Back after dark
When we brought evening classes back to three of our centres in September, every place filled within a fortnight. Most of the people who came had left school with few or no qualifications. Many were working shifts, caring for someone, or both.
Classes are small, rarely more than ten, and tutors start from what each learner already knows. Someone who can read a payslip but struggles with a form starts there. Someone who wants to help a child with homework starts with that.
Counting what finished
We count a completion only when a learner finishes every session of a course. In 2024-25, 840 adults did, up from 700 the year before. We had planned for 1,000, but the Riverside centre opened four months late after building work overran. Its first group of learners finished in March.
What changed
At the end of each course we ask learners what is different. The answers are rarely about grades. They talk about filling in forms without help, reading to their children, or applying for a job they would not have tried for a year ago.
Next year
Riverside is now full, and a waiting list at Northgate means we are adding a Saturday class. The target for 2025-26 stays at 1,000, and this time we expect all four centres to be open from the first week.
