Our services for policymakers | Teaching English | British Council

Do you want to modernise and energise the teaching and learning of English in your country or institution? Do you need to respond to the challenges of a global economy in which English language skills are vital?

The British Council has a long track record of working with partners round the world to bring about effective reform. We work with ministries of education, other national education institutions, international organisations (including the UN and UNICEF), and with UK government agencies.

Are you interested in:

Evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of English in your country or institution?
Setting a new policy for ELT - for your country, for your institution?
Introducing English at primary level?
Improving your teacher education and training systems?
Updating your approach to testing and exams?
Making your inspection and advisory services for ELT more effective?
Ensuring your curriculum for English meets tomorrow's needs?
Integrating new technologies in your system?
Setting up teams to create new textbooks and materials?

If so, the British Council offers 70 years of expertise in English language teaching, a global network, and contacts with the key people in English language teaching in the UK. The British Council is not a funding agency but works with partners and donor organisations to deliver high-quality products and services.

help analyse your needs in ELT sector development
help shape a project to meet those needs
offer project management skills and ELT expertise, drawing on the best UK and international expertise available
provide information about trends, developments and research in ELT and education in the UK (see, for example, English Next, the major report we commissioned from David Graddol on the global development of English at http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research.htm)
facilitate links with government departments and major education institutions at all levels in the UK
provide access to existing ELT products and services from the British Council, including our current group of global products, which provide training and development for teachers to develop their classroom English, their classroom teaching skills, their teaching knowledge, and their use of learning technologies (see here)
provide access to existing ELT products and services from the UK ELT sector, including training courses and qualifications, digital and print resources, and professional networks.

In the last ten years, we have managed many projects with partners. Recent projects include:

Teacher training with the Brazilian government
Exam reform with the Ministry of Education, Hungary
Television programme development with the state-owned television company, Indonesia
Curriculum development with the Ministry of Education, Mexico
Website development with the Secretaria de Educacion Publica, Mexico
E-learning & teacher development with the Ministry of Education, Mexico
Exam Reform with the Ministry of Education, Russia
Curriculum Development with the Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia
Military & police language & skills with the Ministry of the Interior, Yemen, and UK Ministry of Defence
Business language & skills with business schools in Morocco
Communication & management language & skills with the Civil Service in Sudan
Leadership & management skills with English teacher associations in Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh