LGYH Regional Cohesion Network

May 2010

The Vision

□To prioritise ESOL funding to those who form part of the many settled communities in England and migrants who are committed to staying in the UK.

□To support better alignment of services and funding

□To improve community cohesion and social integration alongside economic vibrancy of a local area

□To support individuals to achieve their goals for employment, supporting their families and becoming more involved in their local and wider community.

The Objectives

□To shift the mix and balance of provision and services, where necessary, towards locally identified priority ESOL learners

□To allow local authorities, working with partners, more say over who has priority ESOL funding and align ESOL as far as possible with other local priorities and services; and

□To support providers who are already working on this agenda to make changes, where needed, and bring providers not fully engaged on-board.

Government Priorities

□ESOL provision to focus on people who: Have poor or no English language skills

Are isolated from communities other than their own

Are under represented in learning provision

Are on the path to British citizenship, seeking to meet the English language and knowledge requirements

Have been granted refugee status

The process – 4 steps

Leeds activity to date

□Governance and leadership through Leeds City Council

□Identified resources in the City Council to facilitate and support partnership work, research and development work

□Cross sector ESOL Working group established.

□Work started to develop the evidence base.

□Local Area Action Plan developed to inform LSC/ SFA commissioning for 2010/2011 provision and influence current potential opportunities for ESOL funding.

Conclusions from evidence base

□We only know part of the picture

□Need to better understand: changing demographics language and skills needs English language needs of children and young people

from migrant communities changing provision and funding routes to provision and who is accessing language needs of those applying for citizenship impact of English language on worklessness, NEET and

child poverty.

Leeds ESOL priorities for 2010/2011

□Priority groups identified to support strategic objectives of cohesion and integration, improving educational attainment, and improving employability skills and economic well-being: Parents and carers of young children Low level English/ low skill Refugees

Moving forward

□Develop a longer term strategic approach to the planning of ESOL provision

□The objectives of the ESOL planning strategy are to: influence the commissioning of ESOL provision to target

priority localities, communities and families. ensure that ESOL delivery is more flexible and

responsive to community needs. support better joining up and planning of ESOL provision

across the city. better understand language needs of those in the

workplace and ensure sufficient provision is in place to meet these needs.

make best of resources in the context of locality working.

Priority areas of work

□Develop a locally partnership agreed indicator for ESOL included in our LAA

□Create a directory of ESOL provision

□Map child care options against ESOL provision

□Agree and implement a research brief that has a focus of English language needs within more settled migrant communities

□Scope out the purpose and potential benefits of an ESOL ‘information sharing’ Network/Consortium

□Scope out a potential city register of ESOL tutors

ESOL – what’s the future

□Skills Investment Strategy 10/11 outlines the Governments intention to implement a shared role for funding adult skills: The State Individuals Businesses

□Potential impact of Informal Adult Learning on ESOL

□Conservative commitment to redirect funding to ESOL and English language requirement for marriage visas – ESOL entry level 3 (3rd May)

□No mentioned in Coalition programme for government (20th May)

Questions

□In terms of ESOL

□What are the current challenges for local areas and districts?

□What will be the future opportunities and challenges?