Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration Key findings from our work on Citizenship

ABNI - An independent advisory body established by the Government in November 2004 To advise on: The implementation of the requirement to show an understanding of English and Life in the UK (Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002) This requirement must be met for British Citizenship or Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK

Background to English and Knowledge of Life in the UK Introduced by then Home Secretary, Rt Hon David Blunkett MP  To make the process of gaining British citizenship meaningful and celebratory and  Increase integration i.e. participation in public life

The Requirements To show an understanding of English (or Scottish, Welsh or Gaelic) To show a knowledge of life in the UK For new British citizens-to take an citizenship oath and pledge of allegiance at a citizenship ceremony

Language and Knowledge of Life Assessment : Two Routes For those with good English  An on- line test based on a prescribed text i.e. the Life in the UK Handbook For those with lower English Language Skills  An English Language Course (ESOL) with Citizenship in speaking and listening at Entry Level

The Life in the UK Handbook The Making of the United Kingdom A Changing Society A profile of the UK today How the United Kingdom is Governed Everyday Needs Employment Knowing the Law Sources of Information Building Better Communities The test is based on Chapters 2-6

ESOL with Citizenship Materials What is citizenship? Parliament and the electoral system Geography and history The United Kingdom as a diverse society The United Kingdom in Europe, the Commonwealth and the United Nations Human rights Working in the United Kingdom Health Housing Education Community engagement Knowing the law

Findings - The Language and Life in the UK arrangements Working well on the whole  Life in the UK Test pass rate is 73%  Feedback about the Handbook suggests that candidates do find the information useful for learning about Life in the UK  Most entry level ESOL provision has citizenship embedded within it and is based on the Citizenship materials  Good feedback about the citizenship materials from ESOL teachers – and they are being adapted to fit the local context  Good feedback from learners about the ESOL/Citizenship experience

Survey of Test Centre managers and staff September % felt that the information in the Life in the UK Handbook assists the candidate’s integration 80% found that candidates are making significant use of alternative handbooks Over 90% attributed test failure to the candidates not having the required level of English and candidates using one of the many ‘unofficial’ study guides

Our findings: The Life in the UK Test Over 80% of candidates take the test Overall 73% pass-rate Lower pass rates for some nationalities e.g. Iraq 45.2% Bangladesh 43.8% Turkey 44.2% Reasons for failure include:  Insufficient levels of English  Failure to study the official handbook  Lack of preparation

Our findings: The ESOL Route Not being accessed by all those who need it Rate of progress is affected by the level of previous education, access to high quality learning and opportunity for interaction with English speakers ESOL classes an excellent opportunity for interaction with other groups Shortage of Entry Level ESOL provision and waiting lists for classes in some areas Difficulty for those who work long hours to attend classes Worrying rise in private centres offering expensive ‘crash courses’ with dubious curricula

Outstanding Issues and our Recommendations The Language and Life in the UK arrangements Stronger publicity about the Language and Knowledge of Life arrangements, including the Handbook and the ESOL route is needed Continuing independent input into the future revision of the Life in the UK Handbook and consequent test questions to ensure accuracy, relevance, accessibility and regional balance. Monitoring of demand and take up of ESOL classes for citizenship/settlement by colleges is needed Flexible provision of ESOL to meet differing needs, including community based provision and work based provision Further research into the Language and Knowledge of Life arrangements to consider the questions of whether these arrangements a) make people feel more integrated and active in the community; b) encourage learning of ESOL and c) develop an understanding of life in the UK.

Citizenship Ceremonies We recommend that Local Authorities build on the creative and innovative approaches being adopted by some local authorities. Some excellent examples of this.

A Citizenship Campaign We recommend a campaign to encourage those who are eligible to take up citizenship. We also recommend that there is a campaign to encourage long-settled immigrants to improve their language skills, and to apply for citizenship.

A Successor Body We believe that the introduction of the handbook, the test and the ceremonies has provided a good foundation to strengthen citizenship as an important instrument for cohesion and integration in communities across the UK. We would recommend a successor body to bring together all those agencies which currently engaged in the wider agenda on citizenship to take forward the remaining and emerging challenges on citizenship.