English for Speakers of Other Languages

I am requesting this information for the Greater Lincolnshire area, but if it is held for only the area that Lincolnshire County Council holds it for, please provide it for that instead.



1: Please provide the total annual spend on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for each of the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25, and 2025-26 year-to-date if available.



2: Please provide the total number of ESOL learners for the same years.



3: Please provide, for each year, the number of ESOL learners on fully funded courses and the number on co-funded courses (and the criteria used to classify funded vs co-funded).



4: Please provide, for the most recent full year data is held for, the levels of ESOL delivered (e.g., Pre-Entry, Entry 1-3, Level 1, Level 2) and the number of learners and enrolments at each level.



5: Please provide, for the most recent full year data is held for, the age groups of ESOL learners, approximately if recorded (e.g., under 19; 19-24; 25-49; 50+), with learner counts per band.



6: If any of the above is not held by the Combined County Authority but by delivery partners or another body, please identify who holds it and, if possible, provide any summary data you do hold.



7: Please supply the data in CSV or Excel format, with clear field definitions.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. 

1. Data on learners is collected and reported by academic year rather than financial year and this is reflected in the data supplied in the attached document.  Please see table below.

2. LCC’s Adult Learning Service supports adults across Lincolnshire to access learning opportunities, of which ESOL is a small part. In the academic year 2024/25, we delivered learning to 6,236 individual learners of which learners on ESOL courses accounted for 6%. The figures per academic year are in the spreadsheet provided. Please see table below.

3. Full and co-funded courses relate specifically to qualification delivery and are reflected in the attached document. In the requested period, LCC have only supported 26 learners with ESOL qualifications, with the remainder attending non[1]qualification courses. Please see table below.

4. The level of qualification is based on the learning aim - learners may undertake multiple learning aims within the academic year. Non-qualification learning aims may not have a specific level. Please see table below.

5. A breakdown is provided on the below table.

6. Lincolnshire County Council does not hold information on behalf of the Combined County Authority and is one of a number of grant funded training providers delivering provision in the area.

7.   Please see table below.