Providing wider community access: adult and family learning
How can schools provide access to adult and family learning?
Good practice includes:
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Providing facilities for courses run by educational providers, working with providers such as local Further Education Colleges to develop provision suited to school and local needs such as family literacy and numeracy courses.
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Becoming a base for specific national programmes such as LearnDirect, Neighbourhood Learning Centres and UK Online.
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Providing information for school visitors on local opportunities for basic skills training, adult learning or vocational study
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Promoting existing strategies such as Skills for Life, Adult Learners' Week and Family Learning Week (October).
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Providing family learning courses.
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Working with organisations such as the Learning and Skills Council and Campaign for Learning to provide adult and family learning including literacy, language and numeracy courses either within the school itself or in a local college or community centre.
Big Lottery funding for family learning
The Family Learning programme is a £40 million programme to bring generations of families together through learning. Groups including charities, community and voluntary bodies and schools can apply for awards of between £10,000 and £500,000 for up to five years to help families bond whilst building life skills. For more information visit the Big Lottery Fund website.
Guidance
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Adding Value — adult learning and extended services — published in September 2006, produced by NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) and funded by the Local Government Association.
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Family Literacy and Numeracy for Extended Schools
(ref: FLLN/EX)
Case studies
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Caslon Primary School — the school has focused its extended services offering on adult learning with the aim of improving standards in a deprived area. Today, more than nearly half of all pupils have at least one parent taking courses at the school and attainment scores at foundation level have improved significantly.
Last updated: 23 August 2007
