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ESOL Programme Partnerships

The Bell Foundation is developing a new ESOL Programme which will include investment in projects and partnerships which improve outcomes for ESOL learners.

Working in partnership, the Foundation will test and trial ESOL approaches which will enable learners to achieve their aspirations. In partnership, the Foundation will work to convene local and national stakeholders in ESOL, provide monitoring and evaluation support.

The Foundation is not currently seeking new partnerships for the ESOL Programme, but it is expected that the grants application process will open again in mid-2022.

Below is more information on the partnerships from the pilot phase of the ESOL Programme.

Aims of the ESOL Programme partnerships

Projects would aim to address one or multiple elements of the below:

  • Enable ESOL learners to access further education or employment opportunities either simultaneously or consequentially.
  • Increase participation in ESOL learning for hard to reach groups.
  • Increase progression from lower to higher level ESOL.
  • Improve retention figures for learners.

Expectations of the partnerships

The Foundation is interested in exploring partnerships which:

  • Develop partnerships with local refugee groups, and other community organisations who support refugees and migrants, local or combined authorities, colleges and Local Enterprise Partnerships.
  • Evaluate existing ESOL provision in order to identify and share good practice.
  • Gather insights into the needs and motivations of ESOL learners in urban and rural areas.
  • Gather insights into the needs of the local community and businesses in terms of ESOL skills gaps.
  • Develop, test and evaluate ESOL approaches to meet the needs of local ESOL learners and the community.

The Foundation is interested in transferring trial approaches from other areas of education and adult learning into ESOL, recognising that learners may need to have other needs met in order to meaningfully engage in ESOL provision.

During the pilot phase of the ESOL Programme, the Foundation has partnered with UCL, to investigate the attainment and progression of young people who use English as a second or additional language. More information on this partnership can be found on the ESOL Partners page.

The Foundation has also partnered with organisations who work directly with refugees and young people seeking asylum as part of the ESOL Programme:

  • Kent Refugee Action Network.
  • East of England Strategic Migration Partnership.
  • Refugee Action.
  • Refugee Education UK.

You can read more about these partnerships in this blog.

Additional partnership information is available on the Partner with Us page.

How to apply

The Foundation is not currently looking to develop new partnerships, while the objectives of the programme are being developed and agreed. If you would like to register your interest in partnering with the Foundation in the future please use the Contact Us form.

You can also sign up to the e-newsletter to be kept up to date with the ESOL Programme.