What is NALA

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA)
is a non-profit membership organisation,
concerned with national co-ordination,
training and policy development in adult
literacy work in Ireland. We were established
in 1980 and have campaigned since then
for recognition of, and responses to, the adult
literacy issue in Ireland. We are a registered
charity funded mainly by the Department of
Education and Science. For more information
about our work, log on to www.nala.ie.

NALA
National Adult Literacy Agency
76 Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1
Annual Report 2003–2004

(01) 855 4332 literacy@nala.ie www.nala.ie

NALA Cork NALA Mullingar

C/o VTSU Building Education & Employment Centre
Tramore Road, Austin Friar Street
Cork Mullingar
Phone: (021) 4317011 Co Westmeath
Fax: (021) 431 5054 Phone: (044) 42111
Email: mmurray@nala.ie Fax: (044) 45834
Email: pkiernan@nala.ie
© February 2004
National Adult Literacy Agency

ISBN 1-871737-32-X

National adult Literacy Agency

76 Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1

Telephone: 01 855 4332

Fax: 01 855 5475
email: literacy@nala.ie
website: www.nala.ie
Freephone supportline: 1800 20 20 65
Contents
Page
Overview 2003 2
National office 6
New NALA projects 8
Family literacy 8
Specific learning difficulties (SLD) 10
Plain English 12
NALA projects developed during 2003 14
Health and literacy 14
Using the Internet for literacy development 15
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) 16
World Wise 17
Regional development 18
Workplace Basic Education (WBE) 20
Literacy through the media 22
Integrating literacy into vocational education
and training programmes 25

Quality Framework 28
Adult literacy research 31
Training and development 35
Promoting understanding, support and action 39
NALA publications 42
International links 43
NALA 2003 Annual General Meeting 47
Links with other organisations 50
Alice Campbell – an appreciation 54
NALA Board Members and Staff 55
NALA membership 56
Accounts 60
Glossary 73

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 1

 Overview 2003

To provide an overview of NALA in

Overview 2003
NALA Strategic Plan 2002–2006
2003, it is worth using the framework of
our strategic plan, which outlines our
eight goals up to 2006 and provides a
context for the year’s work. Our goals all
emanate from our mission statement – to
ensure all adults with literacy difficulties
have access to a range of high quality
learning opportunities – and, in 2003,
were at the heart of a very busy and
productive year, with many high points.
Our first goal relates to implementing
Government policy on adult literacy. To
this end, we chair an advisory group,
made up of VECs and other
stakeholders, which is concerned with
developing an implementation plan for
the National Adult Literacy Programme,
outlined in the White Paper on Adult
Education, ‘Learning for Life’.
The challenge of working in partnership
can never be under-estimated and it takes
time for groups to bond and be effective
in their task. The group met a number of
times during the year to develop a model
for the adult literacy service, staffing
requirements and other procedures for
realising the national programme.
During this time, the membership of the
group changed: Frances Ward replaced
Mary Maher as Chair of the group and
Pauline Gildea, Principal Officer, Further
Education Section, Department of
Education and Science, replaced her
predecessor Margaret Kelly. The plan will
be presented to the Department of
Education and Science and the IVEA,
amongst others, for adoption in 2004.

2

NALA also began exploratory meetings
with the IVEA about our relationship
and work towards our shared goal of
ensuring quality adult literacy provision.
We also engaged with the newly formed
VEC Adult Literacy Forum, established
as a sub-group of the IVEA, which is
concerned with developing the VEC
Adult Literacy Schemes.
Meetings also took place with a range of
Government departments and state
agencies interested and involved in adult
literacy, namely the Department of
Enterprise, Trade and Employment and
FÁS. We discussed the role of these
bodies in forwarding workplace basic
education, more specifically our
‘Workplace Basic Education Strategy’,
presented to Government in 2002. The
new partnership agreement, Programme
for Sustaining Progress, mentions this
document under special initiatives, one
of which covers literacy.
The next goal relates to research and
during 2003, concentrated on refining
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’, an
assessment framework for adult literacy.
The significant work here involved
developing a resource pack for using the
framework and applying plain English.
This represents the culmination of a
three-year research project, which we
believe will significantly contribute to
enhancing the quality of teaching and
learning in adult literacy settings. We
also made progress in developing the
reference library and exploring how to
make the library more accessible to
external researchers.
NALA Annual Report
Overview 2003
Using the ‘Quality Framework for Adult
Basic Education (ABE)’ is our third goal
and 2003 saw even more adult literacy
services using the tool to evaluate their
own practice, a process that involved
learners, practitioners and senior
management. Now 28 out of 33 VECs use
the framework, a significant number for
the second year of rollout of this tool to
all providers. During the year, we collated
feedback on using the framework, which
highlighted a range of benefits. These
included a range of programme
improvement plans covering recruitment
of learners, promotion of the service,
increased understanding, supported
team-working, promoted ownership,
facilitated strategic planning, promoted
networking and improved quality.
Training has long been one of our central
features and, as our fourth goal, it
continues to be a major part of our work.
In 2003, 67 courses were delivered as
part of our in-service and NALA-WIT
programmes, covering 50 thematic areas,
delivered in 13 locations and catering for
1,140 participants. In addition, we
facilitated a number of gatherings,
namely the Adult Literacy Organisers’
Forum, National Forum for Adult
Literacy Tutors and regional learner
meetings. These gatherings covered
subjects such as ‘how to stay learner
centred at a time of change’, the role of
learners in the Quality Framework and
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’.
Training was also delivered as part of the
NUI Maynooth Certificate in Integrating
Literacy, for trainers and educators from
Community Training Centres,
Youthreach and Senior Traveller
2003–2004 3
 Overview 2003
Training Centres. This programme is a
key part of an initiative to enhance the
quality of literacy provision by adopting
a whole centred approach.
Our fifth goal relates to the exciting and
diverse area of development, covering
such topics as workplace basic education,
television- and radio-based distance
education, family literacy and specific
learning difficulties. NALA secured EU
funds through the Department of
Enterprise, Trade and Employment to
develop a model of workplace learning
for Small Medium Enterprises. This
work began late in the year with Co.
Monaghan VEC.
The Read Write Now TV literacy series
entered its third evaluation and fourth
series. As with previous years, the
programme changed in light of feedback
from learners involved in the previous
series, as well as from other stakeholders.
The programme kept key features of its
success to date: a learner’s story,
everyday literacy skill areas and learning
to learn. The average audience for the
series was 165,000, with over 7,000 packs
distributed to independent learners.
We appointed our first dedicated Family
Literacy Policy Worker to draw up policy
guidelines and a strategy for developing
family literacy in Ireland. To date, this has
involved setting up a working group with
members from the VEC sector, Barnardos
and the Department of Education and
Science, as well as ongoing consultation
with family literacy providers.
4
We established another working group in
the area of specific learning difficulties,
which has also drawn from a wide range
of organisations, including the Dyslexia
Association of Ireland. We have
appointed a dedicated worker in this
area, who has concentrated on
developing a scoping paper as well as
collating the results of a questionnaire to
literacy providers on this subject.
Innovation is something we constantly
strive towards, seeking out new ways to
meet the needs of adults wishing to
improve their literacy skills. To that end,
we, as part of our sixth goal, piloted and
evaluated Literacy Tools, a web-based
literacy programme, and applied under
the Dormant Accounts Fund for
additional resources to continue our
work in this area. We continued work to
develop a set of literacy materials themed
around health content. This involved
piloting the materials by adult literacy
providers and health promotion workers.
With the Department of Social and
Family Affairs we embarked on a project
focused on plain English in 2003 and
appointed a dedicated worker for this
area. We have reworked a range of the
Department’s information leaflets to
make them more accessible to the
general public. We also established a
plain English service and have worked
on documentation from a range of
organisations, including the Department
of Enterprise Trade and Employment,
the National Disability Authority, the
Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions and the Irish Cancer
Society.
 Overview 2003

The seventh goal of the NALA strategic

plan centres on the broad area of
communications. The theme for National
Literacy Awareness Week and
International Literacy Day conference
was the literacy and the legal and justice
system. This involved partnering a
number of legal and justice organisations
in raising awareness about the adult
literacy issue, as well as the use of plain
English. Events in Dublin and Cork
throughout the week and the conference
were well attended and received positive
feedback from participants. During the
year, we made additional information
available through our website. The
accessibility of the site was improved by
meeting the National Disability Authority
guidelines.
The final area of our strategic plan deals
with staff and organisational
development. During the year there
were a number of staff development Inez Bailey, Director, National
activities, including training on Adult Literacy Agency
‘managing workplace relationships with
respect and dignity’ and ‘new ways of
working with external groups’. We also
supported individual staff education,
covering masters and degree
programmes.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 5

 National Office

National office

Administration
In 2003, the NALA administrative staff
was extremely busy and, as ever, provided
vital support to all parts of the Agency. We
supported the development, training and
awareness work of the Agency and co-
ordinated the many mailings that occurred
during the year. We also answered over
3,000 telephone queries and met over 500
visitors to the NALA Dublin office.
The administrative staff played an active
role in helping other NALA staff organise
major events and campaigns, such as
National Literacy Awareness Week,
International Literacy Day, the NALA
Annual General Meeting, Organisers’
and tutors’ fora and many other
seminars and conferences.

NALA Resource Room

The entrance to the NALA main office
at 76 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1
The NALA Resource Room in Dublin
continued to be widely used by all those
involved in tutoring adults in various
settings. These include the VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes, Traveller Training
Centres, Prison Education, FÁS
Community Training Centres, NTDI,
tutors of ESOL and many others. Aside
from these users, we met with over 600
personal visitors. We also dealt with an
average of 200 orders by post, fax, email
and telephone.
We displayed our NALA Resource Room
materials at various conferences such as
the NALA Annual General Meeting, the
celebration of International Literacy Day
and the National Forum for Adult Literacy
Tutors in Dublin.

6
 National Office

If you would like the NALA Resource

Guide or a current order form, contact
the NALA Resource Room by phone on
(01) 855 4332 or by email at
resources@nala.ie. Our Mullingar and
Cork offices also stock literacy materials,
which you can view and order by
appointment.

National referral service

Members of the public use our main
NALA number and the freephone
number to look for:
support in improving literacy
skills;
free packs and videos that
accompany the TV and radio
series; and
information on how to make
contact with local schemes.
We dealt with about 10 such calls each
day, representing around 2,400 for the
whole year. We also dealt every day with
enquiries by telephone and email from
people wishing to become volunteer
tutors. We received about 1,200 such Members reviewing NALA resources
calls last year.
Last year, we updated and reprinted the
information leaflet ‘VEC Adult Literacy
and Basic Education Services in Ireland’
four times. This leaflet has the contact
name and telephone numbers of all adult
literacy schemes and has been very
popular. If you would like a copy, contact
us by phone on (01) 855 4332 or by
email at literacy@nala.ie.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 7

 Family Literacy

New NALA projects

Family around the kitchen table enjoying
reading together
Family literacy
To demonstrate our desire to develop
family literacy, we established a two-year
family literacy project in 2003. In May, we
employed a Family Literacy Policy Worker
to develop family literacy work. Family
literacy and family learning programmes
are interesting developments in ABE, but
they can also be complicated, as they bring
together aspects of adult basic education,
children’s education and community
development.
About half of all the VEC Adult Literacy
Schemes in Ireland run a family learning
programme, but they range from the
very small to the extensive and wide-
ranging. Family literacy work also takes
place in Area Partnerships, projects on
English for Speakers of Other Languages
(ESOL), schools, family resource centres,
Youthreach, Barnardos and Traveller
Training Centres.
Since May, we have worked to:
research and establish contacts
with family literacy programmes
in Ireland and internationally;
seek funding opportunities for
family literacy programmes;
plan a module in family literacy
at certificate level with Waterford
Institute of Technology, to build
on the existing NALA/WIT
module at diploma level; and
set up a NALA working group to
discuss and agree policy for the
development of family literacy
work.

8
 Family Literacy

Developing a
working group
In 2003, our working group came
together for the first time. The group
has 15 members, including ALOs, tutors,
learners and representatives from:
Barnardos;
the Home-School-Community
Liaison scheme;
Area Partnerships;
the Department of Education
and Science;
Waterford Institute of
Technology (WIT) Literacy
Development Centre;
the Library Council; and
the Irish Vocational Education
Association (IVEA).
The Chairperson is Eileen Curtis, Adult
Education Organiser with Co. Kilkenny
VEC. Together, we aim to launch family
literacy policy and guidelines in autumn
2004.

Exploring accreditation for Mother and son get down to some literacy practice
learners
Another of our projects centred on getting
accreditation for learners. Already,
Education Co-ordinators working with
Area Partnerships developed a
FETAC/NCVA Level 1 module named
Early Reading Support. In 2003, we began
exploring FETAC accreditation for family
literacy at both the present Foundation
Level and the new Levels 1 and 2.
For more information on family literacy,
contact Jenny Derbyshire, Family
Literacy Policy Worker, by phone on
(01) 855 4332 or by email at
literacy@nala.ie.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 9

 Specific learning difficulties
Specific learning
difficulties (SLD)
Philomena Ott, dyslexia expert and author,
addressing a seminar in February 2004
10
Specific Learning
Difficulties (SLD)
In 2003, we extended our commitment
to help people improve their literacy by
looking at the needs of people attending
literacy tuition who have specific learning
difficulties. Specific learning difficulties
(SLD) include dyslexia, dyspraxia,
Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adults
who experience SLD learn differently
because they can have some difficulty
with processing information. However,
they can and do learn when tutors use a
style that targets their strengths.
Developing our policy on SLD
In 2003, we employed a Specific Learning
Difficulties Policy Worker to look at the
needs of learners with SLD. Our SLD
policy development work began with a
number of meetings with groups such as:
the Dyslexia Association of Ireland;
VEC Adult Literacy Schemes;
Department of Education and
Science;
St Thomas National School,
Jobstown, Dublin;
National Educational
Psychological Service (NEPS);
Bua National Centre, Institute of
Technology, Blanchardstown;
University College Dublin;
National Centre for Guidance in
Education;
National Training and
Development Institute;

Trinity College Dublin; and
Belfast Institute of Further
and Higher Education.
Forming our working group
To develop our SLD policy guidelines and
support for literacy tutors, we brought
together an SLD working group, made up
of our stakeholders and of people
experienced in SLD and adult literacy
provision, to inform the policy guidelines
and support ABE settings. The working
group includes VEC Adult Literacy
Organisers, tutors, learners, other trainers,
researchers and members of organisations
such as FÁS, the Dyslexia Association of
Ireland, the Adult Education Guidance
Service, the National Training Development
Institute and the Institute of Technology
Blanchardstown National BUA Centre. The
working group, chaired by Rosamond
Phillips, a tutor-trainer, began meeting in
October 2003 and will continue to meet
until June 2004.
Locating current knowledge
and practice
To find out where we would need to focus
our policy, we began researching the
knowledge and practice that currently exist
in relation to SLD, especially dyslexia, and
produced what is known as a scoping
paper to describe our findings. The
scoping paper included:
a review of literature about SLD
and dyslexia;
a description of current practice
in the VEC Adult Literacy
Schemes, further and higher
education and Adult Education
Guidance Service; and
NALA Annual Report
Specific learning difficulties
an investigation of international
definitions and understanding of
SLD and dyslexia.
In June 2003, we sent out a national survey
to ABE settings. Out of the 413
questionnaires we issued, we received 101
replies. The questionnaire covered the
following areas:
definitions of SLD;
identifying and assessing SLD;
learners’ needs and managing
the learning process; and
tutors’ needs and suggestions.
We will present and discuss the initial
results of the national SLD survey at the
‘More than Words’ dyslexia seminar in
February 2004.
Developing training for tutors
In 2003, we developed new SLD and
dyslexia tutor training, in line with our
commitment to provide ongoing training
for adult literacy tutors. The new course
will give information on the four difficulties
that SLD includes and will explore effective
tutoring that helps adult literacy learners
who experience SLD. We have also
developed a new training course on
dyslexia that focuses on strategies in
reading, writing, spelling and numeracy.
For more information on SLD policy
development, contact Bridget Gormley,
Specific Learning Difficulties Policy
Worker, by phone on (01) 809 9198 or by
e-mail at bgormley@nala.ie.
‘More Than Words’
dyslexia seminar
2003–2004 11
 Plain English
Clodagh McCarthy, Plain English Project Worker,
NALA, with Mary Coughlan TD, Minister for
Social and Family Affairs, launching the new
plain English service
12
Plain English
In 2003, we increased our commitment
to new approaches to literacy by
launching a full-time plain English
project. Our strategic plan includes an
objective to “promote the use of plain
language in materials aimed at the
general public”. The project was a logical
way of meeting this objective, as plain
English involves writing and designing
material with the reader in mind so that
it is easier to read and understand. The
full-time project builds on our previous
part-time initiative to encourage
organisations to focus on not just what
they say, but also on how they say it.
Linking with the Department of
Social and Family Affairs
To get the project off the ground, we
obtained funding from the Department
of Social and Family Affairs to employ a
full-time Plain English Project Worker
and three contract workers. These were
trained at the end of July 2003 by the
Plain English Campaign, a UK-based
organisation that has been working to
raise awareness of plain English since the
late 1970s. Through its vigorous
campaigning efforts, the organisation has
led the way in promoting plain English
worldwide.

A major element of our plain English
project has involved working with
Information Services staff in the
Department of Social and Family Affairs
to clarify and update their social welfare
information booklets and application
forms. The Minister for Social and
Family Affairs, Mary Coughlan, TD,
launched this initiative in early
September 2003. It is due to run until
August 2004. Of the 75 booklets to be
revised, one third are now completed.
Getting the plain English service
underway
September 2003 also saw the beginning
of our plain English service, the other
main element of the plain English
project. So far, the service has centred on
editing and offering guidance on plain
English techniques. In 2003, our clients
included:
the National Disability Authority;
the Irish Financial Services
Regulatory Authority;
the Irish Cancer Society;
the Northern Area Health
Board;
the National Women’s Council of
Ireland; and
the Money Advice and Budgeting
Service.
NALA Annual Report
Plain English
Spreading the word
We also promoted plain English and gave
workshops at a number of events around
the country. In September, we promoted
the service at our National Literacy
Awareness Week and tied it in with the
launch of ‘A Plain English Guide to Legal
Terms’. In October, we promoted plain
English at the Local Government Anti-
Poverty Learning Network regional
meeting in Leitrim. Also in October, we
gave workshops on plain English
techniques at Comhairle’s national
conference for 2003, ‘Information:
Gateway to Inclusion’, and at our
International Literacy Day conference.
In 2004, we look forward to expanding
the service to encompass a wider range
of clients and a programme of workshops
and one-day training sessions.
For further information on plain English
and our service, contact Clodagh
McCarthy, Plain English Project Worker,
by phone on (01) 809 9194 or by email
cmccarthy@nala.ie.
Promoting the NALA Plain English Service
2003–2004 13
 Health and Literacy
NALA projects
developed during
2003
Jennie Lynch (first left) and Sarah O’Brien
(second left), National Health Promotion
Information Project, at the launch of the guidelines
on writing and designing effective health
promotion information materials. The Health
Promotion Unit funded this publication and the
South Eastern Health Board produced it.
14
Health and literacy
In May 2003, we set up a new steering
committee and started the second half of
our health literacy project. After we
invited people to send in a tender for the
project, we commissioned Janet Kehelly
to produce a health pack for group
tutors. We started to pilot the pack in 10
ABE settings in October.
The health pack has covered general
health issues so that group tutors and
health promotion officers can build it
into their work. The topics covered in
the pack were influenced by the findings
of research carried out by Anne
McCarthy in 2001 and 2002 to produce
our health strategy document. We expect
tutors to use this pack in family literacy,
communication and personal
development courses.
In 2004, we will design health literacy
exercises for our Literacy Tools website,
www.literacytools.ie.
For more information on the health
and literacy project, contact Jennifer
Lynch, Project Co-ordinator, by phone
on (021) 431 7012 or by email at
jlynch@nala.ie.
 ICT

Using the Internet for

literacy development
Following an eight-month evaluation of
our how we use the web for literacy
tuition, literacy consultant Janet Kehelly
wrote an evaluation report. This report
outlined how basic education settings are
using information and communication
technologies (ICT) and identified areas
of the website that needed to be
improved.
Throughout the year we also worked to
make sure that the site was disability-
friendly. Currently, it reaches Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Level 1
standard, meaning that no group of
people is unable to access information on
the site. We also developed a training
day for tutors to introduce them to this ‘www.literacytools.ie’ – the NALA website to
support adult literacy learning and tutoring
website and other relevant software.
We hope to launch the site in the
summer of 2004 and engage in a
publicity campaign. Also in 2004, we
plan to work with UCC to evaluate the
site using WAMMI, a questionnaire to
measure visitors’ opinions on how easy a
website is to use.
For more information on literacytools.ie,
contact Jennifer Lynch, Project Co-
ordinator, by phone on (021) 431 7012
or by email at jlynch@nala.ie.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 15

 ESOL

English for Speakers of

ESOL learners at a VEC Adult Literacy Scheme
Other Languages (ESOL)
ESOL training for tutors
By the end of 2003, we offered six
different one-day non-accredited ESOL
courses and workshops. These were:
Introduction to ESOL (formally
ESOL 1);
Developing ESOL (formally
ESOL 2);
ESOL: How to Teach Grammar;
ESOL: Teaching the Four Skills;
ESOL: FETAC Language
Module Workshop; and
Intercultural Awareness.
We also piloted, with Waterford Institute
of Technology (WIT), a new ESOL
module for ESOL tutors as part of the
NALA/WIT National Certificate in
Literacy Development. We plan to pilot a
second ESOL module in February and
March 2004.

Paving the way for ESOL resources

In March 2003, we launched ‘Paving the
Way’, a materials and resources pack for
ESOL tutors. The aim of the pack is to
give some guidance to literacy service
tutors on how to teach learners who do
not have English as a first language.
There are learner background facts and
figures and methods and materials for
teaching ESOL. You can get the pack
from the NALA Resource Room, at a
price of e10.

16

ESOL policy guidelines
In March 2003, we produced ‘English
for Speakers of Other Languages: Policy
Guidelines and Supports for VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes’. These guidelines,
drafted by our ESOL working group,
include recommendations on the
following six areas within ESOL:
outreach and promotion;
provision and participation;
assessment;
accreditation;
training and support; and
equal status policy.
ESOL: FETAC language module
Our ESOL policy guidelines recommend
that ESOL learners submit language
portfolios to FETAC for accreditation. In
2003, ESOL learners from a variety of
adult literacy schemes already submitted
their language portfolios and received
accreditation from FETAC.
For further information on any aspect of
ESOL, contact Fergus Dolan, Training
Officer, by phone on (01) 809 9191 or by
email at fdolan@nala.ie.
World Wise: development
education pack for adult literacy
learners
In 2003, we responded to learners’ needs
for more varied literacy-friendly
materials by producing ‘World Wise’, an
adult learning pack on issues faced by
developing countries. We worked with
Co. Clare Reading and Writing Scheme
and Trócaire to put this pack together
and help broaden the range of themes
covered by literacy-friendly materials.
Previously, learners had told us that
NALA Annual Report
ESOL
resources and books aimed at them
covered only a small number of topics.
The resource materials in ‘World Wise’
were written by Moira Greene and Pauline
Murphy from Co. Clare Reading and
Writing Scheme and were developed by
an advisory committee involving Eithne
Brennan from Trócaire and four adult
literacy schemes that piloted the materials
with their adult literacy learners.
‘World Wise’ is made up of four units,
each containing stories, poems, words
and pictures. It aims to:
introduce adult literacy learners
to development issues;
present the themes and issues in
a way that encourages people to
read, write and discuss these
them; and
help learners realise that they
can play an active role in
supporting migrant workers,
refugees and asylum seekers
working in Ireland.
Father Peter McVerry, SJ, launched ‘World
Wise’ at our International Literacy Day
conference in October 2003. You can get
copies of the pack from our Resource
Room for e13, including postage.
For more information on ‘World Wise’,
contact Fergus Dolan, Training Officer,
by phone on (01) 809 9191 or by email at
fdolan@nala.ie.
‘World Wise’, an adult
learners’ development
education support pack
2003–2004 17
 Regional Development
Celebrating NLAW in Waterford were
Nicola McCarthy, VEC Adult Literacy Organiser,
Co. Waterford, Seamus Ryan, Deputy Lord Mayor,
Waterford City Council, costume character Joe,
Joanne Geraghty, VEC Adult Literacy Organiser,
Waterford City and Margaret Murray, NALA
18
Regional development
Two new regional development workers
joined us in 2003. Since May, Margaret
Murray has been the Regional
Development Worker for the southern
region. Based in our Cork office, her
work covers Cork city and county, Kerry,
Limerick, Waterford, Wexford and
Kilkenny.
Peter Kiernan is our Regional
Development Worker for the midlands,
west, northwest and northeast of the
country. His work covers Donegal, Mayo,
Sligo, Galway, Clare, Carlow, Laois,
Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath, Meath,
Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan
and Louth. Since he joined in May, he
has been based in our Mullingar office.
Our regional work in 2003 fell under the
following broad categories:
supporting ABE settings and
obtaining feedback;
developing policies and plans;
and
organising regional events.
Supporting schemes and
obtaining feedback
Throughout 2003, the regional
development workers contacted VEC
Adult Literacy Schemes to offer them
support and advice in adopting the
Quality Framework and ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’, the assessment
framework, and answer any questions
they had.

They also met schemes to get their opinions
on different initiatives and to hear about
the progress of projects such as the Return
to Education Programme. This feedback
from the regions has been very useful, as it
tells us about the experience of VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes on the ground.
Developing policies and plans
Margaret and Peter have both developed
policies and plans to guide our work in
the future. Margaret has developed a
draft learner development policy.
Learner development is about the
broader aspects of literacy, such as
improving self-esteem and building
confidence, which enable learners to
reflect and make positive change in their
lives. We have already reviewed our
existing work in this area, so our policy
exists to outline what more work we will
do to meet the needs of learners within
our existing resources and
responsibilities.
Late in 2003, Peter completed a position
paper to explore how we can make contacts
with literacy providers in the broader adult
community education sector and to guide
our actions in the future. In 2004, we hope
to continue to expand our services to
education and training providers outside
the VEC Adult Literacy Schemes, such as
prisons, Youthreach Centres and FÁS
Community Training Centres. These
provide literacy tuition and support, but
may not be fully aware of the range of
services and supports that we offer.
NALA Annual Report
Regional Development
Organising regional events
Margaret organised a Cork event for
National Literacy Awareness Week in
September, and got assistance from the
Money Advice and Budgeting Service, Cork
City Library, Comhairle and a member of
the Faculty of Law, University College
Cork. Over 60 people attended the event,
including members from VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes, city and county libraries,
national schools, the City Council, the
prison service, the community and
voluntary sector and University College
Cork.
In 2003, Peter co-facilitated a number of
regional events, including the learners’
forum in Roscommon and the regional
tutors’ forum in Athlone.
Providing information
On an ongoing basis, we provide
information to VEC Adult Literacy
Schemes and other NALA members on
our work and on general literacy
developments. If you wish to access any
literacy resources, you can look at the
large sample of literacy resources in the
Cork and Mullingar offices by
appointment and then order them from
our Resource Room in our Dublin office.
For more information on developments
in the southern region, contact Margaret
Murray by phone on (021) 431 7011 or
by email at mmurray@nala.ie.
For more information on developments
in the midlands, west and northeast,
contact Peter Kiernan by phone on
(044) 40374 or by email at
pkiernan@nala.ie.
2003–2004 19
 Workplace Basic Education
Keynote speaker Chris James, Executive Director,
Cleaning Industry National Training Organisation
UK, at the WBE seminar in June with Olivia
O’Leary, event chairperson
20
Workplace Basic
Education (WBE)
Work continued on the development of
Workplace Basic Education in 2003. The
beginning of the year saw the national
agreement, Programme for Sustaining
Progress (PSP), refer to our Workplace
Basic Education Strategy document. The
PSP states, “a workplace basic education
and literacy/ numeracy/ Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT)
programme will be implemented as part
of this, building on the recommendations
of the National Adult Literacy Agency
report on a Workplace Basic Education
Strategy and the Report of the Task
Force on Lifelong Learning. Pilot
initiatives will be implemented in
targeted sectors where there are
vulnerable workers, in partnership with
trade unions.” (Chapter 2 – Special
Initiatives 2.8 Tackling Educational
Disadvantage – Literacy, Numeracy and
Early School Leavers, page 30)
We continued to raise awareness and
promote the issue of WBE with key
stakeholders such as Government
departments, employers and trade unions.
We did this by sending information and
invitations to our seminar, holding meetings
and networking. As a result, we dealt with
many requests for information and
solutions to literacy issues in the workplace.
We maintained and developed links with
other relevant organisations, including
FÁS and NQAI. In particular, we began
discussions with the Service to Business
section of FÁS on how to develop basic
education in the workplace.

Helping employers to
‘close the gap’
In June 2003, we held a very successful
half-day seminar on the issues
surrounding Workplace Basic Education.
There we launched our brochure, named
‘Closing the Gap’, which includes
findings from our 2002 research on
developing a workplace literacy policy
and guidelines for Irish employers.
Media commentator Olivia O'Leary
chaired the seminar and An Taoiseach,
Bertie Ahern, TD, and a number of UK
and Irish experts from business addressed
it. Speakers included Chris James,
Executive Director of the Cleaning
Industry National Training Organisation in
the UK, Anne Heraty, CEO of Computer
Placement Ltd., and Inez Bailey from
NALA. Representatives from Pauwels Trafo
Ltd., Cavan, and Smurfit Corrugated Ltd.,
Dublin, also gave presentations on running
a workplace basic education programme.
Shay Roche, a participant in the Return to
Learning programme in South Dublin
County Council, spoke on his experience
of attending the programme. The seminar
was attended by over 100 people and
proved very interesting.
Return to learning in the
local authorities
In 2003, the Return to Learning project
went from strength to strength. The 34
local authorities and VECs continued to
work together to develop these
programmes and we supported the
project co-ordinators. About 300 learners
in 50 groups took part in 2003. Once
again, all people who took part gave very
positive feedback and plans are underway
NALA Annual Report
Workplace Basic Education
to continue and expand these
programmes further.
Devising a Workplace Basic
Education model for Small
Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
In 2003, the Department of Enterprise,
Trade and Employment accepted our
proposal, under the In-Company Training
measure, for a project to devise a WBE
model for SMEs. We have been working
with the support agency, Enterprise
Ireland, on the funding process and how to
monitor the project. We are working with
Monaghan VEC to introduce this project.
Training for adult literacy tutors
on WBE
In 2003, we worked with Waterford
Institute of Technology (WIT) to design
a WBE national certificate module for
experienced literacy tutors. We plan to
pilot the course in 2004.
For more information on literacy in the
workplace, contact Helen Ryan, Project
Co-ordinator, by phone on (01) 809 9197
or by email at hryan@nala.ie.
‘Closing the Gap’,
NALA report on
Workplace Basic
Education
2003–2004 21
 Literacy through the media
Derek Mooney at NALA head office
for Read Write Now 4
22
Literacy through
the media
In 2003, we continued to develop the
literacy through the media project. In
spring 2003, four community radio
stations rebroadcast the literacy radio
series, Read Write Now. In the autumn,
RTE broadcast a fourth TV series of
Read Write Now.
Continuing the focus of learning
to learn with Read Write Now
(RWN) TV series 4
Once we secured funding, we began to
develop a fourth TV series in spring
2003. We worked closely with the TV
production company AV-Edge to
advance the series based on the feedback
and evaluation of RWN 3. The fourth
series continued the theme of learning to
learn. This influenced the format of the
programmes, as we introduced some new
elements such as one presenter and main
locations for the ‘expert’ section.
RTE 1 broadcast the series on
Wednesday nights at 7.30pm from
1 October and repeated it the following
Tuesday at midnight. The Wednesday
night programme attracted an average
audience of 124,000 each week, while the
repeat on Tuesdays attracted an average
of 33,000. The audience reached a peak
on week 5 (29 October) when 198,000
viewers tuned in for both broadcasts.

Learners can now get a copy of each TV
series on video. Each VEC Adult Literacy
Scheme and local library has copies. We
also sent copies to other groups, such as
FÁS Community Training Centres, the
National Training and Development
Institutes and Youthreach. Some copies are
also available in the NALA Resource Room.
Continuing the freephone service
We re-opened the freephone tutor support
line for RWN in mid-September, operating
from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Experienced tutors answered telephone
queries about the points in the TV
programme and the free pack that learners
had received. In total, we sent out about
23,000 learner packs to independent
learners, literacy schemes and interested
groups. Although the TV series ended in
December 2003, we have kept the
freephone number so that people can
request learner packs and we can refer
people to VEC literacy schemes.
The NALA freephone support line was very
busy, with a total of 8,000 calls. About 7,000
of these came from independent learners.
We also noticed a higher number of calls
from learners who wanted support and
encouragement with their learning.
Our freephone helpline tutors included:

Ann Chadwick

Ann Mary Flynn

Bernie McCarthy

Dara McMahon

Emma Bailey

Maureen Conlon

Marian Hickey

Niamh Kelly
NALA Annual Report
Literacy through the media
Evaluating the third Read Write
Now TV series
In 2003, we continued to monitor and
evaluate each TV series when it finished.
Last year, we published the report
evaluating the third Read Write Now TV
series. Written by external consultant, Liz
McSkeane, this outlined the outcomes of
the series, based on feedback from
independent learners and literacy
providers, and made recommendations
for future series.
Media Advisory Group
The Media Advisory Group continued to
meet regularly in 2003 to guide the work
of the literacy through the media project.
The group includes Peggy Murphy, a
representative from NALA, Des
O’Loughlin, the Department of
Education and Science, RTÉ, Rodger
Curran the Chief Executive Officers
Association (CEOA), the Irish Vocational
Education Association (IVEA), Pat
Stanton, the Adult Education Organisers
Association (AEOA), and the Adult
Literacy Organisers Association (ALOA).
Read Write Now 4 Learner Handbook
2003–2004 23
 Literacy through the media

Delivering literacy and numeracy

tuition through local community
radio
In 2003, we continued to work with the
Community Radio Forum (CRF) and
local VECs. The literacy radio series,
Read Write Now, was broadcast on the
following four local community radio
stations from May to July:
Community Radio Castlebar,
Co. Mayo;
Inishowen Community Radio,
Co. Donegal;
NEAR FM, Dublin; and
Raidio Corca Baiscinn, Co. Clare.
Each station broadcast the 10-week series
every Wednesday at different times. The
local VECs worked closely with the radio
stations to promote and support the
broadcast. We evaluated the process and
the outcomes over the summer and got
useful information and recommendations
for future collaboration.
We plan to re-broadcast the numeracy
radio series, Time 4 Learning, in early Michael Costello, Joyce Burns, Adult Literacy
Organiser, Martina Needham, Adult Literacy
2004. Co-ordinator, and Jim Doherty of Inishowen
Community Radio at the announcement of the
For more information on literacy through
re-broadcast of Time 4 Learning
the media, contact Helen Ryan, Project
Co-ordinator, by phone on (01) 809 9197
or by email at hryan@nala.ie.

24

Frank Donnelly, FÁS Regional Director,
launching ‘Skillwords’ integrating literacy
support pack
NALA Annual Report
Integrating literacy
Integrating literacy into
vocational education and
training programmes
Throughout 2003, we worked to
encourage further education and training
providers to build literacy support into
their programmes. This work was funded
by the Department of Education and
Science and by FÁS. The work in 2003
aimed to promote ‘Integrating Literacy:
NALA Guidelines for Further Education
and Training Centres’, which we had
produced in 2002 to outline the reasons
for building literacy into all education and
training programmes and describe the key
elements of an integrated, whole-centre
approach to literacy. Aside from promoting
the guidelines, we supported education
and training centres to apply them in
practice. In particular, we co-operated with
FÁS in encouraging the whole-centre
approach to literacy in Community
Training Centres (CTCs).
Training for vocational trainers
and subject-teachers
In 2003, 83 teachers and trainers took
part in the NUI Certificate Course in
Integrating Literacy, provided by NUI
Maynooth. Jointly designed by NUI
Maynooth and NALA, the course has
aimed to give vocational trainers and
subject teachers the knowledge and skills
to build literacy into their programmes.
Most participants were from FÁS
Community Training Centres (CTCs),
VEC Youthreach Centres and Senior
Traveller Training Centres.
2003–2004 25
 Integrating literacy
Teachers and trainers from NTDI, CERT
and VTOS also took part. The course
ran on four occasions, three of which
were organised by FÁS and delivered by
NUI Maynooth. The fourth course
began in October, and has been
delivered by Donegal VEC Adult
Literacy Scheme in cooperation with
NUI Maynooth. Congratulations to
Martina Needham, Adult Literacy Co-
ordinator, for making this accredited
course available through the adult
literacy scheme for the first time, as part
of a range of supports offered to local
education and training centres.
Training for literacy tutors
In 2003, Waterford Institute of Technology
(WIT) approved a new Integrating Literacy
course module specifically designed for
literacy tutors, as part of the National
Certificate for Literacy Development. It
aims to equip literacy tutors with the skills
to be literacy facilitators in education and
training settings. It will be delivered for the
first time in Spring 2004.
Training for managers
While a number of managers and co-
ordinators have taken part in the NUI
Maynooth Integrating Literacy course
since it first began in 1999, there has been
no literacy training programme specifically
for the managers of education and training
centres. In 2003, we agreed steps with FÁS
to provide literacy-related training for CTC
managers. A literacy module will be part of
a general management training
programme to take place in 2004. The
module will aim to help managers use the
guidelines on integrating literacy in their
whole-centre planning.
26
Literacy tutor networks
In 2003, three network meetings were
held for literacy tutors who work in
CTCs and Department of Justice
Training Centres. About 30 tutors took
part in the meetings, which were held in
Dublin, Cork and Athlone. The meetings
gave the tutors a chance to share their
experience of literacy work in training
centres and in the context of working
with young people.
National conference of
CTC literacy tutors
In November, the third national
conference of literacy tutors working in
CTCs took place over two days in
Dublin. On the first day, the CTC tutors
joined with tutors from the adult literacy
service in a seminar on Multiple
Intelligences, and then took part in a
workshop on the integrated approach to
literacy. At the workshop, Helen Power
outlined what applying the integration
guidelines meant for her as a literacy
tutor in Clonmel CTC. The second day
of the conference centred on a seminar
led by Dr Alan Mortiboys, on Emotional
Intelligence and Motivation. About 30
tutors attended the conference.
Developing materials
In 2003, we published ‘Skillwords’, a
resource pack for integrating literacy
into foundation-level vocational training.
The pack includes basic literacy materials
relating to woodwork, catering, art,
music, pottery and electronics. Those
taking part in the NUI Maynooth
Integrating Literacy course developed
the materials in consultation with their
 Integrating literacy

learners. We sent copies of the pack to tutors and learners in FÁS Community
VEC Adult Literacy Schemes, and to all Training Centres, VEC Youthreach
FÁS CTCs, VEC Youthreach Centres, Centres and Senior Traveller Training
and Senior Traveller Training Centres. Centres helped to pilot:
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’,
Putting the integrating literacy the draft assessment framework
guidelines into practice for literacy and numeracy; and
A number of centres during 2003 Literacy Tools, our website for
demonstrated how, by applying the distance literacy learning,
integrating literacy guidelines, they can www.literacytools.ie.
make their education and training
For more information on integrating
programmes more inclusive. Some, such
literacy into vocational education and
as Clonmel CTC, were flexible in how
training centres, contact Blathnaid Ní
they scheduled literacy tutor hours and
Chinnéide, Integrating Literacy Co-
so strengthened staff team-work around
ordinator, by phone on (01) 809 9190 or
literacy. Others, such as Newbridge CTC,
by email at bnichinneide@nala.ie.
used the 10 guidelines as a framework
for whole-centre planning. Some Post-
Leaving Cert (PLC) centres, such as
Liberties College in Dublin, used PLC
staff development to address literacy
issues, and built literacy support into
recruitment, induction and course
delivery at that level.
We have received positive feedback about
the guidelines from a number of
organisations and literacy practitioners
internationally. In particular, the New
Zealand literacy organisation, Workbase,
used our guidelines in 2003 as the basis
for a similar policy document in that
country.

Including education and training

centres in national literacy ‘Skillwords’ integrating literacy
initiatives support pack

One strong aspect of the Integrating

Literacy work in 2003, was encouraging
learners and practitioners in education
and training centres to take part in
national literacy initiatives. In 2003,

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 27

 Quality Framework

Grounded in Quality:
the Evolving
Quality Framework Though only in its second year of
general use, the Quality Framework has
for Adult Basic gained a lot of ground in VEC Adult

Education in 2003 Literacy Schemes in 2003. Over 80 of the

135 VEC Adult Literacy Schemes used
the Quality Framework, representing an
increase of 20 sites since 2002. The fast
and high uptake of the Quality
Framework is testimony to users’ positive
experiences and belief that it is a
worthwhile and effective tool to improve
quality in adult basic education.

Valuable lessons from 2002

County Limerick Adult Literacy Service Quality
Framework team: (left to right) Maria Hartigan,
Agnes Normoyle, Gretta Vaughan, Adult Literacy
Organiser, Carrie Walsh, Meadhbh Casey and
Bill Hayes
Findings from our research in 2002
showed that the Quality Framework was a
valuable tool for VEC schemes to evaluate
how they are doing and that, with repeated
practice, the evaluation process got
considerably easier. The research findings
also highlighted new support needs.
In terms of support needs, one of the key
themes was the need for greater
preparation with team members before
the first Quality Framework meeting,
especially to clarify what the Quality
Framework is about, as well as its purpose
and the role of each team member.
As a result of the research, we introduced:
a new training and information
day for Anchor Persons;
a revised Quality Framework
facilitator training programme;
and
a summary of the Quality
Framework user guide.
We also increased the funding for
Quality Framework participants.

28

New training day for
Anchor Persons
We created the role of Anchor Person to
support Adult Literacy Organisers
(ALOs) and Directors in implementing
the Quality Framework in their own
Adult Literacy Schemes. We planned
that their role would be largely
administrative, but services saw great
potential to develop the role of the
Anchor Person to cover areas such as
providing support to learners and tutors
between Quality Framework meetings
and storing and cross-referencing
evidence collected by teams.
Early in 2003, we ran a training and
information day for Anchor Persons to
clarify their role. The 27 people who
attended found it a very useful
opportunity to discuss and explore the
role of Anchor Person. Participants left
with greater clarity on their role and
their right to negotiate with ALOs or
Directors about their tasks in light of
available funding.
Improved Quality Framework
facilitators’ training programme
In 2003, we extended the Quality
Framework facilitator training
programme from one to two consecutive
days and revised it to make it more
interactive and ‘real’. We delivered the
training with Grace Doyle (former
Quality Framework Co-ordinator and
Quality Framework facilitator) and
invited Avril Bailey as a guest speaker.
She spoke to those taking part about her
experiences of being a facilitator with
single and multiple centres. This slot was
an especially popular and effective
NALA Annual Report
Quality Framework
feature of the training – one that we will
repeat. In 2003, 16 participants
completed the facilitator training.
Summary of the Quality
Framework User Guide
Feedback showed that schemes needed a
new short introduction to the ‘Evolving
Quality Framework for Adult Basic
Education User Guide’ so that they could
make the most of it as a support tool. We
developed a summary of the user guide
and issued it to all participating ABE
settings. Learners and facilitators, in
particular, warmly welcomed the summary.
Using the Quality Framework
in 2003
Of the 33 VEC Adult Literacy Schemes,
28 used the Quality Framework in 2003.
Some used the Framework on an
individual basis, but others used it in
clusters, especially in Co. Cork. Due to
the heavy workload of VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes, the start time for
Quality Framework meetings was
staggered throughout 2003. Some places
only started their local evaluation
meetings before Christmas.
New users of the Quality Framework
received more funding – up until 2003,
they had funding for a facilitator at five
local meetings; in 2003, they had
funding for six. Services that had used
the Quality Framework before had
funding for three facilitated meetings in
2003 and had to facilitate the remainder
at their own expense.
We expect that ABE providers besides
VEC Adult Literacy Schemes will use the
Quality Framework in 2004.
2003–2004 29
 Quality Framework
Attending local meetings
In 2003, we attended two local Quality
Framework meetings, one in Letterkenny
and the other in SIPTU, Dublin. What
was striking was that both sites were
using the Quality Framework well, but in
a way that suited their particular
circumstances and resources. The ideas
and creativity within these teams was
exciting and inspirational.
Learners suggest new way of
using learner subsidies
In 2002 and 2003 the theme of the
NALA learner subsidies was, “Introduce
learners to the NALA Quality Framework
and outline their role in the process.” In
2003, more ABE settings applied for the
subsidy than in 2002, so we exceeded
our budget.
A particularly interesting use of learner
subsidies in 2003 was an inter-county
pilot learner training programme,
suggested by learners and developed
jointly by Co. Offaly and Co. Kilkenny
VECs. They hosted an inter-county
learner forum on key initiatives for
learners, especially the Quality
Framework. This collaboration between
schemes proved very effective and
learners agreed that the inter-county
approach was the way forward.
Strengthened links between the
Quality Framework and FETAC’s
work on quality
Throughout 2003, we met with the
Further Education and Training Awards
Council (FETAC) to discuss their work to
develop a draft Quality Assurance
Descriptor for the further education and
30
training sector. We presented a paper to
contribute the adult literacy perspective
to FETAC’s work on quality. Many
similarities exist between the Quality
Framework and the draft FETAC Quality
Assurance Descriptor.
FETAC invited us and providers in other
sectors to get involved in piloting their draft
descriptor. We supported the Donegal VEC
Adult Literacy Scheme in completing the
draft descriptor and we will continue our
work in this area in 2004.
Future plans
Throughout 2003, the Quality
Framework has gone from strength to
strength. With increasing users of the
Framework and growing confidence and
expertise on the ground, the evaluation
process has gained pace and proved itself
to be a sustainable and worthwhile
initiative for all those interested in
improving quality in ABE. The challenge
is to continue to build on the strengths of
the Quality Framework evaluation
process and to regularly review and
update it. We look forward to this
challenge.
For more information on the Quality
Framework, contact Claire O’Riordan,
Quality Framework Co-ordinator, by
phone on (01) 809 9193 or by email at
coriordan@nala.ie.
 Adult Literacy Research

Adult literacy
research
In 2003, we completed year one of a
four-year programme of research under
our Strategic Plan 2002–2006. It was a
busy year for research in the Agency with
many projects drawing to a close (for
example, workplace and assessment) and
new projects being explored (for
example, ESOL, visual literacy and ICT
assessment and integrating literacy into
art, disability and sport provision).
It was also a year for expanding our
research networks – both national and
international – by attending and speaking
at conferences and also seeking meetings
with education providers who had an
interest in adult literacy research. As ever,
throughout 2003, the aim of our research
work was to influence Government policy
and maintain a flow of relevant and
timely information into the Agency.

Update on ‘Mapping the

Learning Journey’
In 2003, the NALA assessment
framework team consisted of:
consultant advisor, Dr. Juliet
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’ Merrifield;
researcher, Liz McSkeane; and
two tutor trainers, Marea
Mulqueen and Elaine Wilson-Gill.
Some key NALA staff supported the team,
alongside Beth Marr of the Centre for
Post-Compulsory Education and Training
Research, RMIT University, Australia. We
were very fortunate to have Beth’s
expertise. She supported the team in

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 31

 Adult Literacy Research
developing the numeracy section of
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’ in light of
feedback from the tutors and learners who
worked to develop the framework with us.
The focus of the research in 2003 was to:
finish testing the framework;
revise it in light of feedback; and
have the final version validated
by the tutors and learners who
had worked to develop it.
We expanded the number and range of
places developing and testing the
framework in 2003. In all, we consulted
20 places, including VEC Adult Literacy
Schemes, FÁS Community Training
Centres, Youthreach Centres, Senior
Traveller Training Centres, prison
education sites and Merchants Quay
Ireland.
In February 2003, we held two separate
training sessions in Dublin on how to use
the framework. One was for those who
were new to the project and the other
was for those who had been involved in
2002. Participating tutors, Adult Literacy
Organisers (ALOs) and Centre Managers
received an intensive training session so
that they could go back to their places of
work and try using the framework with
their learners.
Between February and May 2003, the
tutors used the framework with their
learners. We asked them to comment on
the style and value of the framework’s
user guide and how useful the training
had been to them. We offered support
whenever they needed it. This included
at least two visits to each pilot location,
which served as extra support and a way
to gather samples of work and general
32
information on how the whole process
was going. In May 2003, tutors, ALOs
and Centre Managers returned to Dublin
for a short session, which allowed us to
discuss their feedback and agree
decisions and recommendations on
finalising the framework. Overall, tutors
and learners rated ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’ as a very useful tool.
From June to September 2003, the
assessment framework team worked on
completing the framework in light of the
agreements reached with tutors in May.
The value of the involvement of tutors and
learners in developing ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’ has been immeasurable.
Workshops on ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’
At International Literacy Day in October
2003 we hosted a workshop for learners
to inform them about ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’ and get their
feedback on a draft information
pamphlet for learners. This was a very
energetic workshop, attended by a large
number of tutors and learners from all
over the country, who gave invaluable
feedback. We learned a lot from that day
and we are applying their
recommendations to the pamphlet.
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’ was the
theme for the National Tutors Forum in
January 2004. Dr. Juliet Merrifield and
Liz McSkeane spoke at the main event. A
key feature was a presentation by
Caroline Magee, a tutor from County
Donegal VEC and a learner she is
working with. They spoke of their
experience of developing the framework
with us and shared their thoughts on the
 Adult Literacy Research

value of ‘Mapping the Learning Journey’ Library and information service

as a tool for teaching and learning.
Another successful feature of the day was
a number of workshops on mapping
learning under the four cornerstones of
the framework.
Before the project closed, the team
produced a draft mainstreaming plan.
From October to December 2003, we
consulted on this draft plan with the
Department of Education and Science,
the IVEA and VEC personnel
professional associations. The framework
is part of the NALA Evolving Quality
Framework and schemes can choose
whether to use it. We developed it for
tutors to use with learners below FETAC
Foundation Level in response to needs
identified when developing the NALA
Evolving Quality Framework. Training
on how to use the Quality Framework is
crucial to understanding and using
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’.
Throughout 2003, we revised and
developed our library to better meet the
increasing demand for information on
adult literacy research from researchers
outside the Agency. The library’s primary
function is still to meet staff needs for
research information. However, external
researchers can make appointments to
access the library materials – but not
borrow them – on an individual basis
from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
We would like to acknowledge and thank
Sinead Jackson for her valuable
contribution to developing the library.

Workshops on ‘Mapping the

Learning Journey’
‘Mapping the Learning Journey’ is due to
be launched in March 2004. We have
already advertised training on the
framework in the 2003–2004 NALA
training calendar. ABE settings beginning
to use the framework will be supported at a
local level by key NALA staff. We have also
recruited a number of trainers who will be
Left to right: Margaret Murray, NALA,
available on a regional basis from March and Gemma Lynch, NALA, facilitating a
2004 to train tutors in using the framework. workshop on ‘Mapping the Learning Journey’
Also in spring 2004, we will begin work
on including ESOL, ICT and visual
literacy assessment tools in ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’, following feedback
from the pilot.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 33

 Adult Literacy Research

Promoting research
Over 2003 we were committed to
furthering our promotional work on
research. This involved different strands,
including:
attending meetings with
organisations and individuals
that shared an interest in adult
literacy research;
sharing our research work with
national and international
researchers, policy makers and
academics; and
supporting many third level
students who were completing
assignments on adult literacy.
We are delighted that many of those who
contacted us for information on adult
literacy research were VEC tutors and
organisers completing a NALA/WIT
module. We look forward to expanding
this work in 2004.
Our other main area of work was the
EU-funded ‘Reprise’ project, details of
which are in our ‘International links’
chapter. ‘Mapping the Learning Journey’
learners’ support pages
For more information on ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’, research projects or
the library, contact Gemma Lynch,
Research Officer, by phone on (01) 809
9192 or by email at gemma@nala.ie.

34
 Training and development

Training and
development
VEC Adult Literacy Schemes continued
to develop and expand in 2003 in three
main ways.
The number of learners
throughout the country rose to
28,675, an increase of one-fifth
over the previous 12 months.
About 1,500 paid literacy tutors
and 4,200 volunteer tutors were
working in the VECs by the end
of the year.
The budget for the year rose by
10% to e18.07 million, indicating
that the VEC Adult Literacy
Schemes continue to demonstrate
flexibility and value for money
(see Figure 1).
As a member of the National Adult
Literacy Advisory Group, we met twice in
2003 with fellow members from the
IVEA (the representative body for
VECs), FÁS, the ALOA, the Library
Council and the Department of Social
NALA In-service Training in action and Family Affairs to explore together
how we could build on the success of the

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Figure 1.
Number of learners and budget for adult literacy

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 35

 Training and development
sector and develop the policies and
targets set out in the White Paper,
‘Learning for Life’ (2000). Together, the
Group has started to consider a draft
implementation plan to achieve this goal.
We also began discussions with the IVEA
and the VEC Adult Literacy Forum to
agree ways of working together and to
achieve the common goal of advancing
adult literacy services in Ireland.
NALA/WIT Accreditation Project
A highlight of 2003 was the graduation
of Edel Keogh and Mary Jordan, who
completed the National Certificate in
Literacy Development by doing ‘single
certificate’ modules. Edel and Mary were
the first to graduate in this way and we
commend them for their efforts and
diligence.
We developed with WIT the following
modules during 2003:
Training of Trainers;
Workplace Basic Education;
Integrating Literacy;
Introduction to ESOL (formally
ESOL 1); and
Developing ESOL (formally
ESOL 2).
ESOL stands for English for Speakers of
Other Languages and there was
considerable discussion about these
modules. We developed the course for
literacy tutors who do not have second
language acquisition training. In the
future, we plan to introduce further
training for tutors who have ESOL or
language training.
In 2003, we also developed a distance
education format of the Quality
Management module. This web-based
36
course could be one way of addressing
access to training for literacy
practitioners. We plan to pilot and
evaluate these modules in 2004.
During the year, we also evaluated the
project in detail, a process that has
highlighted the need for two important
pieces of work:
developing a strategic plan for
the project; and
conducting a ‘programmatic
review’ of all the courses.
Before starting either of these pieces of
work, we will need to consult with all
those who have a stake in the project.
We also plan to develop a degree level
course in literacy in 2004.
NALA Training Advisory Group
Late in 2002, we established a Training
Advisory Group (TAG) to advise on
developing training and review and evaluate
the different elements of our training.
In 2003, the group recommended, amongst
others, that we publish a training directory
and a review of the evaluation process for
our training events. We published the
‘NALA In-Service Training Directory
2003–2004’ in September and we are
currently reviewing how we evaluate
training. We plan to produce guidelines
for evaluation by April 2004.
The Training Advisory Group consists of:
Maria Culbert, Parish of the Travelling
People; Eileen Curtis, AEOA; Columba
O’Connor, NALA Executive; Terry Maguire,
Trainer; Avril Bailey, Trainer; Anne Gilbert,
NALA Executive (standing down from
group); Marian Duffy, ALOA; Rosamond
Phillips, Trainer; Jean Deevey, BETA.
 Training and development

NALA in-service training Adult Literacy Organisers’

We held a wide range of training events Forum 2003
throughout the country in 2003 (see The Adult Literacy Organisers’ Forum
Table 1). We held 32 different in-service took place in March 2003 in Westport,
training events (seven more than in Co. Mayo. The theme for the Forum was
2002) in 13 locations around the country. ‘partnership’ and we worked with the
To meet demand, we increased the North West region of the ALOA to
number of Saturday in-service training arrange the location and programme of
days. Courses can be arranged either for the event. Fifty-nine ALOs attended and
individual literacy schemes or VEC adult warmly received the diverse
education services or on a group or contributions from speakers.
regional basis.
All our training developments – the
calendar, the directory and the
NALA/WIT Accreditation Project – exist
to help adult literacy and basic education
managers meet the in-service training
needs of adult literacy tutors and ALOs.

NALA In-service Training Directory 2004

Table 1: NALA training and development 2003

No. courses Delivered* Locations Participants
NALA in-service 32 40 13 821
NALA/WIT 12 20 5 319
National Tutors Forum 1 1 1 225
Regional Tutors Fora 5 5 5 150
ALO Forum 1 1 1 65
Total 51 67 13 1,580

* Some courses were repeated.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 37

 Training and development

National Forum for

Adult Literacy Tutors 2004
Over 230 adult literacy tutors from all
around the country attended the National
Forum for Literacy Tutors at the end of
January 2004 in Dublin. The day focused
on ‘Mapping the Learning Journey’.
Speakers included Dr. Juliet Merrifield and
Liz McSkeane, and the forum was also
addressed by a learner and tutor who were
involved in the pilot stages of the
framework. Evaluations reported the forum
to be well organised, interesting and
challenging. The most positive point was
the clarity of the speakers, while a negative
point was the use of the word ‘assessment’,
which both tutors and learners regarded as
intimidating. Seven workshops were run in
the afternoon on reading, writing,
numeracy, oral skills, developing materials, Inez Bailey, Director NALA, addressing the
lesson-planning and English for Speakers of National Forum for Adult Literacy Tutors, 2004
Other Languages (ESOL).
For more information on training,
contact Fergus Dolan, Training Officer,
by phone on (01) 809 9191 or by email at
fdolan@nala.ie.
For more information on national
developments in adult literacy, contact John
Stewart, National Literacy Co-ordinator,
by phone on (01) 809 9196 or by email at
jstewart@nala.ie.

38
 Promoting understanding, support and action

Promoting
understanding,
support and action The year 2003 was a busy time for
promoting deeper understanding,
support and involvement in adult literacy
among the public and key organisations.
Our main activities included:
developing the NALA website;
publishing written material;
organising major promotional
events; and
seeking media coverage.

Using the Internet to reach people

Mary Love and Jean Brophy, Ballymun VEC
Adult Literacy Scheme, at an awareness event
We further developed our website,
www.nala.ie, in 2003. In particular, we:
added 20 new publications, from
one-page flyers to support packs
containing over 100 pages;
wrote and edited a wide range of
updates for the whole site; and
prepared and inserted press
releases and other items for the
‘Noticeboard’ section of the site.
One of our major developments was
starting a process to make the site easier
to use and more accessible to people with
disabilities. We worked with website
consultants at XML Workshop Ltd., who
drafted a report for us on the quality of
our site now and what we need to do to
improve it. We plan to adopt their
recommendations in 2004 so that our
website will be simpler to use.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 39

 Promoting understanding, support and action
Spreading the word through print
In 2003, we published the NALA
Newsletter once. The expanded 12-page
version contained information on over
20 items of news of our work and on
adult literacy in general. We sent the
newsletter to 3,000 literacy practitioners,
politicians, civil servants and to
representatives of the media, national
educational and voluntary sector
organisations and community groups.
We published the NALA Journal once in
2003 to provide insights into our major
projects and commentary on some wider
adult literacy issues. We focused on
getting views from contributors from
outside the Agency, which resulted in
half the contributions coming from
external writers, such as Columba
O’Connor from the Dublin Adult
Learning Centre, Guss O’Connell,
manager of the Community Services
Training Support Unit in FÁS, and John
McMahon, editor of educational
programmes with RTE television. We
issued this to our mailing list members,
which number 2,500 and include policy-
makers, researchers, politicians and
academics.
We also produced a number of other
publications in 2003. The long list is on
page 42.
Organising awareness-raising
events
In September 2003, we held a highly
successful National Literacy Awareness
Week (NLAW), which focused on the legal
and justice system. From the outset, we
got the support of nearly 20 major legal
and justice organisations. We produced a
40
range of promotional material, such as
postcards and posters, and distributed
thousands for the campaign. In addition,
we sent a support pack on NLAW to 135
VEC Adult Literacy Schemes.
NLAW included events with the Law
Society of Ireland, the Irish Prison Service
and the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions. Two VECs, Cork city and
Westmeath, held local events. The week
ended with a conference in the Bar Council
that was chaired by Kieron Wood, barrister
and journalist, and included speakers
Mathias Kelly, Chair of the Bar Council of
England and Wales, John Wild from the
Plain English Campaign and Mark Morgan,
Head of the Education Department, St.
Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.
Our other major public event was a
conference for International Literacy Day
(ILD), which took place in Dublin in
October 2003. This also focused on
literacy and the legal and justice system
and was attended by 250 people. The
conference speakers, including NALA
Director, Inez Bailey, made for a
stimulating morning session. Of particular
note was the motivational presentation
from John Lonergan, Governor of
Mountjoy Prison. In addition, Ivana Bacik,
Reid Professor of Law in Trinity College
Dublin, gave a thought-provoking (and,
at times, amusing) presentation on how
the legal system can exclude people no
matter what their level of literacy. In the
afternoon, workshops gave people a
chance to learn more about the legal
system and about major NALA projects,
such as ‘Mapping the Learning Journey’
and ‘World Wise’, the new development
education pack for adult learners.
 Promoting understanding, support and action

Coverage in the media

In 2003, we continued to supply the media
with a wide range of information. This
took place through one-to-one meetings,
frequent telephone and email contact and
a stream of material by post and fax.
Altogether we issued 10 press releases and
a similar number of press notices of events
and invitations to photo opportunities.
These went to an average of 100 local and
national contacts in print and broadcast
media, resulting in a high level of coverage
locally and nationally throughout the year.
In particular, NLAW got extensive
coverage on TV and radio and in
newspapers. This included coverage on
RTÉ TV news, the Irish Times, The
Sunday Business Post and coverage in a
range of specialist law publications
including the Law Society Gazette and the
Bar Review.
Our main media events included: Taking notes at International Literacy Day, 2003
Read Write Now TV series 4;
Workplace Basic Education
conference, ‘Closing the Gap’;
and
NLAW and ILD events on literacy
and the legal and justice system.
For more information on our
publications and events, contact Tommy
Byrne, Public Relations Officer, by phone
on (01) 809 9195 or by email at
tbyrne@nala.ie.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 41

 Other NALA publications not already mentioned

Other NALA
publications
not already
mentioned

A Plain English Guide NALA Quality Framework Time 2 Learn

to Legal Terms

NALA News Time 4 Learning

Evaluation report of radio series
NALA’s first website
resource initiative Closing the Gap
www.literacytools.ie English for speakers
of Other Languages

Paving the Way Learners’ Page

Mapping the
Learning Journey
More Than Words
NALA Journal NALA In-service
Training Directory
Read Write Now and
Plain English Service
Time 4 Learning
Read Write Now 4
Learner Handbook
Skillwords

Literacy and the Legal Tutor’s Bulletin –

and Justice System Spring and Autumn
Read Write Now TV 2003
Series 3
World Wise

42
 International links

International links

Sharing expertise and

Gemma Lynch, NALA, far left, ‘Reprise’ group
meeting in Lyon, 2003
exploring new ground
Grundtvig Forum for Writing
and Reading Difficulties
in Adults (Forward)
We are the Irish partner in a Grundtvig
project named Forward – Forum for
Writing and Reading Difficulties in Adults.
Our partners in the Forward project are:
Romania
Latvia
Norway
Cyprus
The United Kingdom
Estonia
Malta
Slovenia
Denmark
Germany.
The projects under Grundtvig, a European
Union-funded action, all aim to promote
lifelong learning. The objective of Forward
in particular is to create a long-lasting
European network in the area of adult
literacy, with a special focus on reading and
writing difficulties in adult learners. In
2003, study visits took place in our offices
and in England, Denmark and Cyprus.
The Forward project has set up a website,
www.statvoks.no/forward, for people to
discuss issues, ask questions and share
expertise and research.

Grundtvig 4
In 2003, we agreed to be a partner in
Grundtvig 4, a European level project that

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 43

 International links
focuses on networks and aims to strengthen
the links between the various actors
involved in adult learning so they can co-
operate on and improve their awareness of
the European dimension of education. The
project is in its early stages, but we hope to
take part in organising a conference on
family learning in mid-2005. Other
partners include:
the Clare Family Learning
Project;
the Family Learning Network in
the UK; and
organisations in Denmark,
Sweden, Poland, Italy, France
and Romania.
‘Reprise’
In 2003, the Basic Skills Agency in the
UK invited us to join them again on the
second round of a European Union-
funded project exploring social exclusion
and basic skills. The first round of this
research was concerned with building a
‘European Basic Skills Network to Tackle
Social Exclusion’. The first-round project
partner countries included:
France
Belgium
Denmark
Spain
Ireland
the UK.
The second round of the project is
called ‘Results Exploitation of Research
Information on Social Exclusion’
(Reprise) and seeks to further the
project’s work by adding the following
partners to its network:
Italy
Greece
44
Latvia
Poland
Romania
Malta.
The aim of the project is to get partner
countries to share information and
experiences on tackling basic skills and
social exclusion in the following areas:
housing and homelessness;
health and substance misuse;
crime and crime prevention;
youth isolation; and
refugees and asylum seekers.
Each partner country is represented by a
national organisation responsible for
basic skills development in adult
education. Together, projects redefine
basic skills for the adoption of policy at
EU level and identify innovative
approaches, policy proposals and
appropriate strategies and models of
delivery that can be applied to social
inclusion and basic skills in each partner
country and across the EU in general.
So far, we have travelled to London, Lyon,
in France, and Malta. John Stewart, our
National Literacy Co-ordinator, attended
the first meeting in June 2003. This was the
first time the new partner countries met
with the European Basic Skills Network.
The second visit took place in Lyon, France
in November 2003 and had the theme of
assessment. The third visit took place in
Malta in January 2004 on the theme of
family literacy and was attended by Janet
Webb, Family Learning Co-ordinator with
the Clare Family Learning Project. Three
more visits are due to take place in 2004
before the project ends in September with a
conference in Belgium to share the main
findings on basic skills and social exclusion

and the results of an evaluation of the basic
skills and social exclusion network.
By sharing information, the project
partners hope to generate new and
important information on:
assessment;
innovative methodologies;
partnerships;
community education models;
workplace and family literacy
programmes; and
using ICT as a tool in literacy
provision.
We intend that this in turn will
encourage networking on identifying
models of best practice that new partner
countries could use as part of their
evolving national basic skills strategies.
International Adult Literacy and
Numeracy Consortium
Since 2001, we have been involved in the
International Adult Literacy and Numeracy
Consortium, an informal group of
independent scholars, policy makers,
practitioners and researchers from
Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
In 2003, we acted as the secretariat to the
Consortium and met with them twice.
As part of our work on the Consortium,
we held a meeting with Margaret Kelly
(former Principal Officer, Further
Education Section, Department of
Education and Science) in early 2003 and
discussed the current National Reporting
System for ABE. We proposed that using
the qualitative focus of the Evolving
Quality Framework could greatly improve
the current quantitative-based reporting
NALA Annual Report
International links
system for ABE. We began some work on
how this might happen. In particular, we
engaged Margaret Donaghey to collect
signs of quality and evidence from local
Quality Framework teams to see how they
could be linked back to national reporting
requirements. This work needs to
continue to get a broader and more solid
base of indicators.
In 2003, the Consortium agreed it would
write a paper that defines high quality
programmes and discusses the national
efforts to build quality programmes in
each partner country. The paper will
identify common elements from this
multi-national experience and suggest
critical ‘indicators of quality’.
Participating at conferences
International Conference
on Essential Skills, Belfast,
9–10 June 2003
Along with the Department of Education
and Science, we played a major role in
developing this conference, as an
example of North-South cooperation.
International speakers included:
Professor Mahesh C. Sharma,
Cambridge College, USA, on
mathematics;
Dr John Comings, Director of
the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and
Literacy, USA, on improving
quality in the US;
Professor Allan Quigley, St. Francis
Xavier University, Canada, on a
framework of policy, practice and
research in his country;
2003–2004 45
 International links

Susan Reid, National Centre for New Orleans Literacy Alliance

Workplace Literacy and
Language, New Zealand, on
their national adult literacy
strategy; and
Professor Rosie Wickert,
Australia, on the results of adult
literacy policy in her country.
National Research and
Development Centre for Adult
Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL,
Nottingham, 20–22 March
Inez presented on the Read Write Now
television series and ‘Mapping the
Learning Journey’, the assessment
framework for ABE, at the NRDC’s first
international conference in March 2003.
Inez attended a number of sessions on
research on quality, technology and
ESOL.
Rutgers Invitational Symposium
on Education, New Jersey,
October 2003
Inez presented at this conference in the
US, which focused on the issues and
challenges of defining and improving
quality in ABE. Inez also attended
workshops on the following:
Reconceptualising adult literacy
education and the digital divide;
The adult learner in family
literacy;
Beyond the lifeboat: improving
the prospects of immigrants
through adult ESL and training;
and
Giving literacy away, again: new
concepts of promising practice.
Inez was invited to visit this organisation
and to participate in a meeting of
members who are providers from a
range of different organisations. This
group is working in partnership to raise
the adult literacy levels of the New
Orleans greater metropolitan area, which
has high levels of adults with low literacy.
Asia-Europe cooperation on basic
skills group
Inez participated in a meeting of this
group in Stockholm on 14–16 May 2003.
This followed on from the work of the
group published in the report ‘From
Basic Skills to Key Competences’.
Hosting study visits
During the year we hosted two study
visits from Scotland, one from Botswana
and an EU Basic Skills Group visit to
Ireland organised by the Department of
Education and Science.
We also met with a representative of
prison education from UNESCO.
A delegation from the Department of Education
in Botswana who visited NALA in 2004

46
 Annual General Meeting

NALA 2003 Annual

General Meeting
Our 2003 Annual General Meeting took
place in Dublin on 29 March. Mary Maher,
outgoing chairperson, addressed the
meeting and welcomed all members of
NALA in attendance. She briefly outlined
the developments that had taken place
during her seven years on the Executive
Committee, from the expansion of training
– both accredited and non accredited – to
ESOL provision, integrated literacy and the
website literacy tool. She commented on the
continuing passion and commitment to
providing a quality service to adult learners.
Mary went on to thank NALA staff that
did not always see the fruits of their work
in the way the practitioners in the schemes
did, and also acknowledged the organisers,
tutors, and volunteers. She acknowledged
with thanks the additional funding made
available for expanding adult literacy
services through the National
Frances Ward, NALA Chairperson Elect, makes a
point at the AGM, 2003. Development Plan and EU Structural
Funds. She thanked the Department of
Education and Science and other
Government departments for their work
in developing the service. Finally she
expressed her thanks to the members of
the Executive Committee with whom she
had worked and extended her good
wishes to the new committee.

Initial business
The Hon. Secretary, Joyce Burns,
presented the minutes of the 21st AGM
held in the Ardilaun Hotel, Galway on 23
March 2002. These were proposed by
Stephen MacWhite, UCD and seconded
by Ernie Sweeney.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 47

 Annual General Meeting
Hon. Treasurer, Columba O’Connor,
presented the financial report. She
informed the meeting that NALA is now
a limited company. The financial state of
NALA is in good order, the total income
for 2002 being e1,622,681.00, while the
expenditure was e1,516,393.00. This
gave a surplus of e106,288. This was
proposed by Michael O’Riordan, Dun
Laoghaire and seconded by Mary Kett,
Parnell Adult Learning Centre.
Inez presented the work of the agency
under the headings outlined in the
NALA Strategic Plan 2002–2006.
NALA Executive
Committee
The following people were proposed for
Officer positions and Ordinary Members
of the NALA Executive Committee:
Nominee for Chairperson was
Frances Ward ALO Crumlin,
proposed by Mary Maher, DALC
and seconded by Dublin City
South West Adult Literacy
Scheme.
Nominee for Vice-Chairperson
was Columba O’Connor,
proposed by Mary Maher, DALC
and seconded by Frances Sands.
Nominee for Hon. Treasurer was
John Lynch, proposed by Marie
Casey and seconded by Nuala
Byrne.
48
Ordinary Members:
Alice Campbell, Ballina ALS,
proposed by Co. Mayo VEC and
seconded by Pat Stanton, AEO;
Joaquina McHugh, Dun
Laoghaire ALS, proposed by
Aideen O’Toole, ALO, and
seconded by Rosamond Phillips;
Peggy Murphy, KLEAR, proposed
by Nancy Mulvey and seconded
by Rose Brownen, ALO;
Andrew Duffy, Co. Offaly ALS,
proposed by Kevin O’Duffy and
seconded by Valerie Hensey, Co
Offaly ALS;
Kevin Duffy Co. Offaly ALS,
proposed by James O’Brien Co
Offaly ALS and seconded by
Eileen Daly Co Offaly ALS;
Michael O’Toole, Co. Kildare
ALS, proposed by Mary Murphy,
ALO, and seconded by Margaret
Moore; and
Celia Rafferty, Finglas ALS,
proposed by Pat Ayton, ALO, and
seconded by Rose Brownen, ALO.
Each of the candidates was introduced to
the membership. There was no ballot, as
the number of people going forward for
election did not exceed the number of
places.
Mary Maher addressing the AGM for the last time
during her tenure as Chairperson of NALA
 Annual General Meeting

Presentations Frank Sammon, Co-ordinator of Jesuit

Refugee Service Ireland, later launched a
Presentations were made to Mary Maher
set of materials on English for Speakers
and Máirín Kenny, who had completed
of Other Languages (ESOL). The two
their terms as Officers, and to Mary
publications were:
Cashin who had completed her term as
an Ordinary Member. ‘English for Speakers of Other
Languages: Policy Guidelines
Publication launches and Supports for VEC Adult
Literacy Schemes’; and
at the AGM ‘Paving the Way’, a new ESOL
In the afternoon, Inez introduced new
resource pack.
NALA research and resource materials.
Frank reflected on the migrant experience
The first set of materials to be launched
of Irish people to England and elsewhere.
was ‘Skillwords’, used to support
He suggested we use that experience to
integrating literacy into general
understand the asylum seekers in Ireland,
vocational educational and training
particularly their need to be strong to cope
programmes. This was the result of a
with the difficulty of their situation, their
partnership between NALA, FÁS, the
desire for education, to understand our
Department of Education and Science
culture and to have their contribution to
and NUI Maynooth.
our society recognised.
Literacy tutors and vocational trainers
He also welcomed the two documents,
who took the Integrating Literacy course
being complimentary of the practical
at NUI Maynooth produced the
resource of ‘Paving the Way’. He went on
material. Inez extended special thanks to
to acknowledge the work put into the
Guss O’Connell, FÁS, Blathnaid
policy document and its value in
NíChinnéide, the NALA lead worker on
developing the services for non-nationals
this project, and the editor, Pauline
coming to Ireland.
Hensey, for all their hard work in
producing the pack. Concluding the AGM, Inez thanked those
who had participated on the committee
Frank Donnelly, Regional Director of
under the chair of Mary Kett, the Further
FÁS in Dublin launched ‘Skillwords’. He
Education Co-ordinator from the
complimented the non-threatening and
Department of Education and Science.
enjoyable learning methods, and
Thanks were also accorded to Genevieve
recommended it to tutors. He also said,
Halkett of Spirasi, who developed the
“It will contribute substantially to the
materials for ‘Paving the Way’ and was
quality of life and dignity of those who
supported by Louise Michael of DALC.
need some assistance in reading and
writing to get the most out of the courses
they are undertaking.”
Any other business
As there was no other business to discuss,
the meeting ended at 3.30 pm.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 49

 Links with other organisations

Links with other

organisations
Since we were established in 1980, we have
always developed links with a wide variety
of organisations, both nationally and
internationally. In addition, we have
developed partnerships with organisations
on specific projects and work programmes.
The aim of this activity is to raise awareness
of the adult literacy issue and to place adult
literacy on the agenda of others.
Below is a short description of how we
worked with some groups in 2003.

Comhairle
In 2003, Inez Bailey was nominated as a
Ministerial appointment onto the board
of Comhairle.

Community Platform
We are a member of the Community
Platform and attend Platform meetings
on a monthly basis. We work closely with
member organisations in the Platform on
adult literacy issues and we facilitated
literacy awareness training for interested
groups in the summer.

CIT
We continued to establish relations with
Cork Institute of Technology Computers
and Maths Department. Our technical
advisor to the Literacy Tools website is
Dr Paul Walsh and a number of
computer postgraduate students have
been responsible for developing the
website and developing the website as a
CD. This union is a good model of how
students engaged in research can
advance ICT in literacy provision.

50

Department of Social and
Family Affairs
The Department of Social and Family
Affairs funds most of our plain English
project.
Education Disadvantage
Committee
Inez is a member of the Education
Disadvantage Committee, which
presented three reports to the Minister
for Education and Science and began
developing a paper on adult and
community education, including specific
proposals on adult literacy.
Further Education and Training
Awards Council (FETAC)
We contribute to the FETAC Quality
Assurance Consultation Network and
have also assisted in the FETAC
Technical Advisory Group to the NQAI.
Information Society Commission
Inez is a member of the Information
Society Commission (ISC). The new ISC
has a key role in shaping the evolving
public policy framework for the
Information Society in Ireland. Inez is
focusing on ‘eInclusion and lifelong
learning’ for the ISC.
Irish Deaf Society (IDS)
Irish Deaf Society Linkup is a literacy
project for and led by the deaf
community. It trains tutors and delivers
literacy services in several counties with
the intended aim of being a nationwide
service by 2006.
NALA Annual Report
Links with other organisations
Irish Health Services
Accreditation Board
During the year we were invited to a
number of focus group meetings on
revising the accreditation scheme. This
gave us a welcome opportunity to discuss
how weak literacy skills can affect a
patient’s healthcare needs.
Irish Trade Union Trust (ITUT)
We sit on the ITUT board. ITUT is the
social solidarity arm of Services
Industrial Professional Technical Union
(SIPTU), with one of its services being
the SIPTU Basic English Scheme.
Local Authority National
Partnership Advisory Group
(LANPAG)
With LANPAG and in co-operation with
the VECs, we initiated the Return to
Learning Workplace Project in the local
authorities.
National Adult Learning Council
(NALC)
NALA has been a member of the National
Adult Learning Council (NALC) since
2002. NALC has been set up to guide the
strategic development of adult and basic
education in Ireland. It met a number of
times up to June, when was agreed to
suspend meetings awaiting the outcome of
a review of the Council’s functions.
2003–2004 51
 Links with other organisations
National Adult Literacy
Advisory Group
The National Adult Literacy Advisory
Group brings together all adult literacy
stakeholder groups who monitor the
implementation of adult literacy sections
of the Government White Paper of the
future of adult education.
National Qualifications Authority
of Ireland (NQAI)
Inez has been appointed to the NQAI as
the Minister’s nomination for the
Community and Voluntary sector. The
main task of the NQAI is to put together
and oversee a national qualifications
framework.
UCC
In 2003 we met with Dr Jurek Kirakowski
in the Human Factors Research Group in
UCC. Dr Kirakowski is responsible for
developing WAMMI (Website Analysis and
MeasureMent Inventory), an international
assessment tool, and is currently working
with us to evaluate the Literacy Tools
website, www.literacytools.ie. We are very
grateful for his expertise and support.
Below is a full list of organisations,
committees and working groups with
which we worked with 2003.
ADM Partnerships Education
Co-ordinators
Adult Education Guidance
Initiative
Adult Education Officers
Association (AEOA)
Adult Literacy Organisers
Association (ALOA)
Bar Council
52
Basic Education Tutors
Association (BETA)
Chief Executive and Education
Officers Association (CEEOA)
Comhairle
Community Platform
Community Radio Forum (CRF)
Community Workers Co-
operative (CWC)
DALC Board Of Directors
Department of Education and
Science
Department of Enterprise, Trade
and Employment
Department of Social and Family
Affairs
Education Equality Initiative
(EEI)
Educational Disadvantage
Committee
FÁS
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
(FSAI)
Further Education and Training
Awards Council (FETAC) Quality
Assurance Consultation and
Standards Forum Group
IILT Working Group on Material
Development
Information Society Commission
Irish Deaf Society Linkup
steering committee
Irish National Organisation for
the Unemployed (INOU)
Irish Prison Service
Irish Trade Union Trust (ITUT)
Irish Vocational Education
Association (IVEA)
Learn Direct
Local Authority National
Partnership Advisory Group
(LANPAG)
 Links with other organisations

Local Development and Training

Institute (LDTI)
National Adult Learning Council
(NALC)
National BUA Centre Advisory
Committee
National Centre for Guidance in
Education
National Consultative Committee
on Racism and Interculturalism
(NCCRI)
National Educational
Psychological Service (NEPS)
National Literacy Expert
Advisory Group
National Qualifications Authority
of Ireland (NQAI)
Integrating Literacy
Management Group, NUI
Maynooth
Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions
Radio Telefís Eireann (RTE)
Spirasi
Courts Service
Law Society of Ireland
The Wheel
Trócaire – Development
Materials group
Vocational Education
Committees (VECs)
NALA/WIT Accreditation Project
Management committee,
Waterford Institute of
Technology
Women’s Health Council
Youthreach Assessment Portfolio
Group.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 53

 Alice Campbell – an appreciation

Alice Campbell
an appreciation
Alice Campbell, Adult Literacy Organiser
for Ballina in Mayo, passed away last
November and she is greatly missed by
all the organisers throughout the country
who knew her. Alice was one of the
founder members of the Adult Literacy
Scheme in Mayo and ran a busy and I’m
sure lively scheme in Ballina for many
The late Alice Campbell
years. For the last two and a half years
before her death, Alice was also a
member of the NALA Executive and
although the train service was the bane
of Alice’s life, she was a regular and
enthusiastic attendee at meetings in
Dublin, keeping NALA well appraised of
rural issues and difficulties.
On a lighter note, Alice was a popular
attendee at Adult Literacy Organisers’
events. Alice was literally the soul of the
party at these events over the last few
years. The after dinner craic just won’t be
the same without Alice’s rendition of “The
Pat Ayton, VEC Adult Literacy Organiser Rooster” and some of us can never see a
Coolock/Darndale, pays tribute to the late pair of gold shoes without remembering
Alice Campbell
Alice.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Frances Ward
Chairperson, NALA

A group of VEC Adult Literacy Organisers

commemorate the contribution of Alice Campbell
to adult literacy in Ireland

54
 NALA Board Members and Staff

NALA Board
Members and Staff
Tommy Byrne, PRO.
NALA Executive tbyrne@nala.ie (01) 809 9195
Frances Ward – Chairperson Fergus Dolan, Training Officer.
Celia Rafferty fdolan@nala.ie (01) 809 9191
Mary Corrigan (September 2003) Margaret Murray, Southern
Kevin O’Duffy Regional Development Worker
Anne Gilbert mmurray@nala.ie (021) 431 7011
Columba O’Connor – Bridget Gormley, Specific Learning
Vice Chairperson Difficulties Policy Worker
Joyce Burns – Hon. Secretary bgormley@nala.ie (01) 809 9198
John Lynch – Hon. Treasurer Gemma Lynch, Research Officer
Andrew Duffy glynch@nala.ie (01) 809 9192
Michael O’Toole Jennie Lynch, Development
Joaquina McHugh Worker, Special Projects
Michael Briody jlynch@nala.ie (021) 431 7012
Peggy Murphy Margaret Maher, Training Unit
Pat Stanton (September 2003) mmaher@nala.ie (01) 809 9199
Alice Campbell (deceased) (10am–1pm)
Blathnaid Ní Chinnéide,
NALA Staff Integration Co-ordinator
Inez Bailey, Director bnichinneide@nala.ie
ibailey@nala.ie (01) 855 4332 (01) 809 9190
Mairin Kelly Claire O’Riordan, Quality
literacy@nala.ie (01) 855 4332 Framework Co-ordinator
Fawzia McGlone coriordan@nala.ie (01) 809 9193
literacy@nala.ie (01) 855 4332 Helen Ryan, Development Worker
Tanya Murphy New Projects
literacy@nala.ie (01) 855 4332 hryan@nala.ie (01) 809 9197
Sandra Peel John Stewart, National Adult
literacy@nala.ie (01) 855 4332 Literacy Co-ordinator
Clodagh McCarthy, jstewart@nala.ie (01) 809 9195
Plain English Project Worker Jenny Derbyshire, Family
cmccarthy@nala.ie (01) 809 8184 Literacy Policy Worker
Peter Kiernan, Regional vallylodge4@eircom.net
Development Worker, Mullingar
pkiernan@nala.ie (044) 40374

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 55

 NALA membership
NALA membership
Adult Literacy Schemes

ABLE – Blanchardstown

ABLES – Cork

Altrusa/VEC Adult Literacy Scheme, Cork

Arklow Adult Literacy Scheme

Athlone Reading and Writing Group

Ballymun Adult Literacy Scheme

Baltinglass Adult Literacy Scheme

Bandon Adult Literacy Scheme

Basic Education Service Tallaght (BEST)

Bishopstown Adult Literacy Scheme

Blessington Literacy Scheme (LIFE),

Bray Adult Literacy Learning Programme

Cabra Adult Literacy Scheme

Carnew Literacy Scheme

Carrigaline Adult Literacy Scheme

Clondalkin Basic Education Centre

Cobh Read Write and Spell Centre

Cork Traveller Literacy Scheme

Co. Carlow Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Cavan Adult Learning Centre

Co. Clare Reading and Writing Scheme

Co. Donegal Adult Literacy Service

Ballyshannon Adult Literacy Scheme

Donegal Town Adult Literacy Scheme

Gaeltacht Adult Literacy Scheme

Inishowen Adult Literacy Scheme

Letterkenny Adult Literacy Scheme

Raphoe Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Laois Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Limerick Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Longford Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Meath Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Monaghan Adult Literacy Service

Co. Offaly Reading and Writing Scheme

Co. Roscommon Adult Literacy Scheme
56
Co. Tipperary (NR) Adult Literacy


Scheme

Co. Tipperary (SR) Adult Literacy Scheme

Co. Waterford Adult Education Centre

Co. Wexford Adult Literacy Scheme

Drogheda Adult Learning Centre

Dublin Adult Learning Centre

Dublin City S.W. Adult Reading and
Writing Scheme

Dundalk Adult Literacy Service

Dundrum Adult Literacy Scheme

Dun Laoghaire Adult Learning Centre

Dunshaughlin Adult Literacy Scheme

East Cork Adult Literacy Service

East Galway Adult Literacy Scheme

Farranree Adult Literacy Scheme

Fingal Adult Literacy Scheme

Fingal (North) Adult Education Centre

Finglas Adult Literacy Scheme

Galway Adult Literacy Group

Inchicore Adult Literacy Scheme

Ionad Foghlama Iarthar na Gaillimhe

JAEN – Jobstown Adult Education Network

Kerry Education Service – Literacy and
Life Skills Programme:

Cahirciveen Adult Literacy Scheme

Dingle Adult Literacy Scheme

Kenmare Adult Literacy Scheme

Killarney Adult Literacy Scheme

Killorglin Adult Literacy Scheme

Listowel Adult Literacy Scheme

Tralee Adult Literacy Scheme

Kildare/Athy Adult Learning Centre

Kilmallock Literacy Group

KLEAR – Kilbarrack

Larkin Community College Adult
Literacy Scheme

LEAP – Leitrim Education for Adults
Programme

Leixlip Adult English Scheme

Liberties Adult Literacy Scheme
 NALA membership

Limerick Adult Learner Support Services
Co. Cork VEC

Lucan Adult Basic Education Centre
Co. Donegal VEC

Mahon Adult Literacy Scheme
Co. Dublin VEC

Midleton Adult Literacy Scheme
Co. Galway VEC

Mullingar Literacy and
Co. Kildare VEC

Employment Centre
Co. Kilkenny VEC

Naas Adult English
Co. Laois VEC

Newcastlewest Literacy Group
Co. Leitrim VEC

Northside Reading and Writing Centre
Co. Limerick VEC

North Cork Adult Literacy Service
Co. Longford VEC

Balllingcollig Adult Literacy Service
Co. Louth VEC

Charleville Adult Literacy Service
Co. Mayo VEC

Duhallow Adult Literacy Service
Co. Meath VEC

Kanturk Adult Literacy Service
Co. Monaghan VEC

Mallow Adult Literacy Service
Co. Offaly VEC

Read Write Now/Ballyphehane
Co. Roscommon VEC

Ringsend Literacy Scheme
Co. Sligo VEC

SIPTU Basic Education Service
Co. Tipperary (NR) VEC

TARGET – Donaghmede
Co. Tipperary (SR) VEC

Tuam Adult Literacy Centre
Co. Waterford VEC

Waterford City Adult Literacy Scheme
Co. Westmeath VEC

West Cork North Adult Literacy Service
Co. Wexford VEC

West Cork South Adult Literacy Service
Co. Wicklow VEC

West Galway Adult Literacy Scheme
Dun Laoaghaire VEC

Wicklow Town Adult Learning Centre

Wordaid – Kilkenny Libraries

Write On – Mayfield
An Chomhairle Leabharlanna

Write Together Group – Churchfield
Blackrock Branch Library

Youghal Adult Literacy Scheme
Blanchardstown Public Library

Bray Public Library
Vocational Education Committees
Cabinteely Public Library
(VECs)
Deansgrange Public Library

City of Cork VEC
Dublin City Council Public Libraries

City of Dublin VEC
Dundrum Public Library

City of Galway VEC
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Public

City of Limerick VEC Library Service

City of Waterford VEC
Carlow County Library

Co. Carlow VEC
Clare County Library

Co. Cavan VEC
Cork County Library

Co. Clare VEC

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 57

 NALA membership

Cork City Public Libraries

Cork Public Libraries

Donegal County Library

Kerry County Library

Kildare County Library

Kilkenny County Library

Laois County Library

Limerick County Library

Longford County Library

Louth County Library

Mayo County Library

Meath County Library

Offaly County Library

Roscommon County Library

Sallynoggin Public Library

Shankhill Public Library

Sligo County Library

South Dublin Library Service

Stillorgan Public Library

Tipperary Joint County Libraries

Waterford City Library

Waterford County Libraries

Wexford County Library

Wicklow County Library
Other Corporate Groups

Action Inishowen

ADM

AEO Association

ALO Association

AONTAS

ARIS – Australia

ASTI

Association of Community and
Comprehensive Schools

Athy Travellers’ Club

Ballinasloe Community Information Centre

Belfast Unemployed Centre
58

Blackpool/Glen/Faranree Community
Youth Training Workshop

Bridge Project

Centre for Literacy, Canada

CLASP – Community of Lough Arrow

Clondalkin Partnership Co.

Collectif Alpha, Belguim.

Co-Action, Skibberreen

CORI

Co. Monaghan Partnership Co.

Doras Luimni

Dyslexia Association of Ireland

Education Research Centre, Drumcondra,
Dublin

EGSA, Belfast

Enable Ireland, Cork

Exchange House

FÁS – The National Training and
Employment Agency

FETAC

Finglas/Cabra Partnership

Francis Street Community Education Centre

Henrietta Adult and Community Education
(HACE)

INOU

INTO

IVEA

LARA – Loreto Convent

Lourdes Youth and Community Services

Mayfield Youth Training Workshop

Mercy Family Centre

Moorehaven Centre, Tipperary Town

National Centre for Guidance in Education

NCCCAP

Newbridge Community Training Workshop
 NALA membership

NTDI Bantry

NTDI Bray

NTDI Carlow

NTDI Cork

NTDI Galway

NUI Maynooth – Dept. of Adult and
Comm. Education

Ogra Dún Dealgan

Our Lady’s Traveller Training and
Education Centre, Mallow

Parental Equality – Operation Seahorse

Pavee Point

Prison Education Service

Project for Adult Guidance in Education

Ringsend Community Training Workshop

Rehab Ballyfermot

Rehab Donboyne

Rehab Dun Laoghaire

St. Benin’s Training Centre

Tallaght Community Workshop

Teagasc

Teachers’ Union of Ireland

The Phoenix Centre of Learning

Training Workshop in Horticulture

Treoir

Tuam Community Training Workshop

Vincention Partnership for Justice

Warrenmount Community Ed. and
Dev. Centre

Waterford Youth Industries Ltd.

Windmill Therapeutic Training

WIT

Youthreach, Dundalk

Youthreach, Sligo

Youthreach, Tralee.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 59

 Accounts

National Adult
Literacy Agency
Limited Contents

Company Information 60

Report of the Directors 61–62

Financial Statements
Report of the Auditors 63–64

Year Ended 31st December 2003

Income and
Expenditure Account 65–66

Balance Sheet 67

Notes to the
Financial Statements and
Accounting Policies 68–71

60
 Accounts

Company Information

Company Secretary Joyce Burns

Registered Office 76 Lower Gardiner Street

Dublin 1

Registered No. 342807

Bankers Allied Irish Banks

37 Upper O’Connell Street
Dublin 1

Auditors Sean Conlon & Co

Certified Public Accountants
Spade Centre
North King Street
Dublin 7

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 61

 Accounts

Report of the Directors

The directors submit their report together with the audited financial statements for
the companies first year of operation ended 31st December 2003.

Principal Activities and Review of The Business

The company (NALA) continues the work of the National Adult Literacy Agency
(NALA). The agency was established in 1980 and from that time has campaigned for
recognition and response to the adult literacy problem in Ireland. The company
continues that work.
The following represents recent achievements:
the development of third level professional qualifications for adult literacy
practioners.
inclusion of key proposals in the White Paper on Adult Education.
the development of a quality framework, including an assessment framework,
for the adult literacy service;
a major basic education distance learning on TV and radio;
bringing Irish literacy practice onto the international stage.
NALA is funded by the Department of Education and Science.
Note 2 lists the other government grants received.

Results
The directors report for 2003 a surplus of e3,936 with accumulated reserves at the
31st December 2003 of e145,718.
No dividend is allowed because the company is limited by guarantee.

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial
year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the
surplus or deficit of the company for that year. In preparing those financial
statements the directors are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is
inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

62
 Accounts

The directors are responsible for keeping proper books of account which disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them
to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1963 to 2001.

Accounting Records
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities under Section 202 of the Companies
Act 1990 to keep proper books and records for the company and to this end have a
bookkeeper employed. The books and records are kept at the registered office.

Health And Safety

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989 imposes certain requirements on
employers and the company has taken the necessary action to ensure compliance with
the Act, including the adoption of a safety statement.

Auditors
The auditors, Sean Conlon, & Co., will be reappointed in accordance with section 160
(2) of the Companies Act 1963.

Approved on behalf of the Board By: ______________________________________

Dated: 4th February 2004 ______________________________________

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 63

 Accounts

Report of the Auditors

Independent Auditor’s Report

to the Members of National Adult Literacy Agency Limited
We have audited the financial statements of National Adult Literacy Agency Limited
on pages 63 to 71 which have been prepared under the historical cost convention and
the accounting policies set out on page 68.
This report is made solely to the company’s members as a body in accordance with
the requirements of the Companies acts 1963 to 2001. Our audit work has been
undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters that we
are required to state to them in the audit report and for no other and for no other
purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume
responsibility to anyone other than the company or the company’s members as a body
for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Respective Responsibilities of Directors and Auditors

The directors’ responsibilities for preparing the Annual Report and the financial
statements in accordance with applicable law and Irish Accounting Standards are set
out in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities.
Our responsibility is to audit the financial statements in accordance with relevant legal
and regulatory requirements and the Auditing Standards promulgated by the
Auditing Practices Board in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
We report to you our opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair
view and are properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Acts. We also report to
you whether in our opinion: proper books of account have been kept by the company;
whether, at the balance sheet date ,there exists a financial situation requiring the
convening of an extraordinary general meeting of the company; and whether the
information given in the Directors’ Report is consistent with the financial statements.
In addition, we state whether we have obtained all the information and explanations
necessary for the purposes of our audit and whether the company’s balance sheet and
Income and Expenditure Account are in agreement with the books of account.
We report to the shareholders if, in our opinion, any information specified by law
regarding directors’ remuneration and directors’ transactions is not given and, where
practicable, include such information in our report
We read the other information contained in the Annual Report and consider whether
it is consistent with the audited financial statements. This other information comprises
only the directors report. We consider only the implications for our report if we
become aware of any misstatements or material inconsistencies with the financial
statements. Our responsibilities do not extend to other information.

64
 Accounts

Basis of Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with Auditing standards issued by the
Auditing Practices board. Our audit includes an examination, on a test basis, of
evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. It also
includes an assessment of the significant estimates and judgments made by the
directors in the preparation of the financial statements, and of whether the
accounting policies are appropriate to the company’s circumstances, consistently
applied and adequately disclosed.
We planned and performed our audit so as to obtain all the information and
explanations which we considered necessary in order to provide us with sufficient
evidence to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free of material
misstatement or error. In forming our opinion we also evaluated the overall adequacy
of the presentation of information in the financial statements.

Opinion
In our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of affairs
of the company at the 31st December 2003, and of its surplus for the year then ended
and give, in the requisite manner, the information required by the Companies Acts,
1963 to 2001.
We have obtained all the information and explanations which we considered
necessary for the purposes of our audit. In our opinion, proper books of account
have been kept by the company. The financial statements are in agreement with the
books of account.
In our opinion the information given in the Directors’ Report on page 52/53 is
consistent with the financial statements.

Sean Conlon & Co.

Registered Auditors & Certified Public Accountants
St. Pauls Church
North King Street
Dublin 7.

4th February 2004

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 65

 Accounts

Income and Expenditure Account

for the year ended 31st December 2003

2003 2002
Notes e e

Income
Government Grants 2 1,780,866 1,551,539
Other Income 3 46,524 60,565
Resource Room 4 6,640 10,577
Total Income 1,834,030 1,622,681

Administration
Salaries 143,073 166,449
Pensions 9,241 8,400
Telephone 19,903 18,176
Stationery and Photocopying 15,199 17,396
Postage 35,885 29,187
Bank Charges 737 733
Subscriptions and Advertising 2,987 5,322
Executive Committee Expenses 6,442 4,367
Audit, Accountancy and Professional fees 6,813 7,158
Miscellaneous 542 137
Office Equipment Maintenance 10,978 8,257
Depreciation 7,598 1,395

Premises
Rent and Cleaning 46,407 34,608
Insurance 3,904 3,927
Heat and Light 3,151 3,598
Repairs and Maintenance 1,113 2,797

66
 Accounts

Development and Research

2003 2002
Notes e e
Salaries 544,973 441,607
Pension 25,910 22,295
CAIT – 3,657
Other expenses – 8,313
Travel and Subsistence 23,348 34,897
Assessment/Research 38,626 42,004
Quality framework 148,394 114,226
Practioner Training 107,944 64,580
Family Literacy 36,563 –
Distance Learning 298,877 317,168
Materials Development 35,924 –
Specific Learning Difficulties 2,018 –
Health Strategy 8,104 22,883
ICT Learning 35,097 10,706
Numeracy Strategy 7,045 –
ESOL Training 25,863 6,889
Printing, Publishing 69,807 46,202
Meetings/ Seminars 33,093 27,217
Website update – 3,553
Advertising 16,801 11,975
Staff Training/Development 16,424 12,648
Learner Development 23,421 13,666
Plain English 17,889 –

Total Expenditure 1,830,094 1,516,393

Surplus for the Year 3,936 106,288

There are no other recognised gains or losses.

Approved on behalf of the Board By: ______________________________________

______________________________________

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 67

 Accounts

Balance Sheet
as at the year ended 31st December 2003

2003 2002
Notes e e
Fixed Assets 5 21,349 4,182

Current Assets
Stocks: Resource Room 33,139 34,305
Stationery 736 1,336
Debtors 8 27,571 90,090
Bank Balance and Cash on Hand 442,137 242,364

503,583 368,095

Creditors
(Falling due within one year) 9 – 379,214 – 230,495

Net Current Assets 124,369 137,600

Total Assets less Liabilities 145,718 141,782

Represented By:
Surplus 145,718 141,782

145,718 141,782

Approved on behalf of the Board By: ______________________________________

______________________________________

68
 Accounts

Notes on the Accounts

for the year ended 31st December 2003

1. Accounting Policies
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Tangible Fixed Assets

Fixed Assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates
calculated to write off the cost less residual value of each asset over its expected
useful life on a straight line basis, as follows:
All Fixed Assets 25%

Where grants are received in the year and the related expenditure is to be
incurred in a later year the grants are shown as deferred income, under
creditors and accruals, in the balance sheet.

2. Government Grants
2003 2002
e e
Department of Education and Science
Core Grant 281,000 269,000
Special allocation 1,400,200 1,331,260
Deferred grant to 2003 Note 9 213,764 – 213,764
Deferred grant to 2004 Note 9 – 213,000 –

Other Government Grants

Department of Social and Family Affairs 70,000 59,500

Deferred Note 9 – 37,038
Department of Health and Children 38,092 38,092
Deferred Note 9 – 19,000
FÁS 46,848 60,944
Department of Transport (CAIT) – 6,507

1,780,866 1,551,539

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 69

 Accounts

Notes On The Accounts (continued)

3. Other Income 2003 2002

e e
Membership fees 8,525 20,290
ILD conference fee 3,340 3,843
Conference fees 9,427 –
BSA – 3,601
Miscellaneous 5,083 2,435
Training fees 15,540 23,700
CAIT – 1,696
Combat Poverty Agency 1,270 5,000
VOX (for salaries) 3,339 –

46,524 60,565

4. Resource Room
Opening Stocks of Books 34,305 38,369
Purchases for the year 95,973 137,723
130,278 176,092
Closing Stocks of Books – 33,139 – 34,305
Cost of Books sold 97,139 141,787
Sales for the year 103,779 152,364

Surplus (Deficit) 6,640 10,577

In the opinion of the directors there are no material differences between

the replacement cost of stock and the balance sheet amounts.

70
 Accounts

Notes On The Accounts (continued)

5. Tangible Fixed Assets

Cost Total Office Fixtures and
Equipment Fittings
e e e
Cost at 31.12.2002 5,576 4,390 1,186
Additions 24,765 23,477 1,288
30,341 27,867 2,474
Depreciation
At 31.12.2002 1,394 1,098 296
Charge for Year 7,598 6,979 619
8,992 8,077 915
Net Book Value
At 31 December 2002 4,182 3,292 890
At 31 December 2003 21,349 19,790 1,559

6. Staff numbers and costs 2003 2002

The average number of persons employed
by the companyduring the year were as follows: 20 17
The aggregate payroll costs of these persons
were as follows: 2003 2002
e e
Salaries 621,772 547,805
Social Welfare 66,274 60,251

688,046 608,056

7. Pension information e e
Contribution to pension scheme 35,151 30,695

The company operates a defined contribution scheme.

The company contributes 10% of employees salary.

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 71

 Accounts

Notes On The Accounts (continued)

8. Debtors 2003 2002

e e
Debtors for books 12,376 32,121
Prepayments 13,342 850
FÁS – 57,119
Employee Loan 1,853 –
27,571 90,090
9. Creditors (Due within one year)
Creditors and Accruals 83,089 12,481
Tax and Social welfare 27,087 4,250
Deferred Dept. of Education and Science grant 213,000 213,764
Deferred Dept. of Social and Family Affairs 37,038 –
Deferred Dept. of Health and Children 19,000 –
379,214 230,495

Grants are deferred in respect of estimated, but specific expenditure, to be

expended during the following year.
The Bank holds no security from the directors or members of the company.

10. Corporation Tax

None arise because no trading activity takes place.

11. Related Party Transactions

None arise.

12. Borrowings and Leases

There are no borrowings or leases

13. Director’s Interests

Directors have no interests in the company.

14. Share Capital

The company is limited by guarantee and has no share capital.

15. Financial Statements

The financial statements were approved by the directors
on the 4th February 2004.

72

Glossary
Glossary of Terms
Accreditation
A process that allows a person to get
credits from a particular institution, such
as a college or university for a course
that they have completed
Ad hoc
Something that is not regular or planned
and happens only when necessary
Analyse
A process of studying the details of
something to understand or explain it
Asperger’s Syndrome
A complex brain disorder within the range
of autism, where a person may be very
intelligent, but may have difficulty mixing
and communicating with other people
Assessment framework
A guide to knowing what stage a learner
is at when they start tuition and how well
they are progressing
Attribute
A quality or characteristic that someone
or something has
Benchmark
A point of reference
Best practice
A term to describe good quality work or
good working habits
Brainstorming
A method of giving ideas and opinions
freely within a group of people to
generate new ideas about a problem
NALA Annual Report
Glossary
Collate
A way to analyse and compare
information to identify points of
agreement and differences
Consensus
Agreement between all members of a
group on a particular subject
Consistent
Something that happens or behaves in a
similar way
Curriculum
A set of topics that make up an
educational course
Distance education
A form of learning that takes place in a
person’s home without supervision
Educational Disadvantage Committee
A Government committee devise
solutions to tackle educational
disadvantage
Empowerment
A process of transferring power from
influential people to poor communities
and individuals who have been
traditionally excluded from decision-
making
Ethos
An idea or belief or a particular person
or group that guides their actions
Evaluation
A process of studying something
carefully to see how good or bad it is
Facilitator
A person who helps a group to develop
and work together effectively towards
their common goal
2003–2004 73
 Glossary
Focus group
A group of people who are brought
together to discuss what they think about
something
Framework
A basic structure that supports something,
such as a building, and gives it its shape
Generic
General, not specific
Guiding principles
Values or rules that guide an action or
decision
Holistic
A way of describing something that deals
with the whole of something or someone,
not just their parts
Implement
A system or plan to make something
happen
Library Council (An Chomhairle
Leabharlanna)
An organisation set up to advise local
authorities and the Government on
libraries
Local government
Local and regional bodies, including
County Councils, City Councils, Urban
District Councils and Town Councils, set up
by the Department of the Environment
and Local Government, that provide
services to local communities
Mentor
An experienced person who gives help
and advice to a less experienced person
Mission statement
A statement that explains a person’s,
group’s organisation’s main aim
74
Monitor
A process of watching something
carefully and recording your results
National Development Plan
The Government’s plan to use EU and
other funds to develop the economy and
to help spread resources more equally
between different groups in society
National Literacy Expert Advisory
Group
A group made up of all those with an
interest and input in adult literacy that
oversees how the adult literacy sections
of the Government White Paper are
implemented
Networking
A process of using social events to meet
people who might be useful to you
Partnership
A process of two or more people or
organisations working together to
achieve something
Performance indicator
A way to measure whether a person or an
organisation is meeting their objectives
Plain English
A way of writing and designing material
that makes it easier to read and
understand
Process
A series of actions to achieve a result
Qualitative
A way of describing something that refers
to how good it is
Quality
A way of saying how good or bad
something is
 Glossary

Quantitative Stakeholder
A way of describing something that refers to A person who has an interest in an
its how much (or how many) of it there is organisation, a project or an issue

Return to Education Statutory

A nine hour a week basic education
progrmme for people on Community
Employment schemes
Social cohesion
A process of bringing together economic,
social, health and educational policies to
help people take part in society
Social exclusion
A process of preventing certain groups
from accessing power and decision-making
bodies or building up social and community
networks because they are poor or they do
not have enough education or life skills
Social inclusion
A process of making sure that people
who are poor or marginalised can take
part in the decision-making process so
that they can raise their standard of
living and improve their quality of life
Social interaction
A process of talking to or doing things
with other people
Something that decided or controlled by
law
Strategic intent
A statement of what a person, group or
organisation intends to do
Tender
An application by a person or group to
do a piece of work, describing how they
plan to do the work, when, and how
much they will charge
Traveller Training Workshop
A local organisation that provides
vocational training to adult Travellers
White Paper
A document produced by the
Government that outlines its future plans
on a particular topic
Youthreach Centre
A local training unit that provides
vocational and basic skills to early school
leavers under18 years of age

Social partnership
A way of reaching agreement between
the Irish Government and various social
partners – employers, trade unions,
farmers and community and voluntary
groups – on pay, tax, working conditions
and social welfare, and other economic
and social issues

Social partnership agreement

A document outlining a range of steps
agreed by the Government and the social
partners on economic and social issues

NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 75

 Glossary

List of acronyms CE
Community Employment – a FAS
and abbreviations
employment training programme
ABE
adult basic education – the development of CEEOA
competence in adult skills, such as literacy Chief Executive and Education Officers
numeracy and communications, that Association – an organisation
people need to take part fully in society representing Chief Executive Officers
and Education Officers in VECs
ADM
Area Development Management – an CEO
organisation set up by the Department of Chief Executive Officer – the most senior
An Taoiseach that funds and oversees management position in a VEC
local development projects CIF
AEOA Construction Industry Federation – a
Adult Education Organisers’ Association body representing employers in the
building sector
AGM
Annual General Meeting CTC
Community Training Centre – a training
ALO unit, in different centres around Ireland,
Adult Literacy Organisers providing vocational and adult basic
education skills to early school leavers
ALOA
over 18 years of age
Adult Literacy Organisers Association
CWC
ALS
Community Workers Co-op
Adult Literacy Scheme
DES
BETA
Department of Education and Science
Basic Education Tutors Association – an
organisation representing paid adult DETE
literacy tutors Department of Enterprise Trade and
Employment
BSA
Basic Skills Agency – an organisation that ESOL
supports and develops ABE in England English for Speakers of Other Languages
and Wales
EU
CAIT European Union
Community Application of Information
Technology Initiative FÁS
Foras Áiseanna Saothair – the national
CDP training and employment authority
Community Development Project

76

FSAI
Food Safety Authority of Ireland – a
body established by the Department of
Health and Children to oversee food
safety improvements
FETAC
Further Education Training Awards
Council
IBEC
Irish Busines Employers Confederation –
the organisation representing all
employer bodies and associations
ICCPE
Irish Centre for Continuing
Pharmaceutical Education
ICT
Information and Communications
Technology
ICTU
Irish Congress of Trade Unions – the
organisation representing all trade
unions around the country
ISC
Information Society Commission – which
is devising a strategy for development of
ICT in Irish society
ISME
Irish Small and MediumEnterpises
Association – an organisation
representing small and medium
businesses
ITUT
Irish Trade Union Trust
IVEA
Irish Vocational Education Association –
an organisation representing Vocational
Education Committees
NALA Annual Report
Glossary
NALC
National Adult Learning Council – a
body established by the Department of
Education and Science to oversee the
implementation of the White Paper
NALP
National Adult Literacy Programme
NAPS
National Anti-Poverty Strategy – a
Government plan to tackle poverty
NCCA
National Council for Curriculum and
Assessment
NCGE
National Centre for Guidance in
Education
NDP
National Development Plan – a
Government medium term plan for
economic and social development
NQAI
National Qualifications Authority of
Ireland – a Government-funded body
that manages qualifications at national
level
NTDI
National Training and Development
Institute – an independent education
organisation that provides courses in
different centres around Ireland for
disabled people
SIPTU
Services, Industrial, Professional and
Techical Union
Teagasc
The Irish Agricultural and Food
Development Authority
2003–2004 77
 Glossary

VEC
Vocational Education Committee
A committee that manages adult and
further education at county (and
sometimes city) level

VTOS
Vocational Training Opportunities
Scheme

VTSU
Vocational Training Support Unit

WAI
Web Accessibility Initiative – an
international group of companies,
disability representatives, universities,
governments and research centres that
have developed guidelines for making
the Internet easier for disabled people
to use

WIT
Waterford Institute of Technology

78
NALA Annual Report 2003–2004 79
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