Organisation Overview

Working with Adults
The challenge: the North East has more people with low skills
Low literacy and numeracy are key problems facing England. Many people struggle with tasks such as reading timetables or working out basic sums. Nearly half of all adults aged over 16 do not reach Level 1 in either literacy or numeracy, or both.

The situation is worse in the North East than in most other areas. The proportion of people at the very lowest level (Entry Level 3 or below) is up to twice as high as in the South East of England*.

*Source: ‘Skills for Life Survey’, Department for Education and Skills 2003.

Working with children & young people
The challenge: a minority of children are left out by the education system
In the North East last year there were 16,300 school exclusions for 11-16 year olds.
As well as those excluded from school because of challenging behaviour, others choose not to attend because of bullying, caring responsibilities, health problems or lack of confidence.

Those outside school may have basic skills needs in literacy, numeracy and speaking and listening. Often they feel they have been rejected by education and that they have no particular future.

Simply forcing these ‘non-attenders’ to sit in a classroom is not a solution. They need an alternative curriculum and personal support to re-introduce them to learning.

Working with Families
The challenge: pre-school children need to catch the habit of learning
The first people to educate children are not schools, but parents and other carers.
So the best way to improve literacy is to work with those parents and carers.
By improving their skills and motivation, we can make a huge difference to young people. The habit of learning is caught best, when it is caught early.

The greatest need is in areas of high deprivation. Here, parents and other carers are most likely to see little value in early learning, due to their own negative experiences at school and limited employment prospects. Extra support may be needed to bring the children up to the national pre-school average, so that they are ready to start school at the same level as others.

Further Developments for the Northern Learning Trust
Working on Family Learning
We are developing new learning opportunities for parents and carers. Our ‘Fun with Words’ programme helps parents understand what their children are learning at school. The two-hour workshop enables them to ask questions of teachers and also identify any areas where they might need support with their own skills. The workshops have been run in schools in Sacriston, Bournmoor and Nettlesworth.

Sharing expertise and developing new streams of revenue
We have set up NLT Learning Ltd as a separate trading entity. It is involved in a range of consultancy work: we have evaluated programmes for other organisations, and delivered tailored training. For example, we have run ‘Skills for Life’ Awareness Workshops for Sure Starts and Primary Care Trusts.

Shaping local skills strategies
We help inform and shape strategies related to Skills for Life and learning. We are represented on Learning Partnerships in Newcastle, Gateshead, County Durham and Northumberland. We also participate in other regional strategic bodies.

Products and Services

Northern Learning Trust is able to provide

• 5 or 10 weeks Time Together Family Learning Programmes
• Shared Beginnings
• Magic Moments
• Storyboxes
• Special Time Together
• Short Workshops
• Taster Sessions for above – 2 hours
• Fun with Words – 3 hours
• Skills for Life Awareness Training for Professionals
• Financial Literacy Programmes
• National Literacy & Numeracy Test Centre
• Consultancy and Evaluation
• Research

If you would like further information and costs for any of the above contact enquiries@northernlearningtrust.org.uk