The Basic Skills Agency supported the development of effective programmes of literacy, language and numeracy learning for adults, young people and children, and produced a wide range of resources to support maths and English skills development.
University College London (UCL) now holds the Basic Skills Agency Archive of BSA resources and publications. These items are listed on the UCL Explore web portal. Hard copy versions can be borrowed, and the majority are also available to download online. To access the BSA publications, please go to UCL Explore and type basic skills agency into the search box.
The Agency, which operated between 1999 and 2005, was committed to finding, developing and disseminating good practice in literacy, language and numeracy. It was guided by the findings and recommendations of The Moser Report. Headline projects included:
- 2000–01 Family Literacy and Numeracy Programmes; NVOPP (the National Voluntary Organisations Partnership Programme); Intensive Teacher Training.
- 2001–02 Financial Literacy; NVOPP; Community Based ESOL; Teacher Training; Family Programmes; Workplace Programmes; Offenders Learning and Skills Unit ‘Link-Up’ project, training prison education staff.
- 2002–03 Financial Literacy; Basic Skills Brokerage Scheme Phase II, the roll-out of the Brokerage Scheme; basic skills development with Sector Skills Councils; NVOPP. Other Headline projects, won by tender, include Link Up (training volunteer adult learner supporters), and developing diagnostic assessment tools for literacy, numeracy and ESOL.
- 2003–04 Financial Literacy; Skills for Families; Step in to Learning (customised training and development programme for staff in Sure Start, Children’s Centres and early years settings); Link Up; and a database of support links between employers and providers.
- 2004–05 QUIP (the Quality Improvement Programme).
If you are looking for news and information on resources to support maths, English, functional skills, digital skills, ESOL and SEND teaching and learning, you may like to sign up for free to the monthly Skills for Life Network e-news update. Do also check out our Resources site section.
