Impact case study database

Chick’s research has significantly impacted on the provision of English language education for forced migrants within Wales in the period 2014-20 as follows:

1. Increased capacity for ESOL classes for forced migrants in Wales

Chick’s research has led to improved access to, and quality of, ESOL classes in Wales, through collaborations with the Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) and Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT) Borough Council. With thirty years’ experience and over 20 full- and part-time staff, the WRC is the largest charity in Wales that advocates for asylum seekers and refugees. Since 2015, RCT Borough Council has resettled over fifty people across its area with more families planned to arrive. In 2014, Chick began advising on the design and implementation of the ESOL provision delivered at the WRC’s offices in Cardiff (S.3). Since 2015, trainee language teachers from USW have provided learner-centred ESOL classes, based on the real-life needs of the students. Without these classes, newly arrived migrants often faced up to 12 months wait before being able to access formal ESOL provision. Classes at the WRC attracted approximately the following numbers of students each week: 2015 – 90; 2016 - 90; 2017 – 80; 2018 – 50; 2019 – 70. In 2020, the provision was transferred online with a vibrant WhatsApp group consisting of nearly 70 ESOL learners and eight Zoom classes taking place each week (S.9).

The partnership approach to tackling the ESOL waiting list problem has been very successful. It led to funding from the Welsh based anti-poverty charity, the Waterloo Foundation, which qualified WRC to employ a full-time ESOL/Education officer (2015-17) (S.3). The USW/WRC partnership also enabled the WRC to deliver six hours each week of Welsh Government-funded ESOL classes during 2017 and 2018 (S.3). The collaboration won the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) national award for community cohesion in 2016 (S.8) and, in 2017, was detailed as a case study in a British Academy report on integration (R.2).

Much data from learners has evidenced the advantages of accessing participatory ESOL provision through this collaboration as the following exemplifies:

‘The English classes are very important for us. Now, going to the doctor, going shopping, going out… is easy for us. Two months ago we had zero English, now OK. Without the classes we (would) have big problems.’ Asylum Seeker, Syria (R.2, p.35)

WRC evidence shows that the classes provide ‘not just a linguistic but a social lifeline’ (S.4 p.11). The CEO of WRC testifies that ‘ hundreds and hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees have benefitted from the social, psychological and linguistic support that the classes provide’ (S.3).

Furthermore, since 2016, Chick has been working closely with officials from Rhondda Cynon Taff on ESOL provision for the resettled families (R.3). Classes at USW were attended by 10 ESOL students in 2018 and 25 ESOL students in 2019. The Head of Migrant Resettlement for RCT testifies to the impact of this approach in the region:

‘ The support of the USW TESOL department has been priceless over this time enabling the refugee families to access English classes, meet local people and speed up their integration in the community. The classes have been extremely popular and have provided a real lifeline to the families who have made RCT their home. [This] work has been a central factor in the refugees’ integration in our area.’ (S.5)

1. Influence on policy around ESOL provision in Wales

Policy makers have drawn on Chick’s expert evidence in formulating the strategy around ESOL provision and integration of forced migrants in Wales (R.2, S.1, S.4). The Welsh Government ESOL Policy 2018 (S.4, p.11) drew attention to his work as an ‘innovative’ solution to the problem of a shortage of ESOL classes and noted the ‘terrific opportunities’ that emerge when universities work with charitable organisations. In December 2018, interim research findings from Chick’s SVPRS study (R.5) were presented to the Welsh Government lead on Refugees and Asylum Seekers and highlighted the need for specialist employment and education advisors. In April 2019, the Welsh Government appointed three specialist employment / education advisors for forced migrants. The influence of Chick’s research on this decision is evidenced by Welsh Refugee Coalition meeting minutes which note that ‘ specific meetings with […] USW had been held to ensure that their research findings informed the scope of the Restart project – for example around ESOL provision and the need for specialist employment advisors for refugees’ (S.6). As a further outcome, WRC also appointed an Employment and Education Officer in autumn 2020 (S.3).

1. Enhanced awareness and changed attitudes towards forced migrants and ESOL in Wales

Nearly 50 trainee ESOL teachers have now undertaken their teaching practicum at the WRC since 2015. The trainees involved have found the experience had a deep impact on their wider understanding of concepts such as equality, language policy and social inclusion. This is exemplified by the following comments from Learner teachers:

‘When I first began at the WRC, I recall how I used to often be surprised at the academic or professional achievements of the students. I am now ashamed at my previous surprise reactions. Why shouldn’t people from other countries be just as educated as people from my country?’ (R.2, p.35).

‘I realised that the media’s portrayal of refugees only offers an image of a minute proportion – the people I worked with are some of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met.’ (R.2, p.36)

‘Interacting with [the refugees] made the situations they dealt with [in] their home country a lot more real for me and have made a positive impact in my life.’ (R.2, p.36)

‘I hope that my learners have taken as much as I have from the lessons. I also hope that they can thrive in our community.’ (R.2, p.36)

As a direct result of Chick’s leadership, USW’s Refugee and Asylum Seeker Scholarship Scheme was launched in 2017 (S.7). This scheme provides free English language tuition for eligible students prior to starting an undergraduate degree at the university, as well as covering the cost of an English Language assessment test. So far, 16 people seeking refuge in Wales have benefitted from the scheme. In June 2019 Chick was appointed Refugee Champion for the University, a role which enables him to introduce further initiatives. His work won the USW 2019 award for Best Societal Impact sponsored by Chwarae Teg, the Wales- based charity working for gender equality. In March 2020, USW became only the second HE institution in Wales to be awarded University of Sanctuary status conferred by the City of Sanctuary Charity (S.7).

The BBC has drawn on Chick’s expertise to inform their reporting on the experiences and needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Wales (S.2). In 2020, the Learned Society of Wales’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ series showcased a video filmed at their request by Chick which highlighted USW/WRC’s online Refugee Week events (15-19 June 2020) and featured the launch of USW graduate Hamed Amiri’s A Boy with Two Hearts (simultaneously featured on Radio 4’s ‘Book of the Week’) (S.10).

Above all, the beneficiaries of this research have been the forced migrants who have gained opportunities to develop skills, obtain qualifications and meet others. A Syrian refugee who arrived in Wales in 2016 without English, entered the WRC English classes, progressed to FE college and onto the USW Refugee Sanctuary Scheme, winning in 2019 a national award from the Learning and Work Institute (S.11). His journey exemplifies the structures now in place to enable such a pathway for other refugees wishing to enter HE.