Love to learn with the WEA

Our languages and culture courses span the length and breadth of England and Scotland, with the option to study online or in person at a time that suits you. Whether you’re looking to learn a new language and immerse yourself in another country, or you simply wish to indulge in your love and fascination of film, we have the course for you. 

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Our creative writing courses will nourish your inner writer, providing you with a platform to develop your love of poetry, non-fiction or script development. If literature courses are more your kind of thing, then you’re in luck too, as there are a wide range of topics to choose from.  

Literary greats and great periods in history

Our language courses offer you the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a completely new culture, developing your skills so that you can speak confidently in countries right across the world. German, Italian and Greek are just a few examples of the language courses we have to offer, with many others taking place throughout the year.  

As you’d expect, literary greats such as Agatha Christie and Shakespeare feature regularly. There’s also the option to examine other time periods in English literature too, helping you develop your critical reading and analysis skills - perfect whether you’re a beginner or more experienced in the subject.  

If you prefer history then you’ve got a choice too, from courses on subjects you’d expect such as the first world war, or art history and studying the works of iconic painters such as Salvador Dali. 

Support and guidance

Whatever course you choose, you'll learn in a supportive environment where the class sizes are small, ensuring you get the attention you deserve, with an experienced and qualified tutor on-hand to guide you through your learning too.  

A lot of our cultural learning is delivered by our branch network: learn more here.

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Spanish for Improvers: Building Confidence and Fluency (CEFR A2)

This course is designed for learners who already have a basic understanding of Spanish (CEFR A1) and are looking to expand their skills and confidence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. By the end of the course, participants will be able to handle everyday situations with more ease and improve their ability to communicate in Spanish on a variety of familiar topics.
Dates:
Mon 12/05/2025 -
Mon 14/07/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
9 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Andrea Ostapski
Course code:
Q00021688
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £66.60

Start the Month Write - Journaling Circle

Journaling is a great tool to help you start the month write. Learn easy techniques to help you set goals, tune into yourself to help better regulate your emotions and manage your state; build a positive mindset to better prepare for setbacks and be more resilient. These monthly classes introduce you to a range of techniques plus a variety of stimulating prompts using poetry, images, metaphors and thought-provoking questions to surface your hopes and aspirations.
Dates:
Mon 12/05/2025 -
Mon 07/07/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00022152
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £22.20

Art Appreciation: The Art of Diplomacy: Behind the doors of the Government Art Collection

Go behind the scenes of the Government Art Collection, a less well-known national art collection, with Chantal Condron, a former curator at the Collection. Discover the fascinating origins of its history, and the people and events that have shaped its past. Explore how and why artworks are acquired or commissioned and discover some of the locations where they have been displayed. We explore works across a range of media from paintings to film, by artists from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including Marcus Gheerhaerts the Younger, Thomas Phillips, Bridget Riley, Michael Armitage and 2024 Turner Prize winner, Jasleen Kaur.
Dates:
Tue 13/05/2025 -
Tue 01/07/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Christchurch United Reform Church (Chelm
164 New London Road
Chelmsford
CM2 0AW
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00021144
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

Creative Writing: Story Surgery

For writers with a collection of stories or well into a memoir or novel to bring to the course for doctoring! This surgery helps you see the bigger picture, patch up those plot holes and feel re-energised about the body of work you have! There’s nothing more frustrating than writing a lot and then not knowing how it coheres or where it’s heading – and no, it’s not the bottom drawer! A mix of sharing, reflective questions to help you see the piece anew and craft notes. The tutor shares mentor texts to inspire you with ways to resuscitate the text: from chronological, novella-in-flash, linked stories and more to stimulate your best thinking and writing.
Dates:
Wed 14/05/2025 -
Wed 04/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021877
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Creative Writing: From Fact to Fiction: Stories inspired by headlines

Unleash your imagination by responding to the headlines with your own fictional version of events. This is a highly stimulating course and fascinating to see where you take the prompt, as well as how others respond. The tutor provides a wealth of headlines from diverse media sources and offers published mentor texts to stimulate your imagination and analyse elements of story craft. You’ll have dedicated writing time, the opportunity to share in pairs and receive feedback from peers and the tutor provides written feedback on one piece. What’s great is this is an excellent creative practice to keep up, long after the course has finished.
Dates:
Wed 14/05/2025 -
Wed 04/06/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Torode
Course code:
Q00021878
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Art Appreciation: Art and the Arts in 1960s

An oversimplified view but still a very useful one is that in the 1950s there was still largely a respect for “tradition”. By contrast the 1960s saw challenges to all traditions and conventions. In many areas of public and private life, traditional conventions were challenged. In the theatre world, “kitchen sink drama” appeared. In the visual arts, artists produced even more abstract individualistic products, with “installations” replacing paintings and sculpture. Music became even more experimental. In the course, these developments and many others will be illustrated, including projects of the decade which we still enjoy.
Dates:
Thu 15/05/2025 -
Thu 19/06/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00017378
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £72.00

Art Appreciation: Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner

This interesting and thought-provoking session explores the controversial fine art created by unknown artist Banksy. From his first works in the early 1990s Banksy has fascinated society and mobilised the press with his expressive graffiti art . The course will be delivered by power point presentation and lecture , handouts will be given where appropriate. The session is tailored to allow learners the opportunity to consolidate their learning as the course is delivered by discussion of their learning outcomes and opinions in a friendly and engaging environment and there will be fun group activities during the course to check on understanding and learning.
Dates:
Thu 15/05/2025 -
Thu 15/05/2025
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Kerry Van Der Schraft
Course code:
Q00022112
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Art Appreciation: Siena - City of Art

Siena is known as the ‘city of art’ and this exciting day school will take a wide ranging look at the cultural heritage of this beautiful Tuscan city to coincide with the current major exhibition in London. We shall examine not only the works of the better known medieval masters such as Duccio di Buoninsegna, the sculptors Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, and the Lorenzetti brothers, Pietro and Ambrogio, but also spend some time examining the later artistic heritage of Siena with Mannerist painters such as Sodoma, Beccafumi, and Francesco di Giorgio.
Dates:
Fri 16/05/2025 -
Fri 16/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Ambrose Allen Centre (Tadley)
2 Franklin Avenue
Tadley
RG26 4ET
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00022026
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Art Appreciation: Powerful Images: The Art of World War Two

Marking VE Day, this special three-hour session explores how artists across Europe and beyond captured, challenged, and chronicled the experience of the Second World War. From the chaos of the front lines to the quiet endurance of the home front, wartime art served many roles: propaganda, protest, documentation, and emotional release. We’ll delve into the work of official war artists, underground creatives, and those responding from exile or captivity. How did artists make sense of destruction, displacement, and victory? What images shaped public memory then—and now? Through powerful visuals and stories, we’ll explore how art shaped perception, preserved truth, and continues to frame how we remember one of the most defining conflicts in modern history.
Dates:
Fri 16/05/2025 -
Fri 16/05/2025
Times:
9:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Levisse
Course code:
Q00022126
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £14.80

Care 2: The Art of Romanovs - The Imperial Jewels

This course is for carers, those who have cared, and the cared for. We will be looking at the history and design of the Romanov Imperial Jewels including the famous Faberge Easter Eggs.
Dates:
Sat 17/05/2025 -
Sat 17/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00021817
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free