ESOL: Our calls for change and the evidence

As part of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the Government must ensure that qualifications and standards accurately reflect the development of English language skills; that language assessment and lesson planning lead to meaningful programmes of learning; and that learners are able to progress to further study and employment.

Many learners struggle to access appropriate ESOL. The current curriculum only aims to provide them with the basic language skills needed to survive, not the level needed to achieve their employment and education aspirations.

New qualifications should be developed which support effective learning for ESL speakers, an area of high relevance for the Government’s ongoing review.  A new curriculum must recognise learners’ varied priorities, giving a balance of English skills for work and study, alongside day-to-day living.

The creation of Skills England provides an opportunity to ensure that second language speakers are able to access ESOL and help fill the skills shortages and labour needs of the future. Many second language English speakers already have work-related skills and experience necessary to contribute to the UK economy.

Over one in every 50 people of working age in the UK could benefit from the enhanced educational and employment opportunities offered by developing their proficiency in English. Almost half of this group are British citizens or long-term residents. This figure is equivalent to the number of adults "economically inactive" following the COVID pandemic in the UK.

Attending ESOL classes at the right level can be life-changing for many. For workers with long hours or shifts, for example, ESOL in the workplace could open up new opportunities to gain vital language skills.

Yet the main source of funding for ESOL, the Adult Skills Fund (ASF,  formerly Adult Education Budget – AEB), has halved in real terms since 2009, and ESOL policy and strategy have lacked clarity and overall direction. This has left learners facing an ESOL “postcode lottery”.

England also needs funding models in further education to ensure colleges are not disincentivised from offering ESOL provision, and approaches which encourage employers to provide ESOL at work.

ESOL provision should be seen as a sound financial investment. Many speakers of ESL are already qualified professionals or skilled tradespeople, so do not require training beyond language support, and familiarisation with working culture in the UK. This is comparatively low- cost and can be expected to pay for itself over time (once learners are in employment and paying taxes).

There is currently very limited accurate national data on the numbers of people post-16 who need to learn English and what their levels of proficiency are.

An additional field marker should be added to the individualised learning record (ILR), the data collected about learners from training providers in the Further Education and Skills sector in England, which identifies learners with other language backgrounds.

Sector stakeholders including ESOL providers and mayoral combined authorities agree on the need for better data on the number of people who need to learn English post-16. Accurate national data would help them plan and track students’ needs and progress better, as well as ensuring value for money.

With the high proportion of learners in education and training provision who don’t have English as their first language, Ofsted inspectors are likely to encounter second language speakers on a regular basis and need good training to evaluate the quality of ESOL provision effectively.

Ofsted’s current reforms provide an opportunity to reintroduce ESOL provision as a category within the inspection framework. Ofsted should also use data better and train all inspectors appropriately.

Moreover, as part of Enhanced Skills Inspections, there is a need for skills and curriculum inspection teams to look beyond discrete ESOL provision, to learners’ progression onto mainstream educational/vocational courses and employment. This is important because of the high number of ESOL learners who have existing skills, knowledge and experience (e.g., many are fully qualified doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and skilled tradespeople) which could be unlocked and contribute to the nation’s economic growth.

Ofsted has a key role to play in driving system change by raising standards in education across all educational settings to improve the lives of learners.