London Language and Literacy Unit

The Language and Literacy Unit (LLU) was founded in 1974 by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) as an advisory centre to the inspectorate in response to the Right to Read Campaign. The Unit led the development of literacy provision for adults across London throughout the 1970s. During this period an ESL (English as a Second Language) co-ordinator was appointed to develop ESL provision in London.

During the 1980s the LLU expanded its work to include specific learning difficulties, adult numeracy and Afro-Caribbean language and literacy. The specific learning difficulties service later became known as adult dyslexia support. The Unit's co-ordinator post was the first in the country to address these problems in adults. The Unit also worked on specific projects, including the Afro-Caribbean Language & Literacy Project (ACLLP), begun in 1984. Funding for the project was made available through Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 and the project was shaped around classroom-based staff development. It developed approaches to Creole and Caribbean Languages, encouraging people to value their linguistic heritage and in many cases see their languages written down for the first time. The Language and Maths Project, also run with Section 11 funding, was set up in 1986 to specialise in numeracy and the project developed the first adult numeracy training course in London.

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