The Bell Foundation is now extending its reach to adults learning English as a second language.
The Bell Foundation, a charity dedicated to overcoming exclusion through language education by collaborating on innovation, research, training, and practical interventions, is expanding its focus to include adult learners alongside its existing work with young people who don’t have English as their first language.
This significant development is driven by several factors, according to Radha Chakraborty, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
“Firstly, the increasing devolution across the UK is going to allow us to work directly with mayoral combined authorities. This could help unlock new skills pathways for adult learners,” she said.
“Secondly, we know from our research that adults, particularly those already in employment, face significant barriers to accessing education and training. They often struggle to find learning opportunities that fit around their lives. Our strategy will focus on making language education more accessible and more aligned to their real-world needs.”
How to fit language learning in
Addressing the challenges of time constraints for working adult learners, Diana Sutton, Director of The Bell Foundation, said: “We’re currently running some exciting pilot projects exploring how adults can learn while working full-time. We need to look at innovative ways to be able to learn English while you’re working, or while you’re looking after children or indeed just as part of your day-to-day life.”
Echoing Chakraborty’s point about the benefits of devolution, Sutton emphasized the opportunities for regions to tailor language provision to local needs, whether specific industries, employers, or underrepresented learner groups. Devolution also facilitates learning from successful and unsuccessful approaches in other regions, she said.
Credit: This expansion is detailed in a blog post on The Bell Foundation website, where Director Diana Sutton and Chair Radha Chakraborty discuss the Foundation’s work with schools, insights into its new 2025-2030 strategy, and the rationale behind scaling up its support for young people and adults with English as an additional language.
