ESOL Update for London: March 2026
ESOL Update for London: March 2026 - Mayor of London GLA ESOL Newsletter
Contents
- News
- Provider spotlight on
- ESOL course vacancies
- Learner progression opportunities
- ESOL Jobs and Volunteering opportunities
- Asks and offers
- Partnerships
- Training
- Events
- Resources
- Funding and tenders
- Data and research
NEWS
Pre-election period
Please note that the ESOL newsletter will be paused during the pre-election period, which runs from 30 March 2026 to 7 May 2026. We look forward to sharing our next update with you in mid-May. Thank you for your understanding. During this time, you can still contact the regional ESOL coordinator and the LSMP team as usual by emailing LSMP@london.gov.uk.
London Boroughs of Sanctuary
The Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Debbie Weekes-Bernard, is leading a series of visits to accredited Boroughs of Sanctuary across London. This forms part of a programme of engagements to demonstrate and strengthen social cohesion, showing that London is a city where everyone feels loved, valued and safe. A Borough of Sanctuary is a local authority recognised for providing a welcoming place of safety for refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants, and for prioritising compassion and inclusion. Visits to Ealing, Islington, Lewisham, Newham and Waltham Forest offer an opportunity to show solidarity, provide reassurance and challenge hateful narratives and disinformation around migration. Find out more.
GLA Adult Skills Fund
New data published by City Hall shows how adult learning is helping Londoners to secure good jobs, contributing to an inclusive economy. In the 2024/25 academic year, more than 211,700 Londoners enrolled in 457,800 Adult Skills Fund courses, opening doors to new careers and pathways into sectors that are vital to the capital’s growth. Over half of all learning (53%) focused on Preparation for Life and Work, supporting learners to build essential Maths, English and wider life skills that help prepare them for employment and independent living. Through the Mayor’s Inclusive Talent Strategy, City Hall is working with providers, employers and partners to build a more inclusive skills system — helping Londoners develop their potential and ensuring growth in London works for everyone. Find out more.
ERSA: Community Outreach Award
We are delighted to congratulate Successful Mums Career Academy and Belina Grow, who have jointly won the Community Outreach Award at the 2025 Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) Employability Awards. Both organisations are funded through the Mayor of London’s Skills for Londoners Community Outreach Programme and were recognised for their exceptional work in engaging local communities and supporting people furthest from the labour market into learning and employment. The Belina Grow Project focuses on empowering mothers with English as a second language and other barriers to employment. The team, drawn from the local communities they serve, engaged 200 women, achieving an impressive 93% progression into training. Find out more.
Regional ESOL Coordination webpage: updated
The London Strategic Migration Partnership’s Regional ESOL Coordination webpage has recently been updated. The webpage provides an overview of the role of the London Strategic Migration Partnership, and how it works to improve access to English language learning for resettled refugees and migrants. Readers can also find research and strategic planning tools on the page. Find out more.
Review the GLA ESOL Newsletter
Readers are invited to share their thoughts on the GLA’s monthly ESOL newsletter, including its impact and ways in which its usefulness to the ESOL sector might be improved. Your feedback helps us improve the resource and provide evidence of its impact to our funders. It should take no more than two minutes to complete. Find out more.
PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT
Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service
Learn about Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service’s free, volunteer-led English conversation clubs which bring people together and create a strong sense of community across the borough.
You can read more case studies on our webpage and submit your own.