WEA courses

This day school focuses on three short stories from the American literary tradition by Alice Walker, Ernest Hemingway, and Edith Wharton. The session includes tutor presentations and group discussions about each story. Resources will be available before the session for pre- and post-session reflection. During the day, we will analyse specific excerpts and broader cultural contexts, exploring how fiction connects to the real world. Join us for an engaging exploration of these iconic American authors and their contributions to literature.

Indulge your creativity while nurturing your wellbeing by joining us on this Arts and Crafts course designed to provide relaxation, self-expression, and practical skills, whilst exploring your artistic style. Through a series of hands-on sessions, you will explore the therapeutic benefits of crafting while learning to create beautiful pieces from fabric, glass jars, and natural materials. From crafting beads to dabbling with macramé techniques, embellishing vases to repurposing old fabrics into new decorations, this course offers a holistic approach to artistic expression and self-care, as well as helping to foster an interest in crafty recycling and how we can use found, natural materials to create unique artwork.

This course is designed for you to develop your creative side and use your previous clay hand-building techniques to progress to an intermediate level, plus a chance explore the different decorative styles working with Clay. By the end of the course you should have lots of different pottery pieces and different pottery skills. You will be in a group with others and led by a talented Arts and Crafts tutor. Your work will be taken away and fired in a kiln by the tutor and it will be yours to keep!

This 5 week course delves into the works of 5 street artists, including Banksy, Blek Le Rat, JR, Blu and Os Gemeos. Each week explores key art concepts including colour and composition through samples of their work. You will engage in group discussions, take notes and recall information. By the end of the course, you will be able to name significant street artists, describe their artistic methods, spot similarities and differences among their work desconstruct essential components of artworks and select a preferred piece based on personal opinion.

Come write that story that you’ve been meaning to write! We get inspired into our own story by reading short extracts of published memoir and essays. The tutor teaches an element of craft each week to try out in our writing. We will have writing exercises in class which we can share to receive gentle feedback from peers and the tutor. You will leave feeling satisfied you put pen to paper. And made friends too!

Would you like to feel more confident in conversations, meetings, or speaking in public? If you struggle to find your voice or get your point across, this communication skills course can help you feel more comfortable in conversation. Improving your communication skills can go a long way towards boosting your confidence in these situations. Learn effective tools and techniques to improve your communication skills. Whether you want to feel more comfortable meeting new people, holding union meetings or participating in community discussions, these confidence-building exercises can help you.

This introductory course is for anyone who wants to develop a basic knowledge of working with children up to the age of 5 in early years’ settings such as nurseries or pre-schools. You will understand the importance of communication and will gain confidence in applying skills and techniques that will engage children in their personal development. You will study activities that can stimulate children's growth and learning development in their early years. You will increase your confidence in caring for children in early years’ settings. To progress on to an accredited Early Years’ Course at the WEA, or other courses.

The role of the community interpreter is an integral part of our changing communities and increasingly important. The interpreter acts as a bridge between communities and enables people to access the services they need and approach situations which otherwise would not be possible. The Level 2 Certificate in Preparing for the Community Interpreting Role enables learners who are speakers of other languages to develop the language and skills necessary to go on and train as Community Interpreters at Level 3 and Level 4. This is the ideal qualification for anyone who wants to enter the interpreting profession and become a paid interpreter or volunteer in the UK.

Develop foundational reading skills with this entry 1 English course for beginners. This English course is for speakers of other languages. It will help you learn basic English to study, work, and live in the UK. This ESOL reading course helps people who are just starting to learn English. It will help you gain confidence reading short texts and common words in English. There are also writing and speaking & listening courses at this level. If you’re helping others access ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place. What we’ll cover: - Learn to identify common English words in everyday situations. - Understand signs, symbols and texts you will come across. - Read information about timetables, prices, and schedules. - Understand the purpose of different texts, including adverts, posters, and news articles. - Understand how punctuation is used to help you read more easily.

Learn basic communication skills with this ESOL speaking and listening course. This English course is for speakers of other languages. It will help you learn essential speaking and listening skills to be able to communicate in English. Entry 1 ESOL courses help people who are just starting to learn English. This course will help you gain confidence to speak about basic topics and understand core words. There are also reading and writing courses at this level. If you’re helping others access ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.