Learner needs

Assessment of Learning Needs

The needs in Epsom and Ewell were assessed by looking at the demographic profile of the areas, housing employment and transport provision, learning achievement and participation. The Index of Deprivation 2000 was used to make comparisons with other wards in the Borough and in England generally. It emerged from this analysis that the wards of Ruxley, Court and Town have been identified as the areas of greatest need. They are characterised by higher rates of unemployment, higher numbers of people with poor basic literacy and numeracy skills and lower achievement rates, compared to other parts of the Borough.

Barriers to Learning

The barriers to learning people face vary across the Borough. Different groups of people living within Epsom and Ewell experience different problems in accessing and engaging in further learning and training. The main barriers identified include lack of time, lack of childcare, courses offered at unsuitable times, lack of transport for courses at particular times, especially for those who do not have their own means of transport. By offering further provision in out-centres, such as in areas like Watersedge, the physical barriers would be reduced and you would move a step closer to encouraging people who would benefit from some form of learning or training to participate. A lack of clear information about courses and a low awareness of the opportunities available have also been identified as barriers to learning. Minority groups such as Travellers and other Ethnic Minority Groups also face cultural barriers which are harder to overcome. People with Learning Disabilities and Physical Disabilities also are faced with the added barriers of accessibility and transport.

Mapping Provision

There is one Further Education College, NESCOT College located in Ewell which provides Further and Higher Education for both full-time and part-time students. It also provides accredited Adult Education courses both on campus and at different out-centres across the Borough. Epsom and Ewell has 12 Surrey County Council Primary Schools, 4 SCC Secondary Schools, an Adult Education Centre located in Epsom Town Centre and also other non designated areas of learning. There is also a considerable amount of good practice in the Borough with NESCOT College and also Surrey Adult Education Services being the main lead for a lot of the community type learning projects being initiated.

Although a large number of people do access the provision available, there is a significant minority who do not participate in any type of learning. A lot of the learning provision is concentrated in Epsom Town Centre. Despite being easily accessible by public transport a lot of people are unable to travel that far to access the different learning opportunities. Further provision is, therefore, needed especially in areas of disadvantage in the Borough. The high levels of poor basic literacy and numeracy in certain parts of the Borough require, in particular, further provision in or near these areas and an innovative approach to engaging learners.

Recommendations:

• A co-ordinated approach should be developed in the collection and dissemination of information about adult learning activities delivered in Epsom and Ewell, and also Surrey as a whole. Many different projects are being implemented which are not documented or recorded. Information on these would inform good practice and reduce duplication of effort.
• There needs to be clearer explanations given for the differences between accredited and non accredited courses and for the different levels one can study for accredited courses. A mechanism for divulging information on learning opportunities needs to be to developed and easily accessible to all potential learners.
• It would be useful for all organisation working in the area of lifelong learning to develop a data collection system for all learning in the Borough. There is currently no mechanism in place for monitoring the numbers of learners involved in different types of learning both formal and informal making it virtually impossible to ascertain participation rates in each area.
• A mechanism for disseminating and sharing information between different providers and organisations working in the Borough should be developed.
• A link needs to be established between non accredited and accredited courses ensuring an ease of progression for learners.
• It would be beneficial for the Community Learning Partnership, if organisations working within the Borough were encouraged to think about and discuss learning opportunities - to get learning on to their agenda.
• Researching the Barriers to learning was hampered by learning not being a priority in any community surveys or focus groups conducted in the Borough. This type of research needs to be undertaken in order to get a clear picture on the learner needs in the Borough.
• Further outreach needs to be developed in the communities to engage the non learners, especially those who would benefit most from it in such areas like Ruxley which has been identified as a disadvantaged area, but comparatively has very little provision. The CLP could liaise further with organisations such as the voluntary sector and the Housing Associations, who are already in many areas providing informal learning but where opportunities for encouraging progression are missed.
• There is very little Family Learning provision in Epsom and Ewell. This mechanism for engaging non learners should be further developed and targeted at the schools in the Borough which have been identified as underachieving and located in disadvantaged areas.
• The Community Learning Partnership needs to be better resourced. Bidding for different funding opportunities, identifying local need, planning and implementing projects and networking with other agencies in the Borough all requires a lot of work and time. It will need access to more resources, especially people resources, if it is to be an effective partnership in identifying local learning needs and providing mechanisms for developing and delivering innovative solutions to local learning problems.