WEA courses

Ranging from the satirical, even salacious, scenes of William Hogarth, through the often shocking socio-political criticism of Georg Grosz's work during the Weimar Republic, to the state-controlled art of Soviet Socialist Realism, this course explores the power of art to criticize and/or celebrate the social and political developments of their times. No previous experience is necessary  - just a lively, open-minded interest in art! On this seven week course, topics to be covered will include the work of William Hogarth, Gustave Courbet, Jean-Francois Millet, Georg Grosz and Otto Dix; and also the works of the American Ashcan School (c1890-1914) and Soviet Socialist Realism (1930-); and the social, cultural and political context in which these works were produced.

Set yourself up for success at learning English with this ESOL preparation course. This course is designed to help you prepare for an ESOL entry 3 reading course. Learn key reading skills you’ll need for the entry 3 ESOL course in reading. Get ready courses help you learn English at your own pace. They give you extra study time for each level and module so you can reach your full potential. This is a non-accredited English course for adults. If you’re helping others access entry 3 ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

Take your reading skills to the next level with these ESOL classes. Feel comfortable reading and understanding different types of texts in English. Improved reading skills can make life in the UK easier for you. This ESOL entry 3 reading course builds on skills you learnt at entry 2. You’ll continue to expand your vocabulary and reading skills. This is an English course for adults. It is aimed at speakers of other languages. ESOL courses are divided into three areas: reading, writing, and speaking & listening. If you’re helping others find ESOL courses in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

Build on your communication skills with this ESOL speaking and listening course. This English course for adults is aimed at speakers of other languages. It will help you improve your speaking and listening skills to communicate better in English. Entry 2 ESOL courses are right for you if you have basic speaking and listening skills in English. This course will help you gain confidence to speak about everyday topics and improve your comprehension. There are also reading and writing courses at this level. If you’re helping others access ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

When you’re studying maths at school, it’s sometimes hard to see how you’ll use the skills in real life. All it takes is for someone to explain that ratios help you compare the prices of different products, percentages are used to split bills, and multiplication and division help you set a monthly budget. When you learn in context, it’s easy to see how functional maths is. This Functional Skills Maths Level 2 course is designed using real-life examples to help you improve your maths skills. If you find it easier to learn maths with practical examples, this is the course for you. Functional Skills qualifications are free if you don't already have a GCSE in English or Maths at grades A*-C, or 4-9. We'll check your level and any previous qualifications before you start. This ensures you are on the correct course.

This course will consider and analyse the following authors and their texts. These are: Magnus - George Mackay Brown. Border Country - Raymond Williams. They - Kay Dick. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John Le Carre. Waterland - Graham Swift. These texts will provide a window into the different regions of Britain during two decades of major change in the social fabric and political nature of Britain, though several of our texts will trace these changes back to the earlier part of the twentieth century, and in doing so, we will encounter themes of identity, class and the decline of Empire. There will be much to prompt discussion and challenge our assumptions.

This course will help you understand watercolour techniques interrelated with drawing skills, and in connection with inspiring examples in art history. It will help you learn classical techniques in a subtle way, by relating them to examples by various masters of drawing and watercolour (such as Dürer, Turner or Cezanne) and contemporary artists (such as David Hockney or Anselm Kiefer). If you would like to have a fresh view of watercolour painting and drawing, and learn how to achieve expressivity by carefully combining techniques such as glazing, graded wash or cross-hatching, this course will offer you an overview and will inspire personal artworks of great subtlety and sensitivity It will also encourage you to create your own original artworks based on the techniques learned and it will bring a fresh perspective on known techniques and styles, if you have already practised them in your own paintings. You will need to bring your own materials, paints and paper along for this course. The tutor will let you know what to bring

f you enjoy working with children and young people, this childcare course can help you learn employability skills to work in this area. Get skills for your CV and gain confidence providing care for children in various settings. This course covers a range of childcare situations. You can study childcare and education, babysitting, or parenting responsibilities. It can help you decide if a career in child care is right for you. This is the ideal course for you if you want to turn a babysitting side job into a career. It’s also helpful for new parents getting to grips with parenting.

“Everyone has their own truth and their own values.”; “What counts as knowledge changes over time – for example, we no longer believe that the sun goes round the earth.” “Different societies have different moralities.” “People will never agree on how best to organise society.” Statements like these can be heard and read in public debates and on social media. The course uses philosophical ideas to explore 1. that how we think, which moral values we think we should follow and what we think is the best society to live in varies between individuals, cultures and historical periods 2. that it is not possible to reach agreement and 3. that if we all agreed our societies would be less vibrant and less worth living in. This is an introductory course, so no previous knowledge of Philosophy is expected.

In this course suitable for newcomers to the subject as well as those with previous experience, we will be studying ancient Egyptian art through the decorated tombs of ancient Thebes (modern-day Luxor). Through a series of visually rich sessions a wide range of tomb scenes will be studied with a focus on both understanding what these scenes represent while also considering aspects of style and purpose. We will see how scenes can be replicated or adapted across tombs as well as less typical tomb scenes potentially representing the agency of the tomb owner.