ESOL for Pregnancy and ESOL with Infants
November 2016 to June 2024
ESOL for Pregnancy was an embedded English course helping women develop their language skills and improve their confidence in communicating with midwives, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
It helped them prepare for the birth of their baby and make decisions about their birth plan. It was a targeted intervention for women who would usually require interpreter support when engaging with services.
ESOL with Infants was a follow-on project which helped parents and carers develop their language skills through sharing books, encouraging them to interact with their child.
The project also raised awareness of progression routes for ESOL provision. It was aimed at parents/carers of children under 2 who would usually require interpreter support when engaging with services.
It was delivered as part of the Better Start Bradford programme from 2016 to 2024 by Shipley College.
How it was delivered
ESOL for Pregnancy ran over 5-7 weeks, 2 hours per week, with a maximum of 8 learners. The course was tailored for each learner’s ability, level of English and stage of pregnancy. Initially delivered face-to-face, the course swapped to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment and retention increased for the online offer, and this was retained as the delivery model post-COVID.
ESOL with Infants consisted of 6 x 2 hour-long sessions run on a weekly basis in a play-based setting. Books were gifted to attendees so that they could continue to use them at home.
Background, impact and findings
Further reading
ESOL for Pregnancy was an embedded English course helping women develop their language skills, and ESOL with Infants a follow-on project which helped parents and carers develop their language skills through sharing books
Download this snapshot of ESOL for Pregnancy and ESOL with Infants, with headline stats, background, impact and learning (PDF).
We had a chat with Emma Rose, who delivers the ESOL for Pregnancy and ESOL with Infants courses in the Better Start Bradford area. We also chatted to two mums about the impact that Emma and ESOL has had on their lives.
Our ESOL for Pregnancy project, delivered by Shipley College, thrived as an online course during the pandemic, with students feeling more able to attend sessions from their homes.
A project to help pregnant women develop their English language skills is being launched in the Better Start Bradford area.