Basic Skills

The Street Forge Workshops offers training in both Literacy and Numeracy up to National Test levels. There are 3 groups, 2 held on a Wednesday afternoon and 1 held on a Friday afternoon.

Each member of the group works at a level appropriate to their ability and this is originally decided by a short assessment for one or both subjects dependent on the person’s choice.

Basic skills levels start at Pre-Entry for those who have severe problems e.g. verbal communication difficulties, and progress in stages through to the National Test Level 2 which is approximately equivalent to a ‘C’ grade GCSE.

Progression through the levels is by means of a yearly assessment and it is common for one person to work at two levels e.g. Entry 1 Literacy & Entry 2 Numeracy.

There are a series of standards to be met throughout each level and work is tailored to individual needs. This means within a group there is always a variety of work in progress. There is no time limit to the course which allows students to work at their own pace.

Students within a group are always very supportive of each other and will often assist those with less ability to achieve good results. This working together is an important part of their learning as it gives a better understanding of the requirements that may be needed in a work situation.

Basic Skills for adults is not like being back at school learning your ‘ABC’. All learning is based around everyday living and the types of situations that arise from these. You can learn numeracy through dealing with a selection of scenarios from shopping to wages to writing a cheque whilst literacy uses scenarios such as the driving test or visiting a doctor.

Within the Basic Skills Curriculum increasing use is being made of technology through IT even allowing the National Test to be taken on line if required. This can ease the pressure on someone whose writing skills may be limited as the questions are multiple choice. Other areas include discussion skills, free writing and communication skills.

Street Forge Workshops makes this training available to all who wish to participate, at whatever level, whether to improve skills in general, maintain current levels or study for a specific goal such as employment.

It is not compulsory or a requirement to enter the National Test.

Our aim is simply to help provide a better quality of life in general for those who participate.