Students working separately in the library on laptops

ESOL at Ruskin College

Intro

Not having a good standard of English can be a barrier to gaining employment or further study within the UK.

At Ruskin College, we have provided ESOL courses with great success and are now starting to award qualifications with OCNLR in ESOL Skills for Life so that our students have the qualifications to add to their employment portfolios.

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About ESOL

Three students studying and sat down at desks in front of each other in The Callaghan Library.

ESOL qualifications

The OCNLR ESOL Skills for Life Qualifications cover the English linguistic modes of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and align with the ESOL Adult Core Curriculum.

The qualifications support language development to help people to:

  • Gain or progress with meaningful and sustainable employment.
  • Develop skills that support engagement in daily life activities.
  • Develop further independence.
  • Feel part of, and connected to a wider society.
  • Build confidence in socialising with others in different contexts.
  • Access services and benefits.
Two students standing, face-to-face, outside the main entrance to Ruskin College.

Initial assessment

Before placing you on a course, it is essential that we carry out an initial assessment of your level of English. We will therefore invite you to the College to meet our tutors and take the short assessment.

A range of pound notes on a flat surface.

Funding

These qualifications are fully funded for all eligible students studying an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) qualification up to and including Level 2.

Course plan

Two students working on computers in the library while another one is looking at books in the background.

In order to be successful and achieve all linguistic modes, the courses will run as follows:

  • Autumn term (September 2024 – December 2024) – speaking and listening
  • Spring term (January 2025 – April 2025) – reading
  • Summer term (April 2025 – July 2025) – writing

This will enable all students to focus and master each mode in its entirety before progressing to the next one.

A community learning tutor or lecturer helping a student at a desk.

At the moment, courses start at 9:30am and finish at 3:30pm. The main focus for the Autumn term is on the speaking and listening qualification. The days of the week you will attend depend on your level of English. This will be determined by an initial assessment.

Upcoming ESOL courses

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for our free ESOL Awards in Skills for Life qualifications, you need to:

  • Live in Oxfordshire or Berkshire
  • Be aged 19 or over as at 31 August 2024
  • Be a citizen of the UK and/or EEA (European Economic Area) country, or have permission granted by the UK government to live in the UK, and are living in the UK on the first day of the course. If you have a visa it must be valid for the length of the course and not state ‘No use of Public Funds’.
  • If you have ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’, you must have lived in the UK for at least 3 years and have evidence to support this.
  • Have not already achieved a qualification at the same level and subject of the course you are applying for.
  • Be earning less than £25,000 or be unemployed. Anyone satisfying the above criteria but earns more than £25,000 and is employed is eligible for a 50% fee reduction.

Find out more