ESOL provision commended in the AoC Beacon Awards

Cambridge Regional College (CRC) is delighted to announce it has been commended by the Association of Colleges (AoC) for its work in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Commended in The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in ESOL category, CRC has undergone a transformation of its ESOL provision to meet the significant increase in demand for ESOL by delivering English language programmes which focus on the needs of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants settled within our local region.

Jonathan Ingham and Jeni Prettyman, who head up the ESOL programme at CRC, said: “We have greatly expanded our ESOL learning and support capacity through innovative timetabling and curriculum, ensuring that our courses meet the linguistic, cultural, social and vocational needs of the learners in each classroom, as well as any additional needs, for example health needs or disabilities. We have also adapted our approach to teacher recruitment through the training of existing support staff, and the recruitment and training of English language teachers from within immigrant communities, particularly those who have fled Ukraine.

“We have innovated our approach to student support, working across college to develop ESOL-friendly processes, but most importantly we have developed the departmental ethos, moving focus beyond language skills to encompass the overall well-being and integration of students into the community.

“A strong vision for the department has raised awareness across college of the local and national ESOL context. The college embraces the power of ESOL as a force for social change, embodying our CRC college mission ‘to transform lives’.”