A question of belonging? Engaging the most disadvantaged groups in learning

Please find below the presentations and papers from this event.

Speakers' Biographies

Plenary presentations and speeches

Workshop Sessions

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Speakers' Biographies

Maggie Semple OBE, FCGI
Chief Executive, The Experience Corps Ltd (TEC), Chair of NRDC Advisory Group and member of the Institute of Education Council

Maggie Semple is Chief Executive and Director of The Experience Corps Ltd (TEC) and Blue Ocean Solutions Ltd.

She was previously Director of the Learning Experience at the New Millennium Experience Company Ltd (1997-2001), Director of Education and Training at the Arts Council of England (1989-1997), a teacher, school inspector and a deputy head teacher (1979-1988).

Maggie serves on a range of Boards including McDonald's Restaurants, National Youth Music Theatre, De Montfort University, National Museums of Science & Industry (NMSI), The Brit School, Her Majesty's Court Service, The British Library, Sadlers Wells Theatre Trust and Arts Educational Schools Trust. Maggie is Chair of National Research and Development Centre at the Institute of Education.

Maggie was appointed a Civil Service Commissioner in 2001 and her term of office ended in May 2007. Maggie has served on a number of Government and EU task groups including DfEE National Curriculum (1989-1991), DfEE Widening Participation (1993-1995), DfEE Life-long Learning (1996-1998), DfES e-learning (1999-2000).

In 2001 Maggie was awarded an OBE for her services to education in the UK, an Honorary Doctorate from De Montfort University and in 2005 became a Fellow of the City and Guilds Institute and a member of its Council in 2006.

Sarah Ebanja, Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director, Strategy, Equalities and Performance, London Development Agency

Sarah joined the LDA in October 2006 following 5 years as Islington Council's lead chief officer for all matters relating to the multi-million pound mixed-use Arsenal Development scheme the centre-piece of which is the new Emirates Stadium and which also includes 3,000 new homes, 30,000+ sq metres of business space and a £70m Waste & Recycling facility.  

Altogether Sarah has over 20 years experience operating at senior levels in London's public sector.  Past positions include deputy Chief Executive of Islington Council (2001 to 2002); Director of Local Government and European Programmes at the Government Office for London (2000 to 2001); Deputy Chief Executive and interim Managing Director of Hackney Council (1996 to 2000): Assistant Director of Education at Lewisham Council (1992 to 1996). 

Sarah has a commercial accountancy qualification and her range of expertise covers physical, social and economic regeneration; organisation management, administration, development, training and advice; strategy formulation and project planning, coordination, implementation and evaluation; partnership working.  .

In addition to her work at the LDA, Sarah's time is taken up with her roles as: Chair of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust; a member of English Heritage's and CABE's Urban Advisory Panel; a Governor of Birkbeck College, University of London; an advisor to Common Purpose and to Chicks with Bricks; a non-executive director of Local Space housing association, Safer London and RIBA Trust.  Previously Sarah led the development of the Bernie Grant Arts Complex in north London.

John Bynner
Professor of Social Sciences in Education, Institute of Education, University of London

Until retirement through 2003/2004 he was Director of the Bedford Group for Life course and Statistical Studies, the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, with responsibility for the 1958 and 1970 birth cohort studies, and the Wider Benefits of Learning Research Centre, and was the first Director of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy & Numeracy. Dean of the School of Education in the Open University. Recent publications include the NRDC reports New Light on Literacy and Numeracy and Does Numeracy Matter More  

John Vorhaus
Associate Director for Research, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy

John is responsible for managing and delivering all NRDC research projects and activities as well as coordinating a team of researchers from a wide range of disciplines. John was previously a member of the research directorate at the Learning and Skills Development Agency where he was also the Research Centre Manager. Before that, he was Head of Humanities at an adult education institution in central London.

John has experience of teaching in various different settings and sectors. He taught philosophy at the Universities of Bristol and London, and has also tutored in the prison service and in adult and further education organisations. On-going research is taken up with persons with profound and multiple learning difficulties and disabilities; their political status, the question of whether and how they are shown respect, and an examination of the teaching and learning practices best fitted to their needs and abilities.

David Lammy MP
Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Skills, DIUS

David Lammy is currently the Minister for Skills at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills with responsibility for the Commission for Employment and Skills, Leitch implementation, Train to Gain, Skills academies, Skills for Life and apprenticeships.

David Lammy was appointed as Minister for Culture at The Department of Culture Media and Sport in May 2005 with responsibility for arts, galleries, museums, libraries, heritage and cultural proprieties. He was previously appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 13 June 2003.
He was elected Member of Parliament for Tottenham in June 2000 following the death of Bernie Grant.

Before being appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, David Lammy was Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health, appointed on 29 May 2002. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary for Rt Hon Estelle Morris at the Department of Education and a member of the Greater London Authority with a portfolio for Culture and Arts.

David Lammy studied Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1995. He achieved a Masters degree in Law at the Harvard Law School in 1997. He has practised in both England and the USA.

Ursula Howard
Director, NRDC

Ursula is Director of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy at the Institute of Education, University of London.

From 1995 to January 2003 Ursula was Director of Research at the Learning and Skills Development Agency (formerly FEDA). During this time she led the Agency's research strategy and programmes. In 2001 she was instrumental in establishing the Learning and Skills Research Centre, a specialist strategic research centre focusing on long-term policy development and improving practice across the field of post 16 education and training. At LSDA she also directed a number of national development programmes which supported the implementation of new policy, and led a range of national evaluation and impact studies.

Ursula started working in adult literacy in 1974 in a voluntary adult education centre in South London. She continued teaching and organising in literacy, numeracy and language for many years in London and Brighton. In the late 1980s, she became a manager in further, adult and community education but has always worked on the principle that literacy, numeracy and ESOL are the heart of post-16 learning. She was Vice-Principal at Kensington and Chelsea FE College before joining LSDA in 1995. Her own research focuses on the development and use of writing as skill and means of expression. Her PhD was about the acquisition and meaning of learning to write in 19th Century England, comparing meaning and experience across time with the late 20th Century context.  She is currently finalising a book on the history of learning and using writing skills, comparing learning opportunities and motivational factors with present-day conditions.

Plenary presentations and speeches

Welcome and introduction
Maggie Semple, Chief Executive, The Experience Corps, Chair of NRDC Advisory group and member of IoE Council

Keynote speech on London's Skills Strategy for inclusion and employability
Sarah Ebanja, Deputy Chief Executive and Group Director for Strategy, Equalities and Performance, London Development Agency
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Trajectories of disadvantage - improving life chances
John Bynner, Professor of Social Sciences in Education, Institute of Education, University of London
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Supporting success for minority ethnic groups
John Vorhaus, Associate Director of Research, NRDC
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Workshop Sessions

A. Supporting disadvantaged learners to persist, progress and achieve 
Desiree Lopez, NRDC
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B. A sense of belonging? asylum seekers and refugees in Skills for Life 
Melanie Cooke, King's College London and James Simpson, University of Leeds
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C. Creating effective learning environments with people who are homeless
David Barton, Lancaster University and Candice Satchwell, Lancaster University
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D. Developing Inclusive Learning for Young People learning in Custody
Dr Jane Hurry, Institute of Education and Laura Brazier, NRDC
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E. Engaging learners from black and minority ethnic communities 
Chris Taylor, Kath Dodd, Caroline Law and Mavis Zutshi (NIACE)
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F (AM session). Engaging disadvantaged groups in the workplace: the impact of Skills for Life courses
Dr Edmund Waite, NRDC
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F (PM session). Progression: a policy update
Liz Lawson, DIUS
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