ESOL Citizenship Learning Materials Familiarisation Workshops 2005

Background In September 2002 the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, announced the Government’s intention to make becoming a British citizen a more meaningful event. He asked an advisory group chaired by Sir Bernard Crick “to consider how best to achieve the Government’s plans to promote language skills and practical knowledge about the United Kingdom for those seeking to become British citizens.” ‘The New and the Old’ is the report of the “Life in the United Kingdom” Advisory Group and was published in 2003. The Crick recommendations include:  A comprehensive and flexible programme of studies that will lead to legal citizenship and also focus at every level on what people need to settle in Britain  Six broad categories of study: British national institutions, Britain as a multi-cultural society, the law, employment, sources of help and information and everyday needs ESOL citizenship project - Background In February 2004 NIACE and LLU+ at London South Bank University were asked by the DfES and Home Office to produce a scoping paper to set out a proposed syllabus for a citizenship course and one for ESOL citizenship based on the six areas of study recommended by the advisory group. The second phase of the work built on the scoping paper. A pack of ESOL citizenship learning materials was produced with examples of materials for learners working towards E1, E2 and E3 and suggestions on how teachers could adapt the materials to suit particular learners. In the third phase, NIACE and LLU+ are piloting the ESOL citizenship learning materials pack with 18 ESOL providers in England. Providers from Further Education colleges, training organisations, local authorities and the voluntary sector who are delivering the new ESOL qualifications are using the materials in ESOL courses and will feedback on their relevance, accessibility and fitness for purpose in preparing ESOL learners for citizenship. The pilot phase is still in progress and the learning materials are still in the draft stage. The Familiarisation workshops The workshops, during January and February 2005, will introduce the learning materials pack to ESOL teachers. There are 27 events in total across the 9 Government Office regions. Each event is one day only and will host a maximum of 40 delegates. A list of the dates and location of each of the venues is attached for your information. Workshop Objectives  to examine the background to the introduction of citizenship for ESOL learners  to start to get to know the materials and how they are structured  to see how the materials can be customised for use with different learners Application forms may be downloaded from the NIACE website www.niace.org.uk or by contacting Caroline Matthews in the NIACE Conferences and Courses team (caroline.matthews@niace.org.uk>) telephone 0116 2044729. More dates added including Glasgow 10 March 2005 http://www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/TrainingCourses/ESOL-Citizenship.htm