Monthly Update January 2025
Dear members ,
We hope you’ve had a great start to the new year. As we embrace the winter term, we’re excited to present our winter webinar program. Details can be found below.
There’s still time to book your ticket for today’s webinar, “Tiny Changes, Big Impacts: Simple Ways to Make Learning Accessible in the Mixed Ability Classroom” with Emily Bryson. Don’t miss out!
Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to share that tickets for the Annual Conference 2025 are already available! More details about the program will be coming soon, but in the meantime, you can check out the AC25 website.
This February, we also have two face-to-face branch conferences: Yorkshire and Humber and the Midlands. Find more information below.
Finally, we want to celebrate our amazing members! Whether it’s a success story, a teaching tip, or a great resource, we’d love to showcase what you’re up to in our new “Share Your Story” social media feature. Get in touch if you want to share yours!
We wish everyone a fantastic February!
If you have any queries, get in touch with us by emailing info@natecla.org.uk or calling 07443 601 298.
All the best,
Laura and Irene
NATECLA National Centre
Monthly Update – sponsorship opportunity
Looking for new sponsorship opportunities? Why not add your branding to our Monthly Update - distributed to 2500 engaged NATECLA contacts every month.
If you choose to sponsor this publication, we can include a short article of your choice that will be of interest to NATELCA members. This could promote your latest resource, a webinar you are running or something else.
The costs to promote our Monthly Update are as follows:
For 3 consecutive months: £500
For 6 consecutive months: £850
To find out more about this opportunity, contact Laura Plotnek-Jones on laura@natecla.org.uk.
Save the date! - Annual Conference 2025
Following a sell-out event in 2024, we are proud to introduce NATECLA’s Annual Conference 2025!
Planning is already underway, and we’re excited to share the first details of what promises to be an incredible event. Mark your calendars and save the date!
Date: Friday 27th June - Saturday 28th June 2025.
Venue: Conference Aston, Aston University, Birmingham.
More details, included the full workshop programme, will be announced next month. In the meantime, tickets are available to book now.
Exhibitors and sponsors
Don’t miss the chance to showcase your brand at the NATECLA Annual Conference 2025! Our thriving exhibition area offers the perfect opportunity to connect with ESOL and ELT professionals from across the UK and Ireland.
Whether you’re interested in sponsoring the event or having a stall, we have packages to suit your needs. Enjoy high-quality catering, comfortable overnight accommodation, and endless networking opportunities in a professional setting.
For more information contact Laura Plotnek-Jones, National Centre Manager on laura@natecla.org.uk .
NATECLA Webinars
Our webinars take place on a weekday approximately every 2 weeks. After reading your answers from the feedback form, we are introducing new timeslots to accommodate everyone and make events more accessible for those who don't have the time to attend in the evenings. Also, remember most of our webinar are recorded. So, if you sign up but are unable to make the life version, a recording will be share with you which you can access for up to a month after the event has taken place.
Thank you to Ascentis for sponsoring this terms’ webinar programme.
Webinars cost £30 per person, with NATECLA members paying a reduced rate of £5.
Tiny Changes, Big Impacts: Simple Ways to Make Learning Accessible in the Mixed Ability
Title: Tiny Changes, Big Impacts: Simple Ways to Make Learning Accessible in the Mixed Ability Classroom
Date: 30th January 2025
Time: 19:00- 20:15
Presenter: Emily Bryson
Every learner is different. It is essential to adapt our lessons to support each individual, make them feel valued and develop their voice. Making small changes to our teaching practices can have a big impact on learning. This webinar will explore practical, minimal preparation, ways to differentiate lessons for mixed ability classes and learners with additional needs. It will share simple teaching activities and tips which have made my own lessons more accessible. Using colourful, fun and creative graphic facilitation techniques, I’ll explore and demonstrate ways to support learners with limited study skills, developing L1/L2 literacy, neurodiversity and specific learning differences such as dyslexia and hearing impairments.
Growing happier: How can trauma-informed teaching help my students?
Title: Growing happier: How can trauma-informed teaching help my students?
Date: 13th February 2025
Time: 19:00- 20:30
Presenter: Michaela Hendriks
We all want our students to be happier. It is what we want for ourselves too. All around us there is advice on being happier and increasingly there is advice on trauma-informed approaches. But what is trauma-informed teaching and how can it help us towards happiness? Disclaimer: this webinar does not guarantee you a happy-ever-after! But it will look at this 'new-but-old' approach and how happiness, resilience, well-being and gratitude might grow in the classroom. The webinar is based on research carried out with 16-19 learners but will be applicable to those teaching adults too.
Phonics unleashed: Navigating the soundscapes of English
Title: Phonics Unleashed: Navigating the Soundscapes of English
Date: 27th February 2025
Time: 12:30- 13:45
Presenter: Ania Banks
Dive into the dynamic world of adult phonics education. Explore the nuances of the two leading phonics approaches - Synthetic and Embedded - unveiling their distinct advantages and potential pitfalls. Join us for vibrant discussions, where questions are not just welcomed but encouraged. Share your experiences, glean practical insights, and leave with a treasure trove of ideas to amplify your teaching toolkit. Seize the chance to unlock powerful teaching strategies and foster connections with fellow phonics and literacy educators. Your journey to impactful phonics instruction starts here!
Teaching ESOL Online
Title: Teaching ESOL online
Date: 14th March 2025
Time: 16:00- 17:15
Presenter: Olena Kolesnyk
You're invited to join this session to explore some digital tools, resources, and teaching techniques you need to design and deliver effective online ESOL lessons. Whether you're looking to adapt your face-to-face teaching skills to an online environment or enhance your current online teaching practices, this session is for you. We'll also discuss strategies to boost student interaction and engagement, using authentic materials and differentiated instruction to help students thrive in online learning. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your teaching!
ESOL for Young Learners - Strategies for teaching 16-18 year olds
Title: Webinar: ESOL for Young Learners - Strategies for teaching 16-18 year olds
Date: 27th March 2025
Time: 16:00- 17:15
Presenter: Jeni Prettyman
This session will explore the specific needs and challenges experienced by young ESOL learners, and how such issues can manifest in the classroom. We will explore practical strategies to engage and motivate students in this age group, with reference to the evolving development of a case study 16-18 ESOL programme.
Poster for your staff room
We have created this poster with all the winter webinars together.
Why not encourage your staff to invest in their CPD by printing out and displaying our poster in your ESOL staff room?
Thanks for your support!
Other NATECLA events
NATECLA Yorkshire and Humber: Thrive & Teach - Face-2-face winter conference
Theme: Thrive & Teach: Self-Love, Self-Care, and Wellbeing for ESOL Teachers
Date: Friday 14th February 2025
Time: registration from 12.15pm, First session from 13:00. Finishing at 16:00
Location: Wakefield College, Margaret Street, Wakefield, WF1 2HD
Cost: £10 members, £40 non-members.
It’s time to prioritise the most important person in a teacher’s life: YOU!
Join us for a rejuvenating afternoon focused on prioritizing teacher wellbeing with engaging workshops, insightful discussions, andplenty of self-care inspiration.
Keynote Speaker- Rachael Roberts: “Beyond bubble baths: rethinking what teacher wellbeing really means.”
Workshops:
Work Smarter, Not Harder: How AI Can Lighten the ESOL Teacher's Workload, Aga Kulas
Stretch, Relax, Recharge: Quick Desk Yoga to De-Stress and Rejuvenate, Julia Shulga
Boundaries & Balance: Preserving Your Energy as a Teacher, Charlotte Godwin
NATECLA London ESOL Managers' Network Forum
NATECLA London presents the next face to face London ESOL Managers' Network Forum.
Date: Friday 21st February 2025
Time: 14:00-16:00
Location: Idea Store, Watney Market, 260 Commercial Rd, London E1 2FB, UK
Price: FREE
Agenda to include:
Tailored Learning - updates and review
How to write a successful funding bid
What makes a good SAR?
Policy update
Growing the branch
NATECLA Midlands: Face-2-face winter conference
Our first NATECLA Midlands Face-2-face conference since before the pandemic to take place as follows:
Date: Friday 28th February 2025
Time: registration from 12.30pm, First session from 13:00
Location: The Brasshouse Centre within the Library of Birmingham, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HP
Cost: £10 members, £40 non-members
This conference will take place inside the iconic Library of Birmingham, located in the heart of the city. It will offer practical workshops, networking opportunities, and an engaging resource exhibition to help you stay ahead in the ESOL field.
Workshops
AI for ESOL, Chlöe Hynes
Practical activities for supporting learners with neurodiversity in an ESOL classroom- Rachel Öner
The trauma-sensitive ESOL classroom- Sharon Baker
Building Learner Autonomy and Identity as Language Learners for ESOL- Sam Pepper
ESOL Managers' Network Forum March, April and May 2025
Join us at the next network meeting for ESOL managers working in FE, adult education and third sector settings across the UK.
Dates:
Thursday 13th March 2025.
Thursday 3rd April 2025- Joined session with Ascentis on ESOL Funding for tailored learning, with Beej Kaczmarczyk.
Thursday 22nd May 2025.
Time: 14:00- 15:30
Cost: FREE
More information about the event will be share shortly.
Resources and other CPD
NATECLA In-House Training
At NATECLA, we understand that high-quality, affordable, and practical in-house training for ESOL departments is hard to find. That is why we offer a training service, connecting highly rated teacher trainers with further education colleges, adult and community education services, and private training providers, including those in EFL. Our goal is to help teachers and managers to develop practical teaching skills. Our expert trainers offer a variety of 90-minute, half-day, or full-day sessions, all tailored to your department’s needs. Some of our sessions include:
Trauma-informed ESOL
Online ESOL Teaching
Creating Active ESOL Learning Programmes
Best practice in developing, sharing and using ESOL resources
ESOL and Neurodiversity
Embedding ESOL in mainstream courses
Basic literacy for ESOL learners
Teaching pronunciation
Differentiation: stretching and supporting learners without over-stretching teachers
Giving effective feedback
Happiness and wellbeing in the ESOL classroom.
Job Opportunity
Title: NATECLA Bookkeeper
Type: Job Vacancy
Organisation Name: NATECLA
Hours: Part-time
Location: Midlands
Closing Date: 7 Feb 2025
NATECLA is currently seeking an experienced bookkeeper to manage our financial records. This is a part-time, hourly paid position and will need to be carried out on a self-employed basis.
IATEFL discount for NATECLA members
NATECLA is an associate member of IATEFL, so all our individual members can benefit from discounted IATEFL membership
IATEFL Individual membership: £74 per year.
IATEFL Associate Individual Membership: £27 per year.
Some of the advantages of being a member of IATEFL include:
Keep up to date with all that's new in your profession interactionally.
Build your network of colleagues from around the world, sharing your ideas and your challenges.
Attend regular webinars on a wide range of topics.
Search their archive of recorded webinars, articles and publications
Get discounted prices on a range of publications and resources.
Benefit from member prices to attend the annual IATEFL International Conference and Exhibition.
Apply for a range of IATEFL scholarships only available to members.
How to join with the discounted price:
Write to info@natecla.org.uk to ask for the discount code.
Go to IATEFL website.
Introduce the code.
Complete the form.
Members can also find the file with the discount code here.
IATEFL Edinburgh 2025
Bookings for the IATEFL 2025 Conference are now open! This years' conference and exhibition will take place in Edinburgh.
Date: Tuesday 8 April to Friday 11 April 2025, with Pre-Conference Events on Monday 7 April
Location: EICC in Edinburgh
IATEFL’s ESOL SIG Day
Don’t miss the 2025 IATEFL Pre-Conference Event on ESOL, hosted by the ESOL and Inclusive Practices & SEN Special Interest Groups.
Title: Negotiating Inclusivity: Strategies for Fostering Global Citizens,
Date: Monday 7 April.
Location: EICC in Edinburgh
The event will explore innovative strategies for creating inclusive ESOL/EFL classrooms that help students thrive in a globalized world.
Free IELTS for refugees
A new agreement signed by Cambridge and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will enable refugees to take IELTS tests for free.
International Mother Tongue Day
February 21st marks International Mother Tongue Day, a celebration of linguistic diversity and the importance of home languages in education. To support multilingual learners, The Learning Village have curated a series of topical resources.
They are also offering EAL webinars and courses.
Resource of the month
ESOL Books | Dave Butler | Read & Write Every Day: ESOL Books for pre-entry and entry-level 1 English resources. Find beginner-friendly course books, worksheets, and activities for teachers and learners.
Read and Write every day (5 books): Do you teach basic ESOL Literacy groups? This series can help you engage your students in motivating and interesting tasks to help boost their literacy level. It can also save you hours in preparation time!
Dave Butler launched his new series of ESOL books to the NATECLA community at last year’s Annual Conference
Share your story with NATECLA
We love hearing from our members! Whether it’s a success story, a useful teaching tip, an inspiring resource, or a special moment from your ESOL lessons or journey—we want to showcase it!
Your contribution could be featured in our social media posts to inspire and connect our community.
Here are some ideas of what you can share:
What you love about teaching ESOL
Why you joined NATECLA
A recent classroom success
Any challenges you’re facing
Classroom tips or activities that have worked well for you
ESOL Volunteer Working Group
Thank you to everyone who has already completed our short survey or expressed interest in joining NATECLA’s new Volunteer ESOL Working Group. If you haven’t had the chance yet, there’s still time to do it here!
The Volunteer ESOL Working Group want to be representative of the sector and you don't need to be a member of NATECLA to join the group. You can express your interest in joining through the survey or can contact Jenny at jennyroden88@gmail.com or Sharon at sharon.m.baker@outlook.com.
NATECLA set up and runs this forum and also provides a Resources for volunteer ESOL teachers page, which has recently been updated.
Other News
ESOL Beacon Award finalists announced
NATECLA is delighted to be playing a key role in judging this year’s Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in ESOL - part of the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Awards to recognise Excellence in Further Education.
The ESOL departments who are finalists in this prestigious scheme are:
New College Durham
Nottingham College
Bradford College
Find out more about the scheme and the work these colleges have undertaken at NATECLA’s forthcoming Annual Conference this June 2025.
Targeted retention incentive payments for FE teachers
Eligible further education (FE) teachers can apply for the first round of targeted retention incentive payments until 31 March 2025. This doesn't apply to ESOL teacher but digital and ICT teachers and Maths teachers, as well as those delivering programs in other subject areas are eligible to apply. Grants are between £2000 and £6000 and the deadline for application is the end of March 2025.
Buy half price Our Lives readers
Ruth Hayman Trust are also selling "Our Lives" books (graded readers for ESOL learners based on true stories) at £1.50 a copy instead of £3 and all profits will go to their charity. So if you buy 10 books for £15, £30 will go to the Trust.
Please email ourlivespress@yahoo.co.uk to order reduced price books, rather than ordering via the website, which does not give the discount.