The Government welcomes the report which will be an extremely useful starting point for further development in this area. The challenge will be to ensure that all learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities can gain access to appropriate opportunities to learn basic skills.
We attach high priority to this area of learning as shown by the announcement in May of an additional £1.5 million for development activity in this area. This work will be continued as an integral part of our efforts to tackle poor basic skills among adults generally.
Our initial response to each of the ten main recommendations in the report is set out below. It will be essential for the new Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit, which we are in the process of setting up, to engage more fully in the detail of the report in the months and years ahead.
- The basic skills strategy should include all learners.
Part of the remit of the new Strategy Unit and the aim of the national strategy which we plan to announce later this year will be to ensure that all learners are able to receive appropriate support for their basic literacy and numeracy needs.
In addition, the Learning and Skills Council will have a duty to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity. In applying that duty, we will expect the Council to take account of the recommendations in "Freedom to Learn".
- Alternative ways of enabling learners to demonstrate achievement should be developed.
DfEE is in discussion with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority about the need to ensure that learners with learning difficulties or disabilities are not disadvantaged in assessment, particularly in relation to the national test being developed for basic skills at Levels 1 and 2. In practice this will mean ensuring that all awarding bodies comply with a code of practice which will allow all learners reasonable access to the test. This will not, of course, mean absolving learners from parts of the test or making any other changes which might reduce the reliability of basic skills qualifications.
We also recognise that other forms of assessment may be applicable in some cases, particularly at below entry level where other ways of recording learners' achievements and progress may be needed. The Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit will be asked to look further into this issue.
- A flexible and coherent curriculum at pre-entry level should be developed to enable learners at this level to progress towards the entry-level curriculum and increase flexibility at all levels.
- Guidance and models of good practice in key aspects of teaching, assessment and learning should be developed and disseminated.
We are giving these recommendations high priority by commissioning work on them over the next few months. The main development agencies in this area have been invited to tender.
- Investment should be made in general awareness and specialist training for teachers, support workers and others, in teaching skills to learners with disabilities and learning difficulties.
As part of the effort to improve the quality of basic skills provision, the Government has asked the Basic Skills Agency to develop and implement an intensive teacher training programme which is due to become available to all basic skills teachers across the country from autumn 2000. The first phase of this programme concentrates on the new standards and curriculum for basic literacy and numeracy. We are now planning a second phase of this programme which may be a suitable vehicle for ensuring all basic skills teachers are familiar with the needs of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.
The FEFC's Quality Improvement Initiative will also be a useful way of raising colleges' awareness of the issues raised in "Freedom to Learn". Phase 2 of the Initiative, which started in April 2000, involves the recruitment and training of basic skills facilitators who will help colleges to review the processes for improving quality.
FENTO and the Basic Skills Agency are already developing an initial training framework for new basic literacy and numeracy teachers. It will be important for the needs of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities to be taken into account in the development of the standards framework and accompanying guidance.
- Funding should be made available to improve materials and equipment for teaching and learning, including information and learning technology.
We will be commissioning new learning materials over the next few months. The main development agencies in this area have been invited to tender. Wider access issues will be addressed as part of the LSC duty to promote equality of opportunity.
- Funding methodologies should be devised to support life-long learning and the maintenance of basic skills in ways which promote equality of opportunity.
Discussions are under way in relation to the funding of all provision for post-16 learning. The second technical consultation paper, recently out for consultation, addressed funding issues in relation to learners with additional needs. The issues raised in that consultation and in the "Freedom to Learn" report will be taken into account as the Department and the Learning and Skills Council takes this work forward.
- All relevant promotional materials should clearly identify the learning, opportunities available to those with disabilities or learning difficulties.
We support this recommendation in principle and will be exploring ways of encouraging it in practice.
- Support should be provided to increase opportunities within the community through statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations and partnerships. Different agencies should work together so that learning is better co-ordinated.
We are looking to set up some innovative pilot projects in this area and have recently invited tenders for that purpose. We will evaluate and disseminate the results in order to encourage the spread of best practice.
- Quality assurance arrangements should take these recommendations into account.
We will ensure that the recommendations in "Freedom to Learn" are taken into account by the new Adult Learning Inspectorate and reflected in quality assurance and inspection arrangements for adult basic skills.
