Partnership fully transformed into a 'networked function'
March 2008
Birmingham's strong commitment to a partnership drive on levels of literacy, language and numercy, accross all major agencies, has been clear since the Core Skills Development Partnership was formally established in 1996.

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Where has all Birmingham's investments got us to?
November 2007
Over the ten years 1996 to 2006 substantial energy and resources were put behind developments in language, literacy and numeracy across Birmingham as a whole.
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Learning and Skills push on adult numeracy
August 2007
The Learning and Skills Council in the region has formulated it's development framework to 2010. This outlines the priority strands, and mechanisms, for substantially lifting levels of adult literacy, language and numeracy across the region.

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Quotes from the past year: Birmingham as ‘exemplar’ and ‘benchmark’
January 2007
The work in Birmingham has been very positively referred to, both nationally and internationally, during 2006
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Skills for Life Strategy shows positive impact
November 2006
In 2006 a resurvey of adult literacy and numeracy abilities across Birmingham offered direct comparisons with previously established 2001 baselines.

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Partnership's work linked to learning communities
October 2006
On a number of occasions recently the work of organisations in Birmingham has got national recognition for the linking of adult basic skills development with social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal and community activity.

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Major Organisations reshape planning for Basic Skills
May 2006
Over the past year the major organisations with responsibilities for learning have been reshaping their different functions in order to ensure further progress in securing better outcomes for residents of Birmingham

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Partnership Manager gains M.B.E for work
December 2005
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for 2005 the Partnership Manager, Geoff Bateson, was awarded the MBE for his work supporting literacy across Birmingham and adult literacy across the West Midlands.

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Links to renewal of neighbourhoods
September 2005
From its beginning the Partnership has demonstrated that improving the underlying levels of basic skills can (if undertaken structurally across the city-wide system) contribute to regeneration of communities.

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Update - Partnership's work becomes embedded in mainstream planning
May 2005
The original intention behind the Partnership was that key education and training agencies across Birmingham would work much more closely together in an attempt to double literacy/numeracy skills levels across all age groups of people in the city

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Progress on 10 year aspirations
March 2005
In the partnership’s development paper ‘The next push forward: Literacy, language and numeracy developments to 2010’ ten strategic objectives were expanded to show the work still needed to be done.

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Update - Regional role strengthened for Partnership
December 2004
The original intention behind the Partnership was that key education and training agencies across Birmingham would work much more closely together in an attempt to double literacy/numeracy skills levels across all age groups of people in the city

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Partnership takes on regional, national and international roles February 2004
The Core Skills Development Partnership was established to make a real difference to language, literacy and numeracy levels across Birmingham. The success of this is clear to see
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Adult Basic Skills Review points the way forward August 2003
A substantial review of all aspects of adult basic skills.

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Has it been worth it? August 2003
Results in Birmingham have improved faster than the national rate...

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The Story So Far... August 2003
If we are half way there, then the next seven years will require....

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The Next Push Forward June 2003
Towards literacy, language and numeracy developments to 2010.

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Moving ESOL Forward May 2003
2002/3 was a year when adult basic skills providers focused on ESOL

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Lessons from the literacy/numeracy pathfinder March 2003

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The Story So Far... Jan 2003
In December 2002 the Board received a report on the proposals for continuation of development activity
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Review of 'Vision' and 'Development Framework'
Oct 2002
The ‘distance still to be travelled’ to achieve the 2004 planned position was established which...

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June 2002
Vision in our Sights?
We have tested how far, and how quickly, the various elements of the strategy can be put in place within all parts of a complex urban system.

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Levels of Adult Basic Skills... June 2002
Progress Check
There are times for simplifying an argument, and there are times for staying alert to the complexity of social developments
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November 2001
Progress Check
There is now, in November 2001, a need to take stock of this rapidly moving position, as a basis for springboarding into the future...
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November 2001
Birmingham City Council, one of the Partnership’s key members, recognised that other future developments will increasingly be carried forward through a range of partnership arrangements.

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November 2001. There is no doubt about the relentless improvement in language, literacy and numeracy levels amongst pre-school and primary age children across Birmingham.

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September 2001
The aim of partners, at the establishment of the Partnership, was to achieve a whole city shift in literacy and numeracy levels.
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April 2001
It's easy to be distracted by trying to pin down fluid definitions.
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April 2001
There is a long term commitment, from all of our partners, to work towards making Birmingham a self-sustaining literate and numerate city.
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April 2001
Agencies in Birmingham sign up for a whole-city approach.
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April 2001
A national strategy for tackling the 'social disgrace' of levels of adult basic skills was launched on 1st March 2001.
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August 2000
During its first two years this Partnership was obviously able to bring about some quick changes, have some easy ‘hits’, and get people excited and thinking in new ways...
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Fourth Year Shifts Gear August 2000
Having achieved much in the first three years, the fourth year of our activity saw significant increases in the numbers of people and organisations worked with
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October 1999
Members of the development team have been approached to write articles, to contribute to a book, or be part of national conferences. In other cases, activities we support have won awards or have been built into national models....
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October 1999
The quality of this Partnership's working has been highlighted in a national review of contributions to lifelong learning, undertaken on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment...
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November 1998
The Basic Skills Agency’s national conference, in London on 10th November 1998, featured the Birmingham Core Skills Development Partnership as an example of good practice. The audience of 250 key representatives...
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November 1998
On 13 October 1998 the Partnership held its first dissemination conference. This was targeted at more than a hundred staff from partnership organisations in Birmingham and had three key aims...
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November 1998
Birmingham’s school children have made impressive improvements, exceeding the national gains in English and Maths at a number of levels. Maths levels of 7 year olds has now caught up with the national average...
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September 1997
A strong feature of the past year has been a commitment to ongoing consultation and communication to ensure that everyone gets the same information and that organisations are kept involved in appropriate ways...
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