ESOL SUPPORT IN LONDON Provision, Impact of Policy & College Responses

1. ESOL SUPPORT IN LONDONProvision, Impact of Policy & College Responses Ian Ashman Principal, Hackney Community College Chair, AoC London Region

2. CONTENTS • Current supply and needs for ESOL provision • Context and likely impact of recent policy and funding changes • Outline how colleges are responding to these changes

3. ESOL PROVISION • English for Speakers of Other Languages provision in colleges includes: • Provision for speaking and listening, and literacy through entry levels 1-3, level 1 & 2 • Stand alone at lower levels, increasing integration in vocational courses at higher levels • Some provision of English for Academic Purposes • Mainly college based, some work-based programmes • Distinct from EFL (English as a Foreign Language) - mainly full cost for overseas students

4. COLLEGES & ESOL PROVISION • 52 Colleges in London (GFE, Sixth Form Specialist) • Catering for 430,000 students • 74,000 16 and 17 year-olds (61,000 in schools) • BME students make up 45% of learners in London Colleges compared with 31% of the population • Over 80% of those studying English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in London, study at a College • We have an estimated 68,000 ESOL students at London Colleges

5. AOC ESTIMATE ESOL PROVISION: NATIONAL & LONDON • London & Women are disproportionately affected by ESOL changes

6. THE NEED FOR ESOL • In London, over 600,000 adults have no qualifications • In 2006 it was estimated that 600,000 people in London had an ESOL need, but less than 25% access publicly funded ESOL provision • Adults with low skills face particular barriers to further learning; there is little evidence that many adults with low qualifications progress in learning beyond 19 • London’s challenge is not that businesses cannot access high quality staff, but rather that some Londoners are not equipped to compete effectively in the job market • There is a strong case for fast-track and slow-track ESOL courses even for beginners • Sources LSEB: The London Story (2007) LSEB: ESOL and Employability in London (2008)

7. ESOL NEEDS: STUDENTS • INTEGRATION: Nihal - “My children go to primary school and this is a problem. I need talk to their teacher, doctor, dentist and other people in the community. I am alone. I am shy outside as I can’t speak English.” • JOBS: Sehriban - “We came to UK because Turkey has a Turkish and Kurdish problem. We were afraid every day and every night. I couldn’t go back and I love this country. I need a good English because I want a job. I am interested to be a bus driver.” • REDUCING DEPENDENCY: Yvette - “ESOL is important for me because I don’t have any qualification. I am doing Health and Social Care course and English. If my English is good I want to be nurse or doing better job, earning more and less need of benefits.

8. IMPACT OF ESOL LEARNING Leitch Review Analysis Cost Benefit ratio: • Lower levels skills 1 : 1.7 • Intermediate skills 1 : 1.7 • Higher level skills 1 : 1.7 • The high costs of providing higher level skills courses are offset by the value they create through improved productivity • Basic skills -1 : 4 Basic skills interventions have by far the biggest impact on employability, health and crime of all the skills interventions evaluated

9. Hackney Community College ESOL Briefing POLICY AND FUNDING CHANGES

10. CONTEXT: BIGGEST FUNDING CUTS IN A GENERATION Britain's budget cuts outline radical path toward smaller government Britain announced deep and wide-ranging budget cuts today that aim to eliminate its £200 billion deficit over the next five years. 20 Oct 2010 An employee walks past rows of televisions at an electrical store in Edinburgh, Scotland, showing Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. He said on Wednesday Britain would cut half a million public sector jobs, raise the retirement age and slash the welfare state as part of the biggest spending cuts in a generation.

11. GOVERNMENT FE POLICY CHANGES • For 2011/12 the change in SFA Adult funding: • 4.3% Rates cuts • Outcome Incentive Payments top-slice • Major changes to funding eligibility - most significant is that over 3 years most learners on “inactive benefits” won’t get free tuition for many programmes* * Includes lone parent, disability, income support and housing benefits

12. ESOL: POLICY DECISIONS FOR 2011-12 Rate reduction (4.3% cut plus removal of 20% weighting – 40% reduction in funding per student over 2 years) Fee remission only for those on JSA and ESA (WRG) No funding for ESOL at Work End to ESOL Learner Support Fund Driven by concerns about ESOL rising share of FE budget Need to prioritise those closest to the labour market in times of scarce resources Perhaps a view about migrants’ needs outside of settled communities?

13. ADULT FEE REMISSION CHANGES

14. IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGES:ON COLLEGES • 50%+ of current adult learners could be affected by the fee policy changes (our estimate Government didn’t model) • Overall my College could generate £1.9m less income in 11/12 • If we miss our funding target as a result these changes, funds can be clawed back – unlikely this will be made up from fees • Risk to adult participation rates from 2011/12 • Threat to the viability of institutions is recognised - some transitional protection for one year only for those hit hardest

15. IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGES: ON ESOL STUDENTS • Claudia - “I can’t pay for English class next year because I am in income support. It is not enough for me to pay my ESOL course. Without English class I cannot move on my life or work.” • Pietrv –”I would like the Government to review the decision because learning English is important to me. I don’t speak only by myself but also for thousand of other people who are facing the same problem as me” • Rosetta - “I want to read and write in order to read and write letters and help my children. Also, so I can work. I wouldn’t be able to pay for ESOL next year because I’m not able to work – I’m not able to work because I need to learn to read and write.”

16. Hackney Community College ESOL Briefings ESOL CHANGES: COLLEGE RESPONSES

17. RESPONSES TO ESOL CHANGES (1) Colleges thinking creatively – likely approaches to reduce fees or enable fee remission for more students: Some students start this year under current remission rules Switch high % of the hours of courses to literacy, which still attracts fee remission (possible Ofsted problem) Run reduced hours speaking and listening courses, with fee remission for JSA but fees for inactive benefit claimants Integrate more ESOL into vocational programmes which has a wider range of fee remission (though not universal) Run free 8-10 week programmes specifically for JSA clients pre Work Programme Run free ESOL programmes as a subcontractor for the Work Programme

18. RESPONSES TO ESOL CHANGES (2) Current programmes run for those who can afford it Work based ESOL likely to be ‘full cost’ only Some will not/cannot pay and student numbers will reduce Courses will generate less income Therefore courses likely to be cut: 75% of Colleges expect to cut ESOL provision in 2011/12 Threat to integration in economy and society Consequences for children No sign of concessions from Government but awaiting Equality Impact Assessment – before summer recess: a bit late for a change announced in November! Widespread campaign to support ESOL continues

19. Hackney Community College ESOL Briefing Questions Discussion