I have been asked by constituents whether the much-loved Bishops Hill Adult Education College has closed. Having made enquiries with Essex County Council, I can report that unfortunately this is the case though I have been told that local adult learning is continuing in a different form.
I know how helpful Bishops Hill has been to many people over the years, offering courses to local people in anything from the skills needed find work, to French and German speaking classes for holiday preparation, to art, technology and needlework.
However, following changes to policy and funding from the Department for Education, Essex County Council has had to make some changes.
The Council has told me it is looking to create a more digital community ACL service ‘without walls’ in Essex and has said: “This will involve moving away from a traditional model of on-site, classroom learning where appropriate and delivering opportunities out in communities, closer to the people who will benefit from them.”
This means in Brentwood, the delivery of ACL in Brentwood will therefore move away from the current Bishops Hill site to a network of community-based venues.
Sadly, it seems numbers using Bishops Hill for community learning have dropped over the last couple of years. Essex County Cllr Tony Ball has said:
“ACL Essex are focused on providing the right offer to the right people in the right place. I want to reassure you that Adult Learning is not disappearing from Brentwood, rather we are putting in a new offer in new places in the community which aligns with our broader transformation journey to reduce costs and improve service delivery for residents. Indeed, our ability to reach learners is higher via community outreach locations than in the current centre and will be targeted where adult learning is needed most.”
If you have any concerns about the changes, which will take place in September, please do get in touch with me.
