What We Are
Leicester Adult Education Service works to improve the lives of residents by working with partners to raise aspirations, build achievement and protect the most vulnerable.
We are Leicester City Council’s Adult Education Service
We are an Adult and Community Learning provider and operate a wide range of flexible, part time classes through a range of community venues and schools as well as our own venues: Leicester Adult Education College in the city centre and Bishopdale Adult Learning Hub in Beaumont Leys.
We have a clear mission to deliver an outstanding learning experience:
- Leicester Adult Education Service works to improve the lives of residents by working with partners to raise aspirations, build achievement and protect the most vulnerable.
- As a local authority provider we engage and support the most disadvantaged while remaining open to all, and provide learning opportunities enable adults to develop skills and improve wellbeing for themselves, their families and communities.
- We work with employers, our public and voluntary sector partners and other education institutions to provide a well-planned and co-ordinated curriculum to meet the changing needs of individuals and the local economy.
Most of our courses are subsidised by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and therefore we are held accountable for the quality of education we provide by Ofsted and for the quality of the Information, Advice and Guidance we provide by MATRIX.
In 2024 Ofsted graded the service Good and noted:
‘Tutors are highly supportive and nurture their learners. Learners rightly appreciate this and feel included and safe in their learning environments . Learners enjoy their courses.'
'Tutors use effective strategies to help learners gain skills that enable them to grow in confidence . ESOL learners are now able to communicate housing issues to landlords English learners develop their understanding of everyday concepts . They
can read for pleasure and are better equipped to support their children s education.'
'Leaders have a strong focus on developing learners sense of citizenship. Learners take part in a range of useful volunteering opportunities that help to integrate them into the community.'
The service successfully retained the MATRIX standard for information advice and guidance in 2021 and the assessors commented:
‘The organisation has a strong ethos in their approach that is focused on equity and a sense of well-being for learners and staff underpinned by professional practice standards and a trust across the team. Many examples were provided of staff being supported as well as having access to a range of other wellbeing services. They have developed their reach and service access and are now working closely across the various council departments; the range of staff are reflective of the ethnicity of the people in Leicester and are able to support a range of different languages'