WEA courses

Gain a GCSE-equivalent qualification with this functional skills maths course. Learn maths skills to open doors to work and study opportunities. Functional maths courses also support you in everyday situations. Learn maths as an adult and enjoy the experience. Functional maths helps you develop practical maths skills in context. Understand how numeracy skills can assist you in a job or your personal life. This functional skills maths course teaches you essential maths skills through practical examples. It’s ideal for you if you would like to gain a GCSE-equivalent maths qualification.

Get an English qualification to help you access a variety of work and study options. Functional skills courses in English teach you to read, write, and communicate confidently in English. Functional skills English isn’t like learning English at school. This is an English course for adults created by adults. Develop practical English skills by learning language in context.

Join us for a creative Card Making course at Parkstone Connect, a vibrant day centre dedicated to adults with learning difficulties. Our welcoming environment fosters creativity and fun. Participants will explore a variety of card-making techniques, including stamping, embossing, and die-cutting, to craft beautiful, personalized cards. Led by experienced tutors, the course provides all materials and offers step-by-step guidance, ensuring everyone can enjoy the process and create stunning cards to share with loved ones. Whether you're a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner, our supportive community is here to help you unleash your artistic potential.

This workshop has been set up to create a festive and beautiful Christmas wreath using a variety of materials and techniques. You will learn how to design, assemble, and decorate a wreath, gaining both skills and a finished product to take home. You will leave the workshop with a handcrafted Christmas wreath and the knowledge to create more in the future. The workshop aims to foster creativity, provide a fun and festive activity, and enhance your holiday decor skills. No experience is needed as the tutor will offer full support and guidance to help you make your Christmas Wreath.

The Christmas story has probably inspired more art than any other subject. From medieval icons of the Virgin and Child to the Renaissance paintings of the shepherds and the wise men; and from stained glass windows to Christmas cards, the story has been at the forefront of western art.

The Christmas story has probably inspired more art than any other subject. From medieval icons of the Virgin and Child to the Renaissance paintings of the shepherds and the wise men; and from stained glass windows to Christmas cards, the story has been at the forefront of western art. This study day will examine the historicity of the gospel stories and how they have been interpreted by artists through the centuries. A wide range of art will be shown and there will be space for discussion and for learners to offer their own suggestions and experiences.

Join us for an engaging lecture on the portrayal of winter in art, exploring how artists have captured the season’s stark beauty, quietude, and introspection across centuries. From medieval illuminations and Bruegel’s lively 16th-century village scenes to Monet’s serene snowscapes, winter has many inspired painters. In their works they evoke the season’s unique mood and atmosphere. This session will examine iconic winter-themed works, delving into how artists convey the season's chilly textures and muted colours, but also its reflective qualities.

This friendly creative writing course will invite you to enter into relationship with your bodies and surroundings. The session will be held in a supportive way and will integrate some simple meditation (adaptable to all bodies), prompts for creative and reflective expression through writing, and even some environmental science! You will be guided to a holistic understanding of person and place. This course is ideal for people who like to write and to contemplate how to live more skilfully as individuals, as a community and in relationship with their surroundings. There will be time for sharing small parts of your writing towards the end of the workshop but no pressure, it’s about an unfolding individual/shared creative process and participants need to feel at ease to write freely.

During this course we will consider a wide range of novels that were pubished in the 1840s as a continuation of an exploration of literature published through the decades of Victoria’s long reign. We will consider a range of novels by both male and female writers: Barnaby Rudge (Charles Dickens 1841); The Luck of Barry Lyndon (W M Thackeray, 1844); Sybil (Benjamin Disraeli, 1845); Agnes Grey (Anne Bronté, 1847); Shirley (Charlotte Bronté, 1849). The 1840s were a prosperous time for many but but this decade was also known as the Hungry Forties. The 1840s also saw the growth of the realist novel.

Enjoy your ESOL studies online with this evening ESOL course with a qualified tutor. This course looks at how to use ESOL in your day to day life and in work here in the UK. The course will run for 14 weeks and give you a safe space to practise your speaking, listening, reading and writing to advance your skills and confidence. This course is aimed at people who work during the day and want to upskill in the evenings or use it as a top up for your ESOL classes. This course is part 2 of 2 courses that will concentrate on beginners ESOL skills for learners going into entry 1or entry 2 in September and are wanting to upskill further. The classes will revolve around the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The class is run by a qualified and experienced tutor who will help you develop, improve and provide feedback throughout the course.