Our Values

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning Service (SAFL) is committed to providing the best possible opportunities for all learners. We want everyone to achieve his or her full potential and to enjoy what the service has to offer.

The Curriculum Quality strategy is based on moving the whole service forward in this commitment. Our shared values being to:

• Challenge - yourself to achieve your potential
• Champion - your dreams and aspirations
• Celebrate - your achievements
• Create Community Spirit - a sense of belonging and working together

Equality and Diversity

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning Service is committed to promoting equality and celebrating diversity. We want every person to do well and enjoy their class. We will:

• Treat you with respect.
• Support you with your work in a safe place.
• Celebrate your efforts and successes and help you if things don’t go well.
• Make sure that all facilities are as accessible as possible.
• Make sure that our enrolment and assessment procedures are fair and that any barriers faced by learners are dealt with.
• Make sure that harassment and discrimination are not tolerated.
• Make sure that our staff are trained in disability awareness.
• Create courses that reflect the needs of our diverse community.

To view our Equality Policy:  Download

Safeguarding

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning knows that it is important to keep the children, young people and vulnerable adults who come to our courses safe. SAFL has a legal and moral duty to support people who come to our courses and to support people where there may be risk. Safeguarding aims to keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm and to prevent harm.

To view our Safeguarding Policy: Download

Prevent Strategy

Prevent is the safeguarding part of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy and aims to stop people being drawn into or supporting terrorism. 

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced a new definition of extremism and engagement principles for Government departments in England, together with accompanying guidance.

The new the definition of extremism is set out as below:

• Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:
  1. Negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or,
  2. undermine, overturn, or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
  3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).

The definition also sets out the types of behaviour that are indicative of the kind of promotion or advancement which may be relevant to the definition.

New definition of extremism (2024) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

By providing a safe environment we will support young people to express their views but also appreciate the impact their views can have on others. We will encourage learners to take responsibility for their actions and to understand that the use of violence to further any cause is intolerable. Staff will be briefed on the indicators of possible extremism and radicalisation and will refer any concerns to the Safeguarding Team immediately.

Read more about the Prevent Strategy

Download our booklet - An Introduction: Prevent & Channel - this has information about safeguarding people from radicalisation, extremism and terrorism

Download the Child Online Safety (Extremism Awareness) Guidance Booklet

Referrals for over 18: [email protected]

Referrals for under 18: [email protected]

Quality Awards

 

Ofsted inspected Sandwell Adult and Family Learning Service in March  2023 and were rated as a Good Provider

The Ofsted report listed the following strengths:

• Leaders and governors promote well the service’s clear vision and mission. SAFL priorities are at the heart of many of the council’s plans to tackle local learning and to rectify skills inequalities. Managers use local socio-economic and market intelligence to good effect in planning the service’s curriculum. For example, increasing the employability skills of local residents through a focus on literacy, numeracy and basic ICT skills needs. In addition, leaders have adapted the community learning offer to focus on the health and well-being of the most disadvantaged residents across the borough.

• Tutors are well organised and plan very effectively to engage learners in a good range of practical and interesting activities that encourage group and individual working, promote good progress and contribute to a good pace of learning. They use questioning well to stimulate lively discussions and to help monitor learning. As a result, learners feel confident to push themselves beyond their comfort zone and extend their learning.

• The standard of learners’ work is good across the provision. In painting and drawing, tutors place a strong emphasis on learners’ understanding of sound design principles of shape, form and perspective using sketchbooks. In entry mathematics lessons, tutors carefully build on and reinforce mathematical concepts using everyday examples to which learners can easily relate too. In step-up English classes and lessons on British culture, tutors plan carefully crafted activities for learners that weaves literacy and language together creatively. As a result, learners use the new skills they have learned to increase their confidence and improve their everyday lives.

• Tutors in mathematics at levels 1 and 2 do not consistently review and amend learners’ targets to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable or provide incisive and detailed developmental feedback to help them extend their fluency in numeracy skills. In addition, a few tutors do not always use the results from initial assessments to identify the underlying support needs of learners or identify those aspects that have a measurable impact on learners’ learning experiences.

• Learners appreciate the clear guidance and information which give them confidence that they are on appropriate courses. Information, advice and guidance before, and at the start of courses are good and result in most learners remaining on the course; successfully extending their learning and where appropriate gaining their qualifications.

• Tutors are very sensitive to the needs of the culturally and ethnically diverse learners and introduce relevant topics on equality and diversity well in most learning sessions. They create a productive and harmonious learning environment in which learners learn well together. Learners trust their tutors and will seek their help with a wide range of personal, emotional, welfare and safeguarding related concerns. Leaders responded well to the recommendations from the previous inspection. Arrangements for the management of subcontractors are effective. Leaders agree and set appropriate quality monitoring targets with the subcontractors and regularly evaluate the quality of education they provide

• Governors provide good scrutiny and challenge to leaders. They have a good understanding of the current challenges faced by the service and ensure that adult and community learning courses meet the changing needs of learners and their communities. However, governors do not receive sufficient timely information about the in-year progress of current learners.

 

A matrix assessment was conducted in July 2023 with the service being awarded the Matrix standard for provision of Information, Advice and Guidance.​

Other Awards

Create, Learn, Inspire Learner Awards 2024

Each year SAFL hold their learner awards which celebrate the achievements of learners for that year across 9 categories with an overall learner of the year.  2024's celebrations were held on the 22nd November at Wednesbury Town Hall and the winners were:

Category	Winner
Vocational/Employability Award	Sabia Parveen
Return to Learning	Emma Garrehy
Learning for Work	Rosa Tulley
Learning Professional	Sheryl Blake
English Language	Michelle Firkin
Mathematics	Tamara Bradnick
Digital Skills	Jasbir Bagha
Peer Support	Farzana Siddiq
Group Award	Level 2 Digital and ICT Skills Group

 Learner of the Year 2024 - Rosa Tulley 

    

Rosa was nominated for her unwavering resilience, determination, and commitment, not only to her own learning but also to the support and care she had shown for her fellow learners and staff. Returning to adult education with a clear goal to acquire the skills, qualifications, and experience needed to re-enter the workforce, Rosa's journey is one of perseverance and inspiration.

From the beginning, Rosa has been a testament to overcoming personal challenges, particularly in navigating the complexities of being neurodivergent. She bravely shared her experiences, breaking down barriers for others in similar situations. She accepted every available form of support, attended additional sessions, and demonstrated remarkable dedication. Despite moments of self-doubt, Rosa completed her final assessment—and passed.

Rosa exemplifies what it means to be a dedicated learner. She consistently completed homework, took full advantage of the Learner Zone resources, and encouraged others to do the same. Her willingness to offer feedback and participate in promotional materials for our service speaks to her genuine commitment to helping others benefit from adult learning opportunities.

 

West Midlands Combined Authority - Adult Learning Awards Winner - Digital Inclusion 2024

 

The project involved the delivery of around 1200 Chromebooks and 400 laptops to the residents of Sandwell by the Digita Inclusion Coordinator for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. 

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning (SAFL),  delivered courses in our three main centres as well as through outreach throughout Sandwell.

The Digital Inclusion Coordinator teamed up with SAFL to not only deliver the equipment, but to ensure that learners had the best chance to use it in a safe way.

Through this partnership, we were able to deliver multiple courses at Jubilee Park Community Centre, Tipton, this included an employability course, digital basics courses and a Get Online workshop. We have engaged with 20 learners with these learners having committed to furthering their knowledge with  more classes in the future. This has now become a rolling programme with the end goal being a qualification course run at the centre.

At Black Country Women's Aid, we delivered 6 digital workshops engaging 8 women. These were on topics such as Internet Safety, Applying for Jobs, Sending Emails with Attachments and Transacting Online. Many of the learners wanted to improve their English skills and this class along side an ESOL course has helped the learners with the terminology needed to navigate the digital world.  

There was a massive impact at SAFS centre in Smethwick, where 12 learners, both carers and service users engaged in a number of workshops, again including internet safety and engaging learners who would otherwise miss out on this opportunity.

This is a snapshot of the impact that has been made by this project and this collaboration of two departments teaming up and working together. It is fair to say that there has been a massive impact to the residents of Sandwell.