Dear Minister
The attached Impact Assessment of the changes to ESOL funding under the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) Skills Strategy indicates that there will be dramatic changes in eligibility for a large proportion of those needing ESOL in Nottingham.
· The findings indicate at least 73% of BME learners in the conurbation will be at risk of exclusion from language learning and the wider training and employment opportunities this enables.
· There will be a discriminatory impact on women, 81% of whom will be detrimentally affected by these changes, especially those with children.
· Smaller groups are significantly affected, including asylum seekers, and those who are married to a British resident, settling in the UK and need ESOL for Citizenship.
· The new policy conflicts with cross-sector local and national work to promote integration, citizenship, community cohesion and the Big Society; to up-skill the adult population and promote economic development, to raise the achievement of children at school, and to reduce translation and interpreting costs.
Action for ESOL Nottingham, in partnership with others, believes that ESOL is essential for realising inclusion, integration and equality of opportunity, and urges the government to rethink its policy on ESOL provision.
As local services and representatives, we support these aims. We endorse the work of Action for ESOL Nottingham in raising the government’s awareness of the unintended and cross-departmental consequences of its new ESOL funding proposals. We support the recommendation that the government consult on, review and revise this policy.
Organisation / Name / Role11 Tech 18 Training Services / Angela Diaz / Chief Executive Officer
Arimathea Trust / Caron Boulghassoul / Project Manager
Asian Women’s Project / Parveen Mirza / Chief Executive Officer
BEGIN (Basic Educational Guidance in Nottinghamshire) / Fiona Vale / Manager
Belong (formerly Heri-Kwetu) / Jean-Didier Mualaba / Manager
Bright Ideas Nottingham / Lisa Robinson / Company Director
Broxtowe Borough Council / Jayne Fletcher / Communities Officer
Broxtowe Borough Council / Jayne Fletcher / Communities Officer
Broxtowe Children’s Centres (Nottinghamshire County Healthcare Trust) / Steve Lack / Senior Co-ordinator
Broxtowe Partnership Trust / Mark Bowyer / Partnership Manager
Castle College Nottingham / Mal Cowgill / Acting Principal
Chilwell Road Methodist Church / Chris Gray / Minister
Education Partnership in Communities / James Brown / Extended Schools Team Manager
Forest Fields Neighbourhood Advice Centre / Mark Bowyer / Trustee
Friary Drop-in / Sam Crawford / Business Manager
GOSHEN Community Resource & Training Centre / Adrien Mizuma / Project Co-ordinator
Haydn & Cantrell Primary Schools / Sarah Fielding / Headteacher
Health Centre – NEMS Platform One GP Practice / Sarah Cipolletti / Mental Health Nurse
Helping Hands – Supporting people with mental health problems into employment / Jill Jefferies / Service Manager
Highbury Hospital Mental Health Services Unit / Eric Adjaidoo / Clinical Nurse Specialist
Inclusion Training / Reham Alan / Director
Indian Community Centre Association / Resham Aujla / Chair
Into the Mainstream (Asylum Seeker & Refugee Health Team) / Kinsi Clarke / Manager
Leicester Asylum Seeker & Refugee Voluntary Sector Forum (LVSF) / Amanda Soraghan / Chair
Long Journey Home / Stuart Brown / Regional Co-ordinator
Member of Parliament / Lillian Greenwood / MP Nottingham South
Middleton Primary & Nursery School / Rebecca Plaskitt / Headteacher
Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum / Patsy Brand / Chair
Nottingham Beyond Borders / Juliet Line / Chair
Nottingham Chinese Welfare Association / Liz Hampton / Manager
Nottingham City Council / Jon Collins / Leader of Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council, Bulwell Ward / John Hartshorne / Senior Member/Councillor Bulwell Ward
Nottingham City Council, Sherwood Ward / Jane Urquhart / Councillor Sherwood Ward, Portfolio Holder for Transport & Area Working
Nottingham CityCare Partnership / Vanessa McFarlane / Health Promotion Specialist
Nottingham Equal / Safdar Azam / Project Co-ordinator
Nottingham Healthy Schools Team / Navkiran Nahal / SRE Consultant (Asian Communities)
Nottingham Muslim Directory / Safdar Azam / Director
Nottingham Training & Enterprises / Tasawar Chaudry / Administration Manager
Positive Communities Task Group, Broxtowe Borough Council / Councillor Stan Heptinstall / Chair
Radford Primary School / Jacqui Smith / Headteacher
Rainbow Project for people seeking sanctuary & Refugees / Imogen Rex / Project Worker
Refugee Action East Midlands / Amanda Soraghan / Refugee Action East Midlands Manager
Renewal Trust / Peter Matkin / Deputy Trust Executive
South Nottingham College / Mal Cowgill / Principal
St Stephen’s with St Paul’s Church, Hyson Green & Forest Fields Parish / Clive Burrows / Vicar
Sycamore Primary & Nursery School / Paul Worley / Headteacher
The Baca Charity / Bex Griffiths / Development Director
The Haddon Park High School / Gareth Owen / Headteacher
The Nottingham Emmanuel School / Cynthia Bloor / EMAG Co-ordinator
The Partnership Council, Basecamp -Nottingham’s leading support services to South Asian Voluntary Groups / Rukhsana Aziz / Basecamp Officer
The Signpost to Polish Success / Beata Polanowska / Project Co-ordinator
UK World Rights Organisation / Zahid Chaudhury / Chair
Umuada Women’s Refuge / Jill Hanrahan-Cook / Manager
Vine Community Centre / Clive Burrows / Chair of the Board of Trustees
William Booth Primary School / Andy Mattison / Headteacher
Women’s Friendship Group (Asylum Seekers & Refugees), Vine Community Centre / Helena Bandoo / Co-ordinator
Workers Educational Association East Midlands Region / Mike Attwell / Regional Director
Yours sincerely
Fiona Vale
begin Service Manager
on behalf of Action for ESOL Nottingham
0115 978 0942 /