Learning in later life

Representatives from the Eastbourne Seniors Forum recently attended an “Older Peoples Engagement Day”. This was arranged by the East Sussex County Council to gain input for the “Time of Our Lives Strategy” - a policy aimed at improving communication between older people in East Sussex and the statutory authorities that serve us.

One of the subjects debated was “Lifelong Learning”. The following points came out of that discussion:

there are known positive effects on the health and well-being of older people through participating in lifelong learning
there are growing numbers of older people in East Sussex who wish to carry on learning
restrictions on Government funding for adult recreational courses, increased funding on adult education to equip people for employment and the age limits for educational grants and student loans have put formal learning out of the reach of many people on low and fixed income

Members of the “Time of Our Lives Panel” were asked to address these points with a view to providing funding for learning in later life in the light of current separate and reducing funding streams.

At Eastbourne Seniors Forum, we would know what you think about this. What would you like to learn? How would you like to have learning opportunities provided for you – formally or informally? Do you have difficulty in getting to opportunities currently available? Would you like to provide learning opportunities? Please contact us to let us know your news and views, ideas and suggestions, problems and success stories on learning@esf-online.org.

There are already opportunities for learning in Eastbourne – links to many of these will be added to this page once the forum gets properly under way and will then be regularly updated.

As we discovered during the recent ‘Older Peoples’ Engagement Day’ restrictions on Government funding for adult recreational courses, increased funding on adult education to equip people for employment and the age limits for educational grants and student loans have put formal learning out of the reach of many over 50s on low and fixed incomes.

The determination of this section of society, however, to keep on learning remains undimmed and for some time now over 50s have started been getting together to make opportunities for themselves.

The University of the Third Age (U3A) is one of the biggest organisers of all kinds of learning opportunities for the over 50s. There are three groups operating in this area, covering a wide variety of topics and interests. There is a link to U3A on the first ‘learning’ page on this website.

Eastbourne Seniors Club (not to be confused with ESF!) also offers a variety of activities ranging from arts and crafts to line dancing. For more information. Visit the website

If you are ‘artfully’ inclined, Creative Co-op has a list of local art classes on the web site, and Plan Ahead at Unit 6, Commercial Mews South, Commercial Road has a notice board with details of art classes and events in the local area.

There are several WI branches operating in the Eastbourne area, providing a wide range of activities for members. For details of your local branch.

You’re Never Too Old To Learn

Brian May, guitarist with the rock group Queen, has been awarded an honorary fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University in recognition for his contribution to astronomy and services to the understanding of science.

May began his studies in Astrophysics at Imperial College London in his twenties, but put a career in science on hold to concentrate on music.

He completed his PhD Thesis ‘A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud’, last year, and he has also co-authored a book, Bang! The Complete History of the Universe, with Sir Patrick Moore.

The University released a statement from May containing this inspirational quotation:

“I am very proud to be the new Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. I am passionate about education and lifelong learning.
It really doesn’t matter how old you are or what stage of your life you are in, it is never, ever too late to start learning. I proved that by completing my PhD, 30 years after I started it. As Chancellor, I hope that my personal experiences will act as an inspiration for others.”

Of course, he did have a slight financial advantage over the average pensioner!!!

A Forum Member’s success with Learn Direct

ESF member Joan Sumner has been studying locally with Learn Direct and recently passed her English and Maths GCSEs. Congratulations Joan!

“For the past 9 months I have been learning with Learn Direct at The Font, Hastings Library. It has been a very enjoyable experience, and one I would certainly recommend. All the tutors and staff are very helpful, and the situation is very pleasant.
Learn Direct is free, and the telephone number is 0800 150 450, all information and advice is supplied from that number, including the address of all centres. There are many, including Eastbourne, Hailsham, Hastings etc. Just give them a call.

The English and Maths courses are free. I did both.

So anyone interested in learning, why not give it a go? You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. It is a very good feeling when you receive your certificate. It is not easy, but in the end you can achieve a good result.”

If you would like to follow Joan’s example, you can contact Learn Direct by telephone on the number above, or via the Learn Direct website

Older people are being robbed of the chance to play an active part in society because they can’t access new skills through adult education according to leading older people’s charity Help the Aged. New research launched today (29th July) shows that two thirds of older people (64 per cent) are put off attending adult education courses because of the threat of crime when they go out, while four out of ten people aged 65 and over struggle due to lack of transport, high course fees and inadequate information about available courses.

A new Help the Aged report, Learning for Living: Helping to prevent social exclusion among older people, warns that unless older people are able to further their skills and learn new ones, there is a danger that they will become more and more excluded from society. With more than one third of older people saying they feel out of touch with modern life, the Charity is calling for all Government departments to recognise that older people need skills to play an active role in society and ensure these are made available to them.

Amy Swan, Policy Officer for Help the Aged, says: “Education and learning new skills are incredibly important for people of all ages, but all too often older people are left behind. Barriers such as lack of transport, fear of crime or high course fees make it very difficult for older people to access courses that will help them keep up to date with changes in modern life.”

Amy Swan continues: “It’s not surprising that older people want to learn how to manage their finances, keep up with advancements in technology and how to stay fit and healthy as they get older – these are all skills that will help prevent them being brushed aside by society.

“Social exclusion affects a huge number of older people, leaving them feeling not only unneeded but unwanted. But with a bit of political will and better communication across government departments, it is possible to prevent older people becoming isolated by ensuring they can access the skills they need to keep up with modern life.”

The Help the Aged ‘Learning for Life’ campaign encouraged older people to respond to the recent Informal Adult Learning consultation. Nearly 650 responses collated by the Charity were presented to Culture Minister David Lammy in June.

A new guide to courses at Sussex Downs College, covering Eastbourne, Hailsham, Lewes and Newhaven is now available.

An exciting new development is a cluster of courses being offered under a new leisure brand. Courses under this heading will usually be short, focused on learning for hobbies or initial interest.
They include wire and bead craft, introducing philosophical discussion, table tennis for beginners, beauty, fashion and photographic make-up and continuing painting with acrylics.

Weekend courses include everything from belly dancing for beginners to wine tasting.

Hilary Puryer, head of the adult college, said, "Returning to learning is a great investment to improve your skills, make new friends, or try out a new interest.
"If you are too busy to study during the week, our weekend college offers a wide range of short courses."
For further information, advice and guidance or to enrol call Eastbourne/Lewes 08452 601 608, or Newhaven 01273 511400 or Hailsham 446400.
Copies of the new guide can also be obtained at local libraries or downloaded from the college website.

A recent article published by the Press Association shows a disturbing drop in the number of people studying on adult education courses.

The response to a parliamentary question showed that the Learning and Skills Council had funded 1.3 million fewer places in 2006/7 than in 2003/4. Although numbers have declined nationally, the South East has suffered the greatest reduction, 233,100 places; the North East has fared best with a reduction of just 79,900 places.

Shadow skills secretary David Willetts said: "Ministers' obsession with paper-based qualifications has led to a reduction in the number of adults re-skilling and up-skilling, which has contributed to the skills shortage we now face.

He continued: "A better-skilled workforce is absolutely fundamental if we are to emerge from the recession in a competitive state. Learning also brings health and community benefits that can reduce the pressure on public spending in other areas."

The first paragraph from a Parliamentary Report – Education SN/SP/4941, 21 January 2009 states.

"Adult education has become a focus of attention since the Government’s Skill Strategy introduced a commitment to improve basic skills among the workforce. There has been much concern about changes in provision of adult education courses as a possible consequence of funding being targeted at the priority areas of basic skills and adults lacking level 2 qualifications rather than at other vocational or life skills courses.”

“The numbers of people aged 60 and over signing up for further education colleges has plummeted by nearly 25% this year compared with last.

This decline, which is almost certainly due to a combination of increased fees and the reduction in courses brought about by Labour's funding policy, appears to make nonsense of government efforts to present a coherent approach to older people.

While other Whitehall departments such as health and work and pensions preach the health benefits of learning for the over-60s, it is the Department for Education and Skills that stands accused of swimming against the tide.

"The decline in non-vocational courses has affected the numbers of retirement age people in adult education, giving some indication of the broader effect.”

Age Concern expressed concern at the sharp decline in people over 60 participating in state-supported learning, which was down 38% between 2005/2006 and 2006/2007.

As reported above, Sussex Downs College has just published a quite ambitious programme of non-vocational weekend and leisure courses. It will be interesting to see if this attracts a higher number of older learners and also, given that there are minimum numbers of students that must be enrolled before a course can proceed, how many of these courses will actually take place.