WEA courses

Begin to develop your own artwork in this beginner friendly art class, by learning how to create portraits, by using a wide range of materials. It doesn't matter if you have never picked up a drawing pencil. This course is designed to build your confidence and skills in the art of drawing and painting portraits. All you need to bring is your favourite materials to the wonderful Springbourne Library and start expressing your inner artist. The sessions are run y experienced tutors, and they offer and safe and friendly space to be creative and develop your artistic skills and talents.

Learn how to use spreadsheets to manage your finances with our Using a Spreadsheet to Manage Finances Multiply course. Understand basic spreadsheet functions and how to apply them to budgeting and financial planning. Ideal for individuals looking to improve their financial literacy and digital skills.

Improve your English speaking and listening skills with our English Conversation Class. Engage in interactive discussions and activities to build confidence in everyday communication. Ideal for non-native speakers looking to enhance their conversational English.

Come and join an enthusiastic group of creative crafters who, along with an experienced tutor will strive to unlock their creativity in this hands-on craft course. On this course you will be guided to see your scraps differently and see the craft potential of things you would normally throw away. Whatever paper-craft you are into each session of this course aims to unleash your creativity as you repurpose materials from your stash into pockets, embellishments, handmade cards, and ephemera pieces. For this course you will need minimal supplies and a full list will be available on Canvas but to get started it would be helpful to have some of the following: Assorted paper – plain and patterned and coloured cardstock Scissors Glue sticks, wet glue, adhesive tape. Old books / magazines Buttons, ribbons beads, die cut shapes.

An introduction to practical drawing and watercolour covering landscape and natural forms, changing through the seasons. Working with a variety of drawing materials and watercolours, we will look at artists who work with a range of techniques and create art inspired by or in the style of an artist or a particular art movement. This course is taught online. You will need to get your own art materials for this course and participate in the sessions by creating practical artwork, upload your artwork and discuss with other learners. A list of art materials needed will be on your Canvas course. This is a 10 Session course.

Practice techniques for creating short stories, true or untrue. We'll apply the principles of short fiction to our writing, with the focus this term on thinking about how point-of-view impacts on structure. There will be writing exercises, discussions, an optional weekly homework task and feedback. Guidance on feedback techniques will be provided. The course content has flexibility, and will be adapted to suit the needs of the group. Suitable for improvers. This course uses the same content as the Friday morning course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, and the Thursday morning fortnightly course, Creative Writing: Point-of-View, therefore you need only enrol on to one of them.

Prepare for the job market with our Get Ready for Work - Employability Skills course. Develop essential skills and knowledge needed for job applications, interviews, and workplace success. Ideal for individuals seeking to enter the job market.

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Mona Hatoum and Mike Kelly.

This five week course will explore the richness and diversity of the English painter, Stanley Spencer. We will discover both well-known and less well-known works of his, which span his career as an artist. All of the paintings examined will be provided on Canvas for you to assess. The course will explore Spencer's context and how he relates to contemporary art movements in Britain and Europe. You will be encouraged to participate fully in the analysis of his canvases, and to seek out other works which you think will enrich our discussions. The course will be an opportunity to discover Spencer for the first time or to rediscover him, and to evaluate his importance to the English tradition.

Advance your printing skills with our Advanced-Autumn Printing course. Learn sophisticated printing techniques and create detailed, autumn-themed artworks. Ideal for individuals with some printing experience looking to refine their skills.