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NATECLA response to £10m Syrian refugee funding Sept 2016

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08 September 2016

The following is NATECLA's response to the announcement of extra ESOL funding for Syrian refugees which appeared on the BBC website on 4th September 2016:

NATECLA welcomes the announcement of £10 million over 5 years to ensure adequate ESOL provision in areas of the country where Syrian refugees are being settled.

However, short-term funding for a particular group of people in specific areas will not alleviate the chronic shortage of ESOL classes which has been brought about by successive cuts to funding over the past few years. 

The total funding within the Skills Budget available to ESOL has fallen from £203 million in 2009/10 to £104 million in 2014/15 - a total of £100 million over 6 years.

All those who need ESOL classes deserve long-term and consistent funding. That is why NATECLA has taken the lead in developing proposals for a national ESOL strategy for England, as is already the case in Wales and Scotland.

NATECLA will launch its proposals in October. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing more details on the mechanism for distributing the much needed funding for Syrian refugees.

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