The ESOL Stepping Stones project has made it to the final of the British Council ELTons 2019 awards. These awards celebrate the best innovations for English language teaching and learning worldwide. ESOL Stepping Stones is shortlisted in the category of local innovation, which celebrates solutions developed at a local, national or regional level to meet a specific local need and within a specific local context. Winners will be announced at the ELTons Awards Ceremony on June 10th.
What is ESOL Stepping Stones?
ESOL Stepping Stones is an innovative twelve week ESOL course that delivers essential functional English, including health and parenting information, to mums along with their babies, embedded within their community. Our comprehensive course pack enables existing staff and/or volunteers in children’s centres, schools and other cultural and community settings to deliver basic, relevant ESOL in a ‘stay and play’ format.
By empowering staff in settings to deliver informal ESOL themselves to mums along with their babies, we can overcome some of the main barriers these women face when accessing UK ESOL provision, such as childcare, suitable provision and learner confidence.
ESOL Stepping Stones is, quite literally, a first step for these learners to begin on their journey to learn English. The course also promotes communication, language use and interaction between mum and baby which is so important for every child’s language development.
Find out more about ESOL Stepping Stones.