Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning Service

Adult Learning and the continuum of learning

• Higher Education• Further Education (Adult Responsiveness

Funding- emphasis on employability)• Informal Adult and Community Learning

(Adult Safeguard Funding- emphasis on engagement and inclusion)

• Commercial organisations• Self organised learning e.g. U3A, Clubs etc

ESOL National Strategy

• Government funding through Adult responsiveness funding and Adult safeguard fund

• Not free but some limited protection through the learner support fund

• Focus on employability and the “very hard to reach”

• Qualifications based

Who are we?

• • A service situated within Hertfordshire County Council

• Contracted by the Skills Funding Agency to deliver informal adult learning opportunities to local communities

What do we do?

• Commission and deliver informal adult and family learning

• Courses delivered in Community venues/colleges

• Courses range from 1 to 60 hours• Main areas of delivery are ICT, Arts and

Preparation for Life and Work (including Family Learning and ESOL)

Funding and Targets

• 2011-12 HAFLS received £2.7 million

• Target 13,248 learners

• 15% of the budget for management costs

• 85% of the budget covers commissioned provision and the direct delivery Family Learning Team

Government funded Informal Adult Learning

• Universal access to learning with funding directed to those who are most in need (fees policy).

• Residency qualification to access public funding

• Usually short “engagement” courses

• Age range 19+ to over 100

Government funded Informal Adult Learning

• Courses contribute to a wide range of government agenda including health and well being, employability, civic engagement, capacity building for local communities

• Wide definition of progression including employment, other learning, improved physical and mental well being, confidence, volunteering

Adult Learning

• Subcontracted to 21 learning providers

• 4 Colleges, Voluntary and Community Sector and Libraries

• 15,208 Enrolments• 11,841 Learners

Family Learning

• Support parents to develop their own skills (Literacy, language and numeracy) and the skills to support their children’s learning.

• Free access to learning for parents and children.• Family Language courses for parents for whom

English is their second language.• 17 Family language courses delivered 2010/11• Contextualised Speaking and Listening qualification

Who we deliver to….

• 39% of delivery in the Top 50 most deprived wards in Hertfordshire

• 16% BME learners

• 26% are aged over 60

• 16% are learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

• 3.4 % have mental health problems

ESOL Provision

• Family Language • Isolated women in Watford• Short community courses delivered by the 4

FE colleges• Community based engagement courses in

Dacorum, Bishops Stortford and Watford delivered by Voluntary and Community Organisations

HAFLS ESOL courses 2010-11

• 498 enrolments on ESOL courses• 2.65% of HAFLS subcontracted provision• 10% of ESOL enrolments are men• 26.6% non white engagement in non-ESOL

courses• 42% of BME enrolments are on Preparation

for Life and Work courses• 18% of BME enrolments are on ICT courses

Issues for delivery

• Limited funding

• Progression

• Maintaining and improving quality of provision

• Achievement

• Family pressures

What learners say……

• Better than cigarettes, anti-depressants and drink!

• I learnt how to keep safe and keep my partner safe when we are out’

• Thanks to your help, I got the job I wanted which I could not have done before these lessons

Quality- Ofsted

• Effectiveness of provision

• Capacity to improve

• Leadership and Management ( includes Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity)

• Outcome for Learners

• Quality of Provision

• Subject areas

Inspection

• 2-3 weeks notice

• Lasts a week

• Learner focused

• Visits to classes

• Lesson Observations

• Interviews with managers, providers, learners

• Data

Grading system

• Outstanding

• Good

• Satisfactory

• Inadequate

Ofsted –November 2008

• Service graded “satisfactory” overall

• Family Learning, Equality and Diversity and Capacity to improve graded “Good”

• “The council’s strategy to develop provision to meet the needs and interests of the most vulnerable communities across Hertfordshire is very effective.”

HAFLS Quality Monitoring

Reflects Ofsted and SAF requirements

Regular Quality monitoring visits

Joint lesson observations

Desk monitoring (data, enrolment forms, RARPA evidence)

Additional data on progression

Performance against target including EDIMs

Areas covered

• Safeguarding

• Quality of teaching and learning ( Teacher qualifications, lesson observation, schemes of work, learner work etc)

• Learner voice (feedback forms, focus groups)

• Learner support ( Disability, Literacy, Language, Numeracy needs

Current Developments in Informal Adult and Community Learning

• National Budget protected until 2015(£210m)

• National Review of Adult Safeguarded Learning as part of the reform of Further Education

• New Vision for IACL

• More accountability to local communities

Purpose of Government Supported Community Learning

• Maximise access to community learning for adults, bringing new opportunities and improving lives, whatever people’s circumstances.

• Promote social renewal by bringing local communities together to experience the joy of learning and the pride that comes with achievement.

• Maximise the impact of community learning on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities

For further information on HAFLS see link below

http://www.hertsdirect.org/services/edlearn/hafls/