The School of Essential Skills offers Skills for Life courses in English, Maths and ICT, from Entry Level to Level 2.

In addition to the basic skills of English and Maths, most courses include elements of work skills and ICT and the learning activities will, where possible, be relevant to the learners’ everyday life, education and employment. These courses are designed to assist the learner to progress to employment or to provide the qualifications to progress on to further college courses such as Business Administration, Information Technology, Health and Care, Travel and Tourism, as well as Access Courses.
Our classes are designed primarily for adults. Day and evening classes are held on the Waterloo campus, with a small day time only provision in Camberwell. Our courses are ideal for adults returning to study.

There are no entry requirements for Essential Skills Courses, although English should be your main language. There is an initial assessment to ensure students are placed on a programme at the appropriate level.

At Entry level, there is an assessment every term and learners must pass three units to obtain a full qualification, though partial achievement is also possible. The three units for Literacy are: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. On the Maths course the three units are Number, Measure Space and Shape, and Handling Data. At Levels 1 and 2 in Maths and English, learners take an online test to obtain the qualification. The awarding body is Edexcel. All courses are accredited externally.