English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes are funded by the UK government and local authorities with the aim of providing language learning for people who are settling in the UK, whether that be migrants, asylum seekers or refugees.
Often reflecting global politics, ESOL classes support displaced individuals from around the globe, over the last decade there has been an influx of 20,000 Syrian, 21,400 Afghan and 154,500 Ukrainian potential learners as the government introduced relocation and resettlement schemes due to international conflicts, this is in addition to those arriving and applying for asylum in the UK of which there were 74,751 in 2022 (Sturge, 2023). These classes predominantly focus on providing learners with the language and knowledge they will need in the UK. Whilst ESOL classes are available to both men and women, there has been some evidence to suggest that despite a higher number of men applying for asylum, there are many women who require English lessons and that face challenges to access suitable ESOL courses (Cooke, 2006; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2018; Sidaway, 2020).
