Spring 2019 Newsletter

2019 AT HOPE ENGLISH SCHOOL

We ended 2018 after a really busy Autumn term. We were teaching 10 classes per week (our highest ever!) and a total of 55 students passed through our courses.  
2019 has already got off to a great start as we have had our first ever grant application approved! 
Due to current funding changes we are teaching fewer classes, and as a result are able to really reflect on and consolidate our work.  Having a bit more time enables Katy and Anna to concentrate on growing Hope English School in a sustainable way and also gives them the time to apply for charitable status.

GOOD NEWS KEEPS COMING...

We are delighted to share with you some of our "Good News Stories" from the last few months...

One of the women who was a student with us last year is now volunteering as a teaching assistant in one of our lower level classes. As well as gaining valuable work experience she is able to help us out by acting as an interpreter.  She was such a dedicated and hardworking student, we are sure she is going to be fantastic in her new role as assistant!

Another of our lovely students started in our classes way back in 2016 and has been coming ever since. Sadly due to her legal status, despite completing the course she was unable to sit her exam.  We have recently found out that her legal status has changed now and as a result she has now been assigned a student liaison officer who will help her to not only get on a more advanced English course but will also support her to apply for a vocational course at Sheffield college! This ambitious lady is such a great example of how hard our students work and how learning English allows them to start to change their own circumstances, we are so proud of her!

Anna bumped into another of our ex-students on the tram and couldn't believe the transformation in her since the last time they met.  This lady has now got a job and was positively glowing as she made her way to work! She was a committed and dedicated student and as a result we were able to provide her with a great reference for her new employer. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT…

We have recently received some generous one off donations from our supporters!
Some of the money has been used to buy games and supplies to help support some of our learners in the conversation club we run at the Snowdrop Project, an organisation who provide long term support to survivors of human trafficking.
Would you be interested in supporting Hope English School financially? Visit the GIVE section of our website and see what your money could be used for!

GRANT APPLICATION APPROVED!

Our fabulous fundraising volunteer Christie has been very busy applying to various organisations for grants to help us in funding Hope English School. We are delighted to reveal that she had her first successful application and we have been awarded £1900 for resources to help us run our classes more easily! We are looking forward to purchasing our own printer and some lovely new stationary and workbooks for our students, amongst many other things.

SUPPORT US BY BUYING OUR RECIPE BOOK!

Did you know that our book ‘Recipes of Hope’ is still available to buy on our website or from:

Proost

Good Taste - The Sheffield Fair Trade Shop

Oxfam (In Broomhill)

New Roots 

The Cathedral Gift Shop

Thank You all so much for your ongoing support of Hope English School, we are so grateful for all the ways you help us to provide education and hope to so many refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants. It really does make a huge difference! 

New Term, New Classes, New Staff!

We have been undergoing some changes here at Hope English School. We hope that these changes will continue to allow us to empower asylum seekers and refugees through our quality English teaching giving them a real hope for their future.

New Classes!

We have recently started some new classes in Barnsley, at The Core, Voluntary Action Barnsley. These classes are for both men and women who have just arrived from Syria. We hope that learning English helps them to settle in to their new home and feel more part of the local community.

We are delighted to have been able to restart our classes at Great Places in Sheffield. Classes stopped due to funding issues but more funds have been found to enable this class to continue! There are currently up to 12 learners, mainly women and their is a dedicated creche facility. The creche has a great 'buzzy' atmosphere with the children happily jumping around and singing along to nursery rhymes in English! Wonderful!

We are continuing our classes at the Snowdrop Project, but we are teaching in a great new location. The new venue has a dedicated creche room nearby, which is reassuring to mothers and much less disruptive to our classes as the women feel happier and more able to concentrate with their children nearby.

We are very happy to be able to offer home tuition to a Syrian family in Thorne, who are unable to access classes due to health difficulties. This is funded by The Refugee Council

New Staff!

We are delighted to have welcomed six new staff to the Hope English School family. We welcome experiened ESOL teachers Natalia, Katie and Becky who are helping us to grow our services and deliver them to more vulnerable adults in South Yorkshire.

We also have three great new volunteers! Yasmin and Christie are heading up our fundraising team, writing grant applications and promoting our wonderful book 'Recipes of Hope'. Lucy has taken on the digital marketing for us and will be keeping our social media up to date! Do take the time to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on news from us and the partners we work with.

Want to know more about the whole team? Visit the ‘About Us’ page on our website to learn all about them!

Recipes of Hope

Looking for an unusual Christmas present?
Why not give our beautiful book 'Recipes of Hope? Profits go directly to supporting the work of Hope English School.
Purchase your copy here
*Now available in a digital format!!

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New role opportunities

As Hope English School grows and expands, we are inviting you to join our team as volunteer Ops Manager!

This role offers incredible experience in working with directors to manage HR operations and recruitment, developing skills in networking and maintaining relationships with other organisations. There is also scope to gain experience in event management and to develop and manage key strategies. 

The role shall provide key training and you shall have mentor support throughout. 

We are looking for someone who can commit to 8-10 hours a week, split over a minimum of two days for a one year period.

We need someone who is passionate about the vision of Hope English School and willing to be part of a growing and evolving team. They will be organised and have good ICT skills. 

In this role you will be vital to the running and organisation of Hope English School as we continue to offer Hope across the city. 

Have a look at our job description to find out more. 

To apply, fill out our application form and return it to us. 

Come join us!

We're opening up a new volunteer role of Fundraising Officer for Hope English School. 

HES is growing and developing - and we want to continue to do so. As such, we're looking for someone who is willing to commit to 6-8 hours with us to manage the fundraising for HES. 

This will include: 

• Managing the fundraising for HES: to include writing grants, applications, running campaigns and holding fundraising events
• Bringing in business sponsors: networking and approaching organisations
• Keeping in touch with existing sponsors and funders to maintain good relations
• Developing new funding strategies
• Flexible hours to suit you

There is also scope for this to become a paid role in the future.

We're looking for someone who is passionate in supporting our vision to open doors for asylum seekers and refugees through quality ESOL provision, who will be committed to be a part of our growing team and enjoys working with people and technology! 

To apply for this role, download and fill out our application form. For more information, you can read our job description. 

We're so excited about this new opportunity, and the new things it holds for Hope English School, and we hope you'll come on board!