Title: English Language for Widening Participation at the University of Edinburgh

Author: Amelia Harker

Theme: Innovation & Creativity in Teaching

UoE is a leader in terms of excellence and accessibility, where the two are not mutually exclusive but intrinsically linked due to the valuable contributions that a diverse staff and student body offers. The WP strategy aims to engage and support students from a range of backgrounds, ensuring that the campus is a place of belonging and community. As such a new development area of English Language for Widening Participation (EL4WP) was created out of an awareness that English Language underpins many of the strategic elements of WP and can connect these to tangible outcomes. In light of this, English Language Education has created numerous social justice initiatives, with stands of activity both within the University and in the local community.
Internally, from 2023 we will offer Refugees and Asylum Seekers (RAS) pre-sessional and year round scholarships. We also work closely with the Council for At Risk Academics (CARA) and the Humanitarian Development Programme supporting the linguacultural transitions of people seeking sanctuary in Edinburgh. Embedding Academic Language and Literacies is now a key EL4WP objective.

Externally, we have made connections with the local community. In summer 2022 we created Sanctuary English language classes to displaced people in the local community. This outreach activity was aligned to strategy, approved, and staffed by UoE Teaching Fellows trained in Trauma Informed Pedagogy (TIP). The summer classes were followed by free term time Sanctuary short courses. Moreover, we work closely with the Third Sector to inform our offers and provide TIP training to those working with the RAS community. Out of this collaboration we utilised the Access to Rooms policy whereby third sector organisations can use UoE campus space to teach.

In sum, through an EL4WP agenda English Language can be a powerhouse for social justice.