The Annual Report2013 - 14

North West Region

The Region

• 13,500 Enrolments• 1,000 Courses• 29,000 Tuition Hours• 200 Tutors• A significant financial surplus on the year• Great education programmes• Innovative and interesting projects• New initiatives supporting and building our

membership

Challenges• Hostile environment for community

education• Finances have been very difficult

– Costs have increased, Income has not– Substantial deficit nationwide

• Reviewing all of the ways that we operate• Re-organisation and change underway

The Framework for the WEA

• A Vision for the organisation– A better world - equal, democratic and just; through adult education the

WEA challenges and inspires individuals, communities and society”

• Four themes to guide our education– Community Engagement, – Health & Wellbeing,– Culture – Employability

• Three Pillars to support our business plans– Excellence in Teaching and Learning– Sustainability of the WEA– Building the profile of the WEA

Implemented in the North West

• This afternoon we build on the discussions began by the Scottish referendum– The theme of democracy and what it means– From simple questions like why vote to

important concenrs like exclusion and disengagement from what passes for politics

• WEA vision speaks to this theme and is re-building its importance in the motivations of our Association

Highlighted in the Annual Report

• An English class using the social history of the fight for democratic right to vote here in Manchester

• Organised a poll for our own WEA Class Representatives to illustrate first past the post

Building a new voluntary movement

• A range of activities seeking to involve members and build a new WEA activisim

• Starting with getting members supporters and interested people together – To discuss, to think, to act

• Events through the year– Whats the point– Radical Education– Talk Shop

• Two new branches in communities • Not claiming to have all the answers

– But to be catalysts for developing educated thinking

Making a difference through the four themes

• Culture• Health and Wellbeing• Employability• Community Engagement• Describing both the curriculum focus and

our main intended outcomes• Lets hear from our theme leads

• The health and wellbeing road show in Cumbria– Bringing students together – Not to listen to the paid experts but to listen to each other

• Mental health awareness• Coping with addiction• Babysitting services• Disability awareness• Losing public facilities

• The Dementia memory cafe project in Liverpool– Dementia awareness training and activity

Highlights in the Annual Report

• Creative Art in Bolton & Chester– Focus on the journey

• Drama in Netherley– Creating & representing our social history

• Engaging communities across the region • In Trafford, in Birkenhead, in Chester, in Workington, in

Skemersdale, in Rochdale and many many more

– Using our wide subject base to challenge communities to come together

• From Sugarcraft, to Art, to Textiles, to Gardening, to Computers, to Cameras, to History, to Literature to Languages

• Functional skills for employment – WEA style – Englsih skills through the class’s “Quick Reads”

library

Supported by our projects

• ESF Supporting learning in the Workforce– supporting skills development of employees

• Community Grants – Delivering small community grants to local

voluntary organisations– Achieving significant success in building

employability– Supported by WEA and extending our networks

Social Purpose

• Binding the WEA together is an increasing commitment to Social Purpose

• Courses in the WEA generally develop some social purposes for individuals

• But we are developing something different• Actions by the class as a group that make

a difference in their community

Making a difference

• The Endurance course with recovering addicts– All too often themselves the subject of exclusion and isolation in

communities– Working together to run the food share scheme– Practically making our community better by refusing to ignore the

inequality around us and acting.

• The performance of the students with learning disabilities in Skelmersdale– Demonstrating their awareness of the abusive names heaped upon them– Courageously asserting their real names – Challenging prejudice through performance and dance that makes us all

think and question

A WEA approach• Working collaboratively• Students develop their skills on WEA courses and

meet their learning outcomes of course.• In good courses they develop more critical views of

the world through understanding wider concerns• At best they put their skills to use in their community• They make a difference to peoples lives in their

community– Outstanding education– Learning by doing

A wider impact

• The WEA in the North West ran 1000 courses last year• Imagine if all of our courses took this approach• Our 13,500 enrolments learning new knowledge and skills about the

things that interest them as usual• But 13,500 students broadening and stretching their thinking

through the inclusion of wider contexts is challenging• 1000 community based activities arising from their course that make

a difference would be novel• Why?

– Creating a better world in practice not just using our vision statement on our headed notepaper

Excellence in Teaching & Learning

• Ofsted inspection a highlight of the year• Graded WEA as good.• WEA not outstanding because not enough

outstanding teaching and learning• This WEA approach is increasingly what

Ofsted is looking for• It is not unique in the North West

– WEA developing this approach everywhere

A Tutor Community

• Our quality plans recognise we must build systematic engagement with tutors

• Tutors working collaboratively together - Joint Practice Development

• NW tutors involved in an Education and Training Foundation project working collaboratively to develop practice solutions

Building the sustainability of WEA

• WEA success based on developing new income streams from existing and new work

• New streams coming both from projects and exsting work

• Our work that promotes social purpose and community change is sellable to a range of agencies seeking engagement and greater participation by communities

Improving our profile

• Getting better at marketing ourselves– New brand – Events for profile – national and local– Developing web and social media

• Our best education is a great story• Our best education is empowering

– Confidence to be involved– A new model for involvement in the WEA– Building our voluntary involvement

Meeting the Associations needs• At the heart of our WEA is education• We believe in its power to change• Education that meets student needs, that

develops criticality and delivers social purpose is inspirational

• It meets our vision, our themes and our business plan

• Here in the North West it was not just aspiration in 2013-14 – its what we did!