As always, this year’s Conference has a packed agenda with a full schedule of workshops, two high profile keynote speakers, Teachmeet, our AGM and of course the legendary Ruth Hayman Trust quiz! 

We’re pleased to welcome Ascentis as this year’s Main Sponsor, with Supporting Sponsorship provided by City & Guilds, English Speaking Board, Gateway and NOCN Group. We’re also grateful to have such a range of exhibitors at this year’s Conference; we know they’ll provide plenty for you to explore and chat about during the breaks between sessions. 

We’re delighted to have Stephen Evans, CEO of the Learning and Work Institute, making the Opening Address. After more than a decade of devastating cuts to adult education funding in all parts of the UK, Stephen will ask if we can ‘dare to dream’ about a better future where ESOL is supported and able to flourish. We’re also thrilled that Richard Chinn accepted our invitation to deliver the Saturday morning keynote. Richard is a teacher-educator based at King’s College, London, and will be talking about reactive teaching and the importance of being able to respond to learners’ emergent language needs. 

We’ve a total of six workshop sessions over the two days, all designed to inspire, make you think and provide ideas. There’s everything from AI to curriculum reform ,and from employability to neurodiversity.

Teachmeet has been a regular fixture at Conference for more than a decade, and there’s always a lot to hear about during this quick succession of 3-minute presentations. And if you’ve something to share, please sign up!

NATECLA Conference is always a great place for networking, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Those informal chats in the Courtyard Restaurant or exhibition area are a great opportunity to find out more about other ESOL settings and differences between each of the nations and jurisdictions where NATECLA has members. Many of our national/regional branches also hold Conference meet-ups which you’re welcome to join.

If you’re on social media, there’ll be conversations throughout Conference weekend - use #NATECLA24. And if that’s not enough, look out for our regular calendar of webinars, forums and other events in the autumn.

We’re forever grateful to South and City College Birmingham for providing NATECLA with office space and a home for our National Centre. Their year-on-year support is invaluable.

We do hope that you have an inspiring weekend, learn more about NATECLA and take away new ideas and friendships.

Paul Sceeny and Naeema Hann

NATECLA Co-Chairs

At this year's conference, we invite you to join our sponsored workshops designed to provide valuable insights and practical knowledge. These sessions will focus on our new ESOL Immersive Learning resource and discussing Community Interpreting progression pathways. Please check the conference schedule for details on times and locations.

We are also excited to introduce our new ESOL Hub, an exclusive platform for Ascentis ESOL customers. The ESOL Hub offers a comprehensive suite of support tools, including teaching and learning resources, research studies, upcoming ESOL events and webinars, and access to our innovative Immersive Learning resource developed in collaboration with Metaverse Learning.

We look forward to discussing how our ESOL offer can benefit your learners. To learn more about Ascentis ESOL or any of our complementary qualification suites, please visit our stand and meet our dedicated, friendly team of professionals.

Thank you for being part of the NATECLA National Conference. We hope you have a productive and enjoyable experience.