The Bell Foundation sets out its stall for the ESOL review: nine calls for change

The nine recommendations are: 

1. Define core principles and accountability for devolved ESOL funding — a national framework of guiding principles and reporting requirements sitting alongside the devolved Adult Skills Fund (ASF), so regions retain flexibility while an entitlement to ESOL is protected. 
2. Align new ESOL standards to the CEFR — adopting the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, used globally, to give providers a shared, consistent reference point for course design and assessment. 
3. Create a “What Works” mechanism for ESOL — addressing the fact that, unlike other parts of the education system, ESOL currently has no dedicated body evaluating and disseminating effective practice, leaving devolved authorities to duplicate effort. 
4. Embed ESOL into vocational training — funding models that stop FE colleges being disincentivised from offering ESOL, plus employer-based provision, so learners with existing professional expertise aren’t stuck in lower-skilled work for want of technical or work-ready English. 
5. Recognise the return on investment — over one in fifty working-age people in England could benefit from developing their English proficiency, and nearly half of that group are British citizens or long-term residents, while the Adult Skills Fund has halved in real terms since 2009 – an underinvestment that needs addressing. 
6. Resource ESOL as a driver of community cohesion, including looking at how other countries entitle new arrivals to a guaranteed number of free or subsidised lessons. 
7. Improve national and regional data collection — chiefly by adding a field marker to the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) so learners with other language backgrounds can be identified and tracked both nationally and regionally, enabling more targeted ESOL provision to be developed.  
8. Resist one-size-fits-all digital provision — treating online and hybrid delivery as a supplement for learners who need it (rural areas, limited childcare), not a substitute for teacher-mediated, in-person learning, which the evidence continues to favour for social integration outcomes. 
9. Invest in workforce development, including subject-specific CPD and training in trauma-informed practice for tutors working with refugee populations. 

The full nine-point summary is available as a downloadable PDF from the Bell Foundation, alongside supporting research on devolved ESOL funding, the economic case for ESOL investment, and digital learning technologies for ESOL learners.