-based organisation established in 2009 that is committed to supporting local communities in the West London Boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Harrow and Hillingdon. Due to the pandemic we had to adapt and change the way we support our learners safely. Since April 2020, we have been successfully offering remote and virtual personalised support and training through one-to-one or group sessions over the phone and via video calls – depending on what works best for individuals. We took on 15 new volunteer ESOL tutors to help deliver free virtual ESOL classes. In total we have engaged with and supported over 900 learners remotely who wanted to improve their English-language skills from their own home.

Volunteers were recruited via the local Volunteer Service as well as through the Do-it Website. Every volunteer was screened, and a DBS check undertaken with our organisation covering the costs. A free phone with unlimited minutes and texts was provided to each volunteer so that they could contact learners remotely. We had a formal volunteer agreement in place so that both parties are clear on what the volunteer role involves and what is required from both sides. This ensures that there is no confusion over what is expected from the volunteer. Volunteers really helped us through a difficult time during the pandemic. All volunteers were provided with access to online resources and online learning materials on ESOL and digital skills which were useful not only for the person they were supporting but also for to improve their own skills.

From July 2000 to October 2021, we hand delivered 315 free internet tablet devices with internet connectivity to vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals across West London in real need and who were disproportionately disadvantaged as a result of the pandemic. This was made possible through the 'Everyone Connected' initiative funded by Nominet. BBC Children in Need, Vodafone, the Light Bulb Trust and Good Things Foundation. As part of this initiative, we worked closely with several services to help identify vulnerable individuals and families who were eligible and who would really benefit from having access to a device with internet connection.

In September 2021, we worked with the Afghan Families Project in Ealing by providing recent arrivals with a free internet tablet and internet connectivity. In total 13 recent arrivals from Afghanistan received a tablet device with internet connection. Dedicated assistance and training were also provided through one-to-one or small group sessions either over the phone, by email or text message and via video calls – depending on what worked best for the individual. By having their own internet devices, individuals could also access our ESOL and Digital Skills sessions remotely with a focus on inclusion and opportunity. Device recipients felt empowered and gained confidence and essential skills, which they were able to apply and use immediately.

SAVTE

The Sheffield Association for the Voluntary Teaching of English (SAVTE) works with ‘English language supports’ who volunteer their time to support others develop their English. Many of our English language supporters are now from the communities in which they offer support. We run conversation groups or one to one provision, where all participants are supported to play a very active role. The contingency hotel work is an exception to this. Both our teachers in contingency hotel are qualified teachers, and they volunteered to fill a gap for those stuck in hotels and wanting ESOL provision. SAVTE works hard to be flexible and respond quickly in cases like this.

At present SAVTE is operating two volunteer-led English lessons per week in a contingency hotel for people seeking asylum awaiting decision. The hotel houses a diverse group of students, from countries including Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Kurdistan, Iran, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, and with a very wide variance in previous experience of English. Some students are fluent in English, have studied extensively in English-language institutions, or previously worked as translators or interpreters; others are just beginning to read Roman letters, or are new to working in any script. Such a wide variance in student experience with English presents both challenges and opportunities. Previously, SAVTE operated streamed classes, with some sessions aimed at beginners, others at improvers, and others at confident users of English. Concerns about the omicron variant of COVID-19 in early 2022, however, narrowed the pool of available volunteers, and as a result the two classes currently offered cater to everyone. In any case, attendance at a particular class was self-selected by the students, and many would attend any or all classes that they could. This, plus the precarious and rapidly changeable living circumstances of the students means that there is also considerable variation in attendance from session to session; students leave and arrive all the time.

As a result, volunteer teachers have to attempt to cater to all levels of ability, which is a particular but rewarding challenge. Exercises such as gap-fills that allow more confident learners to practice or self-teach while volunteers focus on small groups of beginners have proved helpful in these circumstances. The teachers can then present the answers to the exercises to the group as a whole, giving the entire class an opportunity to practice pronunciation and to ask questions about unusual vocabulary. In addition, speaking exercises that pair together more confident speakers with emerging speakers can provide good opportunities for collaborative learning. In many cases, students will sit with or work with others that speak their own first language; this allows them to provide support for one another and taps into the well-researched benefits of embracing a multilingual approach.

One of the opportunities afforded by having a group with some very experienced speakers of English is that of recruiting teaching volunteers from among the resident people seeking asylum themselves. SAVTE has sought to do this since beginning to operate in the hotel, and at present, in March 2022, one of the classes is taught by a teaching team of one resident volunteer and one outside volunteer. Having a teacher that understands personally the practical and emotional difficulties faced by many of the students has proven invaluable. It can also be of great value to the resident teachers themselves, who are denied the right to work while awaiting their own asylum decision. By teaching English, they can not only help their fellow people seeking asylum but can build on their own work experience and reinforce their skills in English.

As previously stated, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected SAVTE’s ability to operate in the hotel. The high incidence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2022 meant that some outside volunteers were no longer able to teach at the hotel. Limited internet connectivity and access to equipment among residents also makes it difficult to implement a remote learning programme. When lockdowns prevented any outside volunteers getting into the hotel, SAVTE provided materials so that the resident volunteer could keep the classes running. This included a laptop, whiteboard, markers, flipcharts, and worksheets. SAVTE also provided the learners with pens, pencils and notebooks. During this period, one volunteer who was also a person seeking asylum and a resident of the hotel, taught two courses of more than 40 people seeking asylum, of a range of levels.

CARAS

CARAS is a south London charity that specialises in working with young people and adults who are seeking asylum or have a refugee background. We provide holistic support including educational, practical and social help, creating supportive relationships and networks to increase people’s wellbeing and safety. The CARAS ESOL project won the President’s Award at this year’s Festival of Learning in recognition of our unique model of participatory learning, trauma-informed practice and multilingual pedagogy. As well as ESOL classes, CARAS group members also access our other adult programmes, including creative writing, drama, gardening and yoga. Additionally, our casework team provides one-to-one advocacy and guidance on anything from housing to college applications.

In the past year we have welcomed more than 150 people to our adult programmes. The majority of these are recently arrived people seeking asylum who are living in hotels in south London. Given that the hotels generally have no established links to refugee-support organisations, we have partnered with the accommodation provider, local council and other third-sector organisations to offer joined-up support for hotel residents. It was important to invest time in building relationships with staff working at hotels, who then regularly told residents about our services. Word-of-mouth recommendations between residents, initially helped by promotional leaflets, were also crucial. Demand for support services within hotel accommodation is very high, so we quickly built up a steady stream of referrals. CARAS has found that the hotel residents we support are experiencing significant challenges in their lives relating to ESOL:

• people living in hotels often have high levels of support needs, for example with mental and physical health, legal advice and issues with the accommodation itself. Meeting these essential needs is often a prerequisite to attending ESOL classes, therefore our CARAS casework team works with ESOL learners to help them access the support services they need
• residents are often dispersed to other parts of the UK at short notice, moving to accommodation with no internet. In response, CARAS offers a blended model of face-to-face and online classes so that students can finish their ESOL courses with us after dispersal. Furthermore, we support learners to access data and devices so that they can attend our Zoom classes
• given that people seeking asylum frequently stay in hotel accommodation for many months before the Home Office moves them outside London, they are keen to start attending formal, college based ESOL learning in the capital. Many are unaware of their right to access fully funded ESOL classes after six months. For this reason, CARAS provides college application sessions in July and December to support people through the process. Once registered at college, transport costs remain a barrier. The CARAS casework team supports group members to access Learner Support and advocates with colleges where applications are refused. This has been a particular issue for people without bank accounts, which college systems rely on.

Self-reported assessments with ESOL learners in July this year show improvements in English-language proficiency and confidence across the board, with 47 per cent of learners reporting large improvements in proficiency. In a recent impact evaluation conducted by a third-party research company, ESOL learners reported that “feeling that they are learning and progressing” helps their emotional health and wellbeing, combined with the positive effect of “encouraging” relationships built with CARAS teachers. Furthermore, participants reported having more friends to laugh and joke with, being more interested in everyday activities and being more positive about the impact of their lives.

Redbridge Institute of Adult Education

Redbridge Institute of Adult Education successfully won a bid to the ESOL for Integration Fund for the third year running. The EFIF project is funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and aims to help residents with low levels of English to integrate into their local communities, access local services and improve social interaction. This project is known locally as English for Every Day. Through regular networking with Redbridge Council partnerships, Redbridge Institute came across a number of hotels in the borough that had recently been converted to temporary accommodation for newly arrived people seeking asylum. One of these hotels in the borough accommodates more than 150 people. A majority of the residents have travelled from countries such as Eritrea, Sudan, Iran and Iraq and have been living in London for six months. Some of the residents have made incredibly difficult journeys to reach safety and have arrived via France, Belgium and Germany to name but a few. All residents are waiting to receive their Application Registration Card (ARC) from the Home Office to make their immigration status official.

Upon visiting the hotel, the ESOL team were inundated with requests for ESOL classes by the residents. Interviews and initial assessments were conducted across three separate visits to identify individual needs and English competency levels. So far, 51 learners have started ESOL courses at Redbridge Institute across various locations. Most learners walk for 25 minutes from the hotel to Ilford to attend their courses and this provides a good opportunity for them to familiarise themselves with the local area. As part of the English for Every Day course, learners will tour the local central library and museum and become members. They will also visit local places of interest such as the shopping centre and a local café to apply their speaking skills. The ESOL sessions cover practical tasks such as using local transport, booking an appointment with the doctor and completing application forms. A safe and friendly environment is created to put the learners at ease and writing books and pens are provided to aid learning.

Once the introductory ESOL course comes to an end, learners will complete a summative assessment to check progress and will then be offered a suitable progression course that suits their needs. Of course, there is no guarantee that the residents will remain in Ilford or East London when they are rehoused but they will be guided by the ESOL Advisory team on their next steps in their learner journey regardless of their destination. The Institute has already seen a change in the learners’ behaviour and mindset. Learners come to class with a positive attitude and determination and leave with a smile. They have been able to meet new people and make new friends within the first few weeks of the programme. We would not be able to support these individuals to take their first steps in learning in the UK and integrate into local communities without the EFIF project funds as some are not yet eligible for mainstream ESOL funding. The fund enables us to help these learners to grasp opportunities to settle confidently in the UK and improve their future prospects.

Cheshire East Lifelong Learning

Cheshire East Lifelong Learning has had an ESOL presence in Crewe, Cheshire for several years. We advertise in local community centres and we have a contact email on our Council’s webpage. However, word of mouth remains the most effective recruitment method. We have our own network of Job Clubs and good working relationships with the Job Centres, so we refer our learners to each other for employability opportunities. We were contacted in May this year by three people on Hong Kong BN(Overseas) Visa who had seen our flyers. While they are not eligible for ESFA funding until they have been resident in the UK for three years, we made sure we could help them. We created a new class and they studied for, and passed, accredited reading qualifications in the short time before the summer break.

After the break, we welcomed 19 Hongkongers who are on the HK BN(O) scheme. We became aware of the £800 ESOL funding for the Hongkongers on HK BN(O) route in September this year. We applied directly to the DLUHC and will support these learners until they no longer need our support. All HK BN(O) learners follow the same programme as mainstream ‘funded’ ESOL learners: interview, initial assessment, class placement, working towards accredited qualifications in ESOL Skills for Life (Reading Writing, Speaking and Listening), and progression to higher levels. We ensure that none of our classes are exclusively of people from one country to provide the variety needed for the best learning experience and lots of opportunities to practise their skills with others from different backgrounds. Classes are two hours weekly and we work to a thirteen-week term with assessments following the end of the terms. Homework is a must for all learners, and it is enthusiastically completed.

We have 20 HK BN(O) status holders now on roll with five on the waiting list. At the time of writing there are nine women and 11 men on the courses, some are wife and husband. From the introductory interviews (initial assessments) we have seen that their employability skills are rich and varied; we have a quantity surveyor, a product engineer, a mechanic, a construction worker, a scaffolder, a finance specialist, a network engineer, magazine editor and a photographer/YouTuber. We are determined to help them gain the English skills necessary for them to achieve their employment potential. We have class WhatsApp groups with regular communication about further learning opportunities, progression routes into employment (CSCS cards for example) and local community events. The group chat also encourages communications within the groups for travelling together and meeting up outside the class. So far, we have not had to turn anyone away. Enquiries are still coming in and for those further away and unable to travel easily to Crewe, we refer them to other providers nearer their homes.

Groundwork

Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK. We’re passionate about creating a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny, and no one is held back by their background or circumstances. TOGETHER is a collection of projects delivered by Groundwork London and Groundwork South supporting Refugees, people seeking asylum and non-EU migrants to settle into life in the UK. Our projects offer a range of services focusing on three pillars of integration: English-language skills; employment advice; and social activities, including wellbeing and resilience post COVID-19. Projects are delivered digitally as well as face-to-face, in a range of locations including community venues, and in bridging hotels.

Our projects are located around London and in parts of South England (Bristol, Hastings, and Kent). Together South, Together Hounslow and IMPACT are funded by the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund. The Together programme includes the following: Together Healthy Minds provides mental health and wellbeing support for people seeking asylum across London. Through a series of wellbeing programmes, English-language support, casework support and counselling delivered in partnership with our partners, EACH, individuals are helped to process their past experiences and settle into their lives in London. Notably, we are delivering two entry-level ESOL classes in London bridging hotels; Together South helps Refugees and non-EU migrants in South East London to connect with and thrive in their communities via a holistic programme focusing on conversational English-language learning, community and cultural activities, and employability advice and guidance. This programme also runs in Hastings and Rother, and Kent; IMPACT works across West London and Bristol, supporting Refugees and non-EU migrants, helping them to build their language and employability skills, and providing creative community activities to promote intercultural understanding. The project has also been supporting a large number of Afghan nationals with ESOL classes and employment advice directly in bridging hotels, and Together Hounslow delivers weekly ‘Rise and Shine’ wellbeing sessions for Refugees, people seeking asylum and non-EU migrants living in Hounslow. The sessions are designed to uplift participants' mood, by helping them to connect with nature through arts and crafts and wellbeing activities. Together Hounslow has also partnered with EACH to offer free culturally sensitive therapy for Refugees, non-EU migrants and people seeking asylum living in Hounslow.

Cheshire East Lifelong Learning Service

Cheshire East Lifelong Learning was invited to deliver English-speaking classes at a local hotel by the wraparound support team. Several Afghans families, and a few Nepalese nationals, under the Afghan resettlement scheme, have been placed in the hotel temporarily while they await resettlement. There is a regular turnover of families and no settled cohort of learners, so we deliver informal provision on-site at the hotel. We continue to visit every week to meet new families and to develop English skills with those who are not yet resettled. We work in partnership with a volunteer from the Inspire, Motivate, Overcome (IMO) Charity (based in Blackburn) who is present every day, to make sure our time there is spent effectively. Our ESOL tutor teaches the men while the volunteer takes the ladies for some writing practice (work provided by our tutor) and then our tutor teaches the ladies. There are many with excellent English skills and many with none. We assess every adult for their English skills and give them documentation to pass on to their future ESOL tutor when they are settled, so they can hopefully avoid having to go through the process of initial assessment multiple times.

It’s a different environment from the usual ESOL classes with some interesting and enjoyable experiences: there is teaching going while trying not to wake up the sleeping baby in the middle of the table. We often have to compete with other activities in the hotel; try assessing adults against a background of a very loud chorus of ‘hokey cokey’ being sung by the children in their class lesson. The tutor is delighted with the pure enthusiasm and the smiles she is greeted with before every lesson and it’s a challenge for her to say goodbye to everyone at the end of the session (and getting them to leave too).

Crisis

Crisis works with people who are rough sleeping, which is the most visible and dangerous form of homelessness. The longer someone experiences rough sleeping, the more likely they are to face challenges around trauma, mental health and drug misuse. Many of our members are also in hidden types of homelessness, which means they stay in hostels, squats, B&Bs, in overcrowded accommodation, or ‘concealed’ housing, such as the floors, or sofas of friends and family.  We also work with people who may be at risk of homelessness. People in low paid jobs, living in poverty, and poor quality, or insecure housing are more likely to experience homelessness.  There are social causes of homelessness, such as a lack of affordable housing, poverty, unemployment and life events which push people into homelessness. Many of our members experiencing homelessness have escaped a violent or abusive relationship. Some people become homeless because they can no longer afford the rent. Our members sometimes go through relationship break down, losing a job, mental or physical health problems, or substance misuse. Being homeless can make any of these problems even harder to resolve.

When members come to us their priorities, quite rightly, are their housing and our coaches work very hard on this, getting through a myriad of scenarios. These temporary housing situations create instability for members and signing up to courses is a real difficulty for members as they may not see any point in signing up for a 3-month course if they are going to moved out of the borough at any point. We could also argue that when members are going through such a traumatic time, whether learning is beneficial or is it something to concentrate on during uncertainty.  We find that sometimes members are locked out of their local ESOL provision as their current status doesn’t allow for them to access services, for example an asylum seeker who can’t access college courses or members who want to sign up to classes but then go through a labyrinth of links to enrol, during which time motivation is lost. Furthermore, when members have finally found accommodation and we try to link them up with more accessible provision, we often find that classes are full, or they have just missed the start of a new 5/10-week course. This coupled with the scenario of moving into a new area, new accommodation, learning how to pay for bills, council tax etc means that members often forget about the strict enrolment periods that providers have and end up missing out on ESOL classes for a couple of terms until they are fully settled.

Working in a psychologically informed way, we establish an open, trusting and strength based professional relationships with members. Each Crisis member is allocated a lead worker who holds a holistic approach throughout the member’s journey and conducts sensitive assessments of their needs, including their housing, emotional and mental health, motivation and their aspirations for the future, part of which, is our learning offer.  All our learning is member centred, and once we receive a referral from the lead worker, we arrange appointments around times that are suitable for the members. At the appointment, we find out more about the member and explore what they want to achieve within learning.  For instance, we have discovered that some of our members would like to obtain a CSCS labourer card, but they did not feel confident they’d be able to pass the exams as English is not their first language. Therefore, we have started delivering a short course during which our ESOL tutor works with members on improving their vocabulary and understanding the CSCS terminology, which then helps members pass the exams, obtain the CSCS card and find employment on construction sites.

Crisis has been providing a comprehensive learning offer to members we work with for years and whilst during the pandemic, we needed to adapt, we were still able to deliver purposeful ESOL provision to our members.  Our online classes were mostly delivered via Zoom and WhatsApp. Pre-pandemic we would do a full initial assessment which would involve assessing all the skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, however considering the various obstacles that members faced, we mostly went with a friendly initial chat to assess members, and adapted the learning as we got to know them more. We have taught online groups and 1-2-1 classes using a variety of resources such as BBC Websites, ESOL resources online, and the Voice of America website as well as creating content targeted towards members’ interests or needs.

To fully adapt to online teaching, we shortened the length of the classes as we recognised Zoom fatigue and understood that members need to conserve their data. We created an interactive online SWAY document as a way of adapting to the need for sharing information online with lead workers and coaches. Teaching online, however, raised some concerns and challenges. Whilst we were able to reach out to some members, it was not possible to reach out to everyone, as many members we worked with were digitally excluded. Being digitally excluded had and will continue to have very real ramifications. Being connected means having virtual and quick access to information, which during the lockdown was important. However, we partnered with Tesco Mobile with the aim of tackling digital exclusion, which meant we were able to engage more members online. Tesco Mobile provided us numerous tablets, smartphones, laptops as well as data to get members connected. We continue working in partnership with Tesco Mobile to provide digital devices, which include laptops and phones alongside data and sim-cards. Whilst having devices certainly helped, we also offered 1-2-1 support for those who were digitally excluded. This meant adapting learning styles to suit the needs of the members. Some members were not confident using Zoom. In these cases, we were able to offer 1-2-1 ESOL teaching, using WhatsApp, as this conserved data and was accessible to most of our members.

We set up a local Digital Inclusion Working group to identify and support members who were digitally excluded and enable them to access technology with tailored support from tutors often on a 1-2-1 basis. There were other barriers afterwards, such as adjusting to new learning styles, while living in covid accommodation, which sometimes resulted in not having enough privacy to do the classes or not having enough internet data to attend regular sessions. However, there were benefits too. By providing online teaching we were able to have smaller group sizes. Having larger group can discourage shyer attendees from taking part and limits sharing in discussions, so people might be less inclined to take part. Having smaller groups also meant that the sessions could be more tailored to members’ needs and when members were attending ESOL sessions, they were also developing their IT skills as they were using phones, laptops, and various other software they would not be using in a regular class setting. We now provide a blended learning offer – this includes face-to-face learning, as well as delivering small online classes. This allows members who cannot travel to our Skylight building access to our learning offer. We continue to work with our community partners, such as International House, Morley College, and the Bishopsgate Institute to provide a varied learning programme for members. We continue develop our own learning provision and adapt, where necessary, to help our members adjust and thrive in a post-pandemic world.

LEAH

Learn English at Home (LEAH) is a charity working across Southwest London supporting ethnically diverse adults including refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants to learn English, empowering people to become active participants in their local communities. 

1 to 1 classes: clients are paired with a trained LEAH volunteer to support them with their English, learn about vital local services and support integration into local communities. LEAH’s one-to-one service is for clients who are unable or would struggle to leave the home to learn because of health reasons, caring or childcare responsibilities, past trauma or not yet being ready to learn English in a formal setting. Volunteers support clients for an hour a week for up to a year and can be arranged around the individual and are currently being delivered remotely.

Group Community classes: LEAH runs small classes in the community for clients to progress from their one-to-one service and for clients who may be more confident to learn in a group setting. Classes focus on building confidence, developing language skills, progression and integration. Classes are delivered remotely and at local community venues and run termly for up to a year. 

Social Integration trips and visits: LEAH volunteers support clients to build networks, reduce their isolation, learn more about their local community and practise their English between their LEAH 1:1 support or community class to support transition and progression. LEAH runs trips to local museums, galleries, libraries and sites of historic interest in the local area. LEAH can support people with limited English across Southwest London who have barriers to attending a formal college course and they have previously supported Syrian refugees arriving via the UKRS. LEAH enables clients to gain confidence, develop support networks, access services for themselves and their children and make their first steps towards college, volunteering and employment. The LEAH team supports 300 people annually.

Learning Unlimited

Learning Unlimited (LU) a not-for-profit social enterprise specialising in adult and family learning, ESOL and integration, literacy, numeracy and teacher education. We are currently leading on the Communities Language and Integration Project (CLIP) funded by the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), which supports language learning and integration for refugees and non-EU migrants, which now includes those recently arrived from Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Over the last two years the project has supported over 150 people and their families, many of whom are unable to access AEB funded classes due to not being eligible, having young children, irregular work shift patterns or other reasons. The CLIP project offers:

• ESOL classes with accreditation
• online conversation clubs run by our trained team of volunteers
• other workshops and clubs, such as writing, photography and cinema
• family workshops, trips and activities
• signposting to other relevant training, events and support.

Before the pandemic we worked in Haringey, Southwark and Lambeth children’s centres and primary schools supporting refugee/migrant parents/carers. When the pandemic struck, we moved our entire programme online, and it predominately remains online to this day. Our online classes, conversation clubs and workshops are flexible and accessible; people can attend wherever and whenever. There are many who wouldn’t be able to attend face-to-face classes for different reasons including travel, family, safety and work. Our tutors and volunteers now have a lot of experience teaching and supporting on Zoom and have brilliant activities and resources to keep sessions inclusive, fun and interactive. We support people new to Zoom and loan tablets to those who need them.

Initially this wasn’t easy; it was new to us all but particularly difficult for those with low level English, literacy and/or IT skills. Our beginner ESOL classes started by communication and support through WhatsApp. Some of our families had limited or no access to Wi-Fi or screens and we were able to start loaning tablets. This made a big difference to some, enabling learning and connection, reducing isolation during difficult times. By September 2020 we had adjusted to this new online world and started a timetable of levelled classes (beginner to advanced) available to all Refugees and non-EU migrants around London, and even further afield. We trained volunteers to run conversation clubs and give 1:1 exam preparation support. We delivered other workshops including supporting parents with home schooling, yoga and writing (culminating in publications of learners’ stories as ESOL readers to support others new to the UK and learning English).

What we started then carries on today. We have two classes that have resumed face-to-face in Lambeth and Southwark (with a crèche) which are popular, but the rest continue online. Online learning allows flexibility and accessibility to many who wouldn’t be able to attend face-to-face provision for different reasons. Registrations take place on Zoom where we support those new to the platform, explain what we offer, find out about the person, their skills, needs and goals and assess their language levels. In the summer term, we offer accreditation through the English Speaking Board (ESB). In 2021, 95 per cent of our learners chose to take exams, which took place on Zoom, and we were thrilled with our 86 per cent pass rate. Our three online conversation clubs are drop in and everyone is welcome, including family, friends and others in the local community.

ADCA Skills Training and partners

ACDA Skills Training is a community-based organisation established in 2009 that is committed to supporting local communities in the West London Boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Harrow and Hillingdon. For five years (2014 to 2019), we acted as a Regional Hub Centre supporting centres across London and parts of the Southeast with delivering a MHCLG funded Pre-Entry ESOL programme called 'English My Way'. From 2019 to 2020, we delivered the MHCLG funded the 'Talking Together' English-language programme in partnership with Time Bank and the 'Creative English' project as a sub-contractor for Faith Action.

Partnership working was essential to the success of our all ESOL programmes not only with helping to recruit potential learners who are likely to benefit the most from our ESOL classes but also with retention as well as with providing a free and safe space to learn. In 2019, we worked in partnership with the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), delivering ESOL classes at their new offices in Feltham. Our Basic English classes started in November 2019 and ended in February 2020. This was funded through the MHCLG via the Creative English programme. Organisations like the ACAA let us use their space to offer free ESOL classes which was extremely convenient for learners as they were able to access the training in a familiar environment.

We know that many isolated learners are fearful of having to travel far to access a specific learning programme due to their lack of confidence in speaking English and sometimes being unfamiliar with other parts of their local area. With this in mind, having all our classes taking place in local venues i.e. schools, children's and community centres, shopping centres, social housing associations and other community-based locations. This allows learners who are parents to drop off their child at school or at the crèche and then join their ESOL class straight after in another room, as our class times are arranged to accommodate their routines. Classes also finish in time for parents to pick up their child.

All of these MHCLG-funded English-language programmes were extremely successful in supporting a high proportion of learners with little or no English-language skills not only with improving their English but also with their confidence and by helping them integrate more with people from other communities. During this period, we delivered over 70 Pre-Entry ESOL classes within local community settings in the West London Boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Harrow and Hillingdon including in schools, children's and community centres, shopping centres, social housing associations and other community-based locations. Through the English My Way (MHCLG-funded) English programme we supported almost 900 people with approximately 144 learners being identified as being either from the Syrian or Afghan community. In total we engaged with and supported over 1,140 learners from all three MHCLG funded English-language programmes who between them spoke over 50 different languages.

Camden ESOL Advice Service and partners

The ESOL Advice Service was notified of several bridging hotels in the borough of Camden. Bespoke, on-site initial assessment and advice sessions were arranged within a week of initial contact with the hotel coordinator. Qualified ESOL tutors assessed people’s speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. They also collected information on their prior experience of schooling, hobbies, aspirations, availability, as well as their health, mental health and childcare needs. Hotel coordinators were trained on how to collect basic registration information, enabling those with ESOL needs to be registered with the service 24/7 or as soon as they express an interest in ESOL.

Many learners were unfamiliar with the local area and were suffering from the traumatic events of their departure from Afghanistan. A significant number of learners had childcare needs and most adults expressed a preference to attend women-only or men-only classes. The data collected was used to design a programme which catered for the needs and aspirations of learners. A decision was also taken to deliver ESOL on-site at the bridging hotels, with a view to progress learners into mainstream provision once they are ready. The ESOL Advice Service proposed the most appropriate levels for the courses and arranged for the recruitment of DBS-checked tutor and volunteer to be able to deliver this programme of learning.

ESOL is currently being delivered directly in the conferencing spaces in the hotel by multiple providers. The Council’s Adult Learning Service has been drawn in to deliver Family Learning with ESOL to increase the opportunities to practise English for families and adults with childcare needs. For learners who do not have English-language needs, the ESOL Advice Service has been providing information, advice and guidance to further and higher education and employment support opportunities. The services provided have been funded by the CMF, the AEB, and additional ESOL and other dedicated funding from the Home Office for local authorities per adult.

Waltham Forest ESOL Advice Service and partners

1. The Refugee Resettlement Coordinator contacted the ESOL Advice Service (EAS) in Waltham Forest for language and needs assessment of their new arrivals.
2. The ESOL Service Adviser (a qualified ESOL tutor) carried out an initial assessment and made recommendations about the level and type of provision which was most suitable for the learner.
3. The learner was directly referred to a formal provider and informal activities such as conversation clubs and other social integration activities (cooking and gardening programmes).
4. To cater for the learner’s childcare needs, the Adviser recommended local crèche facilities which were available and put the family in contact with the LA’s Childminding team which helped find a local childminder (paid through the Home Office Childcare fund).
5. The Adviser also made recommendations about additional needs which the learner had, i.e. basic literacy. This enabled the Refugee Resettlement Coordinator to commission a local, qualified ESOL tutor to provide additional support to the learner on their individual learning needs (funded through the £850 made available by the Home Office for UKRS).

• English Skills Development through Outdoor Learning Springfield Primary School
• Parents’ integration through partnership (PIP)
• Camden Project
• Kelmscott School
• Mothers Matter
• Mothers Together in School
• Family Learning ESOL – school based with a range of trips and activities
• Vauxhall Children’s Centre

• The Key to Integration: Global Literacy Networks
• Principles into Practice: EAL
• Integrating English into Enfield
• Securing Success: EAL pedagogy
• English: the Key to Integration in London: London Schools Excellence Fund (summary of projects)
• EAL in the Mainstream Classroom

The ESOL Adult Learning Service at Lambeth College, now known as South Bank Colleges, has been running a pilot over 18 weeks to fully understand the barriers ESOL students experience with learning Maths, and then removing them. The project aimed to support our ESOL Entry 2 and Entry 3 students with learning Maths, and our ESOL staff to unlock their own potential for teaching Maths, to support progression in work and education. We believe that ESOL teachers are best placed to unlock the English language needed to enable ESOL students’ access to Maths.

Alongside ESOL classes and run in alignment with their ESOL timetable to improve accessibility, students took part in a Functional Skills Maths class at Entry 1 and Entry 2. The process we put in place was aimed at building confidence with using Maths every day for staff and students and increasing motivation by connecting the learning with values and outcomes that improve overall life experiences and create meaningful work opportunities.  We connected learning with helping students to better manage their everyday finances and supporting their children with homework. This approach has supported us to contribute towards Lambeth’s Skills and Employment Strategy and enhanced our curriculum offer to support increased access to maths.

The results have been beyond our expectations. The vast majority of students passed first time, and by the end of the pilot, we had a 98% pass rate. We are now in semester 2, where students are progressing onto the next level for both ESOL and Functional Skills Maths.  We were able to capture their voices and experiences on video demonstrating the impact on their life and learning from both staff and students. We hope this will support us engage even more ESOL students to learn maths and ESOL teachers to train as Maths teachers, helping us close the gap in skills as well as the shortage of Maths teachers. We have successfully begun the process of creating a more inclusive curriculum offer that supports the progression of ESOL learners into mainstream education and assists them with acquiring the skills needed to demonstrate what they are capable of achieving. ESOL students themselves have also been surprised at what they have achieved because many had low confidence in Maths prior to the pilot.  We were able to, through this pilot, work with staff and students to overcome some of their insecurities and the assumption that Maths was not for them. Our teachers have also travelled the same journey alongside our students. The college is also running ‘ESOL number’ and ‘ESOL for managing money’ as standalone options through Multiply Funding this year.

This set of resources were commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and developed by Learning and Work Institute and Learning Unlimited. They are aimed at volunteers supporting adult English language learners, and organisations working with volunteers in this role.

These resources can be found on the Learning and Work Institute website. Developed with volunteers with little or no training or previous experience in mind, the resources are designed to support the delivery of conversation clubs and other volunteer-led language practice for adult English language learners. However, they will be useful to anyone engaged in delivering conversation-based English language practice.

ELATT together with three European partners, funded by Erasmus +, has produced a toolkit to support the involvement of volunteers in migrant language education.

The Toolkit includes the VIME Framework and Model of working together; guides, materials and training Modules for organisations to use to train volunteers; guidance and information for teaching professionals working with volunteers; and guidance and information for policy-makers looking for good practice in involving volunteers in migrant language education.

The National Association of Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA) have produced a framework for good practice in voluntary ESOL.

The document is intended primarily for those working in, and with, the voluntary sector in the field of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). It provides a set of principles of good practice, together with case studies for illustration.

The Glasgow ESOL Forum has produced a Framework for Good Practice in Working with Volunteers in ESOL aims to aid organisations to reflect on their practice to ensure a positive volunteering experience for learners, volunteers and projects. They also have a helpful report titled working with volunteers in ESOL provision in Scotland.