Description of the contract
Welsh Government wishes to commission a review of our ESOL policy for Wales. The review will assess the availability and adequacy of ESOL provision and make viable recommendations for how ESOL provision can be improved. Specifically the review will:
1. Provide a detailed mapping of current ESOL provision in Wales;
2. Determine how well formal ESOL provision in Wales offers adequate and timely support to learners; to include an assessment of:
- What works well in the provision of ESOL and ESOL+ in Wales, and what gaps exist in this provision;
- What challenges/barriers and/or facilitators exist in the provision of ESOL in Wales;
- How well ESOL provision is offering adequate and timely support to those subject to varying immigration statuses, to those facing particular vulnerabilities, such as migrants that are children, LGBTQ+ and/or disabled, and to those based outside of the dispersal cities;
- Whether the types of ESOL provision in Wales are adequate in terms of their quality, appropriateness, availability and flexibility;
- The impact of remote learning and digital exclusion on access to ESOL provision;
- the extent to which more informal, participatory forms of learning support the real-life language needs of adult forced migrants;
- How the progress and outcomes of ESOL learners, and their demographic characteristics, are monitored and measured over time and how anonymised data can be shared for transparency and accountability;
- Whether ESOL providers are developing bespoke ESOL provision to support people into work (or maintain work) and how ESOL Provision is aligned with vocational training.
- Whether ESOL providers are developing bespoke ESOL provision for other specific purposes, such as community orientation or to support passing driving tests.
- Available provision to learn Welsh as well as well as, or instead of, English where appropriate, and the take-up of the Welsh provision.
- Where the take up of Welsh language teaching provision is high or low, to capture possible reasons for these variances.
- Whether funding for ESOL provision being used in the best possible way to achieve maximum efficiency and outcomes;
- The role of the Welsh Government, Local Authorities, Institutions, and public service partners in providing a strategic and co-ordinating lead to ensure sufficient, quality ESOL provision in Wales.
3. Determine whether there is sufficient access to other opportunities to develop language skills in informal and social settings, such as Friends and Neighbours (FAN) who run groups to develop conversational English or Welsh), and whether partnerships between formal ESOL Providers and Hubs and informal ESOL Providers are effective.
4. Propose viable, evidence informed actions/recommendations for future policy development which could improve ESOL provision in Wales and address the gaps identified in the review.
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