Centre for Language Education Research (CLER) 2 Day Seminar

English for Speakers of Other Languages: Policy and Citizenship in Practice

A two-day seminar to explore current issues for the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), adult migrants in the UK learning the dominant language of their new home. It is now ten years since the end of the Skills for Life policy and with it, the withdrawal of coordination of ESOL by national government. Political rhetoric about the obligation for new arrivals to learn English has continued, whilst the field of ESOL has been hampered by a lack of coordination, direction and funding at national scale. 2019 also marks three years since the Brexit vote: for ESOL students, continued uncertainty about their belonging ensures that they and their concerns remain central to debates around citizenship. 

In advance of the launch of a new National Strategy for ESOL in England, this seminar poses key questions for the field in two areas: (1) How can the responsibility for coordinating ESOL provision be met, locally, regionally and nationally? And (2) How does the field of ESOL respond to contested issues of integration, citizenship and political belonging in uncertain times? 

The seminar brings together ESOL practitioners, policy-makers, academics, university and college managers, and other stakeholders to critically reassess the field and to generate recommendations to inform the new National Strategy for ESOL. We end Day 2 with a reception and the launch of Brokering Britain (M. Cooke & R. Peutrell, eds., Multilingual Matters).  

Registration is free, and participants can register for one or both days of the seminar. Details and a link to registration are here: https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/education/events/event/936/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages-policy-and-citizenship-in-practice

 This seminar is generously supported by the ESRC/Leeds Social Science Institute, the Centre for Language Education Research and the School of Education, University of Leeds. For further information contact me at - j.e.b.simpson@education.leeds.ac.uk 

We look forward to welcoming you to Leeds in late November.