ESOL
– Development Fund 2010/11
Project report
Lead Applicant
City of Glasgow College. Riverside Campus
(previously Glasgow College of Nautical Studies)
Project Title
First Steps to Citizenship
Partners
St Mungo’s Museum Of Religious Life and Art
Project details and aim
The First Steps to Citizenship course was designed to prepare learners for the Life in the UK Test and develop their citizenship and ESOL skills, helping them ultimately progress to UK citizenship.
The aims of the course were:

To help learners gain the skills and understanding required for the Life in the
UK Test.
 To develop learners’ citizenship skills and knowledge of UK and Scottish culture and society.
 To build on learners’ ESOL, IT and literacy skills, improving their employability.

To forge friendships and further community partnerships, cutting across cultural divides and strengthening social inclusion .

To accompany the learners on a visit to the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh.


Learners to be given a copy of the official UKBA approved text book for citizenship test to keep for their own use.
Project Outcomes, including number of learners, their learning outcomes and any other impacts on the learners, their families and the organisation.
10 learners from Europe, Asia and the Middle East took part in the course over 12 sessions from November to February 2011. Lessons were designed on the requirements of the Life in the UK Test and included citizenship and core ESOL skills.
All learners were given a copy of the book “Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to
Citizenship”. Lessons were based on this book, along with broader materials relating to UK history, society, culture and citizenship. There was also an Information
Technology element to the course, focusing on the test as well as more general IT skills. All learners were also given one-to-one guidance every week.
In addition to classroom-based activities, learners participated in excursions and in a citizenship project run by Glasgow Museums. Visits to the Scottish Parliament,
National Museum of Scotland and Glasgow City Chambers were arranged. These gave the learners a direct insight into UK democracy at work and a more vivid understanding of the politics and history of Scotland. Learners also took part in three halfday workshops at St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art. These sessions encouraged learners to explore concepts of citizenship in relation to different beliefs and cultures in the UK and worldwide.
The course also included an opportunity to take the Life in the UK Test , with the college baring the cost for each learner, with varying success. The experience gained on sitting the test will prove invaluable to those learners who were not successful on their first attempt. On completing the course, learners have gained a range of valuable transferable skills, along with an improved understanding of life in the UK and the concept of citizenship. The collective experience of studying citizenship has engendered a stronger sense of being part of the community and

understanding the UK as a diverse society. Learners have increased their feeling of belonging in the UK, enhanced their future working prospects, and can now participate more fully in Scottish life and progress to UK citizenship.
The organisation has benefitted from the partnership and close working relationship developed with the staff at St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art. This newly formed relationship will hopefully develop more fully and prove fruitful to both organisations.
We believe that the learners have gained many transferable skills which will be passed on to their families, friends and local communities.
Contact details
Barbara McTavish
Barbara.Mctavish@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk