King's College London

Members of the King’s community and families from across South London came together to celebrate the first year of EmpowerESOL, a programme offering tailored English classes for Latin American parents focused on building practical language skills for everyday life.

The programme is delivered by King’s in partnership with English for Action, Empoderando Familias and Citizens UK, and supported by student volunteers who act as teaching assistants. Volunteers help learners practice conversation while gaining valuable experience in teaching, intercultural communication and community engagement.

The programme responds to a growing need for accessible English language classes. In the 2021 Census for England and Wales, around 880,000 people reported they could not speak English well. For many families, this can make navigating local systems and the UK school system extremely challenging, from communicating with teachers to understanding school processes and advocating for their children’s needs.

Despite this, English language provision in the UK has significantly declined. According to the charity English for Action, government funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses has been cut by over 60% in the past 13 years, leaving many adults unable to secure places on courses due to limited availability and long waiting lists.

During the celebration event, learners, researchers and community partners reflected on the programmes impact and shared insights on how to expand access to ESOL classes.

Verónica Olvera, an EmpowerESOL learner, described how the programme has helped her build confidence and pursue a new career.

“When you don’t speak the language, you don’t know the system or your rights, and there are many people who will take advantage of you… If you don’t have the language, it limits your opportunities, your ability to study and how much you can earn. [Since joining EmpowerESOL] I feel more confident and I'm now also taking a course in childcare.”

Reflecting on the need to address current barriers to learning English, she added:

“Communication is fundamental to being human – we need it to be able to coexist with one another. That’s why it’s important we support free and accessible classes.”

Findings from the programme's first year show significant improvements in learners’ English language skills, their ability to support their children, and their sense of belonging and self-worth. Eighty-nine per cent of participants learned new vocabulary and improved their reading skills, while 84 per cent improved their speaking skills. The same proportion of learners also reported a better understanding of the place where they live and the services and organisations that can support them, including within the school system.

One participant described how the programme had helped her speak to her son’s school about his grades, something she was previously unable to do:

"It's helped me a lot when it comes to speaking. For example, [at school] when there are sessions with parents [...] you go and sit at the table, and then they always ask a kid to help us translate [...] but not this time. Last time I was there, I had the opportunity to talk, to ask questions [...] now I've noticed that I can give them some comments or I can talk and say, 'Well, my son is doing poorly in this subject, what happened?'"

Scaling impact

The programme supported 30 learners in its first year and has now expanded to reach more than 90 participants, with over 200 people expressing interest.

EmpowerESOL also provides English classes for 30 King’s staff members and will soon include 30 sanctuary seekers, helping forcibly displaced learners gain the language skills needed to access educational opportunities in the UK. 

The event also featured a reading from Voces Migrantes, a children’s book created in collaboration with families involved in the programme. The book reflects their experiences of migration, language learning and navigating education in the UK. By bringing these stories to life for younger audiences, Voces Migrantes extends the impact of the programme beyond the classroom, creating a resource that celebrates the voices, resilience and experiences of Latin American families in London.

One story recounts Diana’s experience of getting lost on London’s train network just eight days after arriving from Colombia. With her phone out of battery and limited English to ask for help, she spent hours at a station before eventually finding her way home late at night with the help of a Spanish-speaking stranger. The experience reinforced how vital learning English was for her safety, confidence and independence in a new country.

Speaking at the event, Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President (International, Engagement & Service) at King’s, highlighted the power of partnership in creating meaningful societal change:

"Many learners are navigating extraordinary pressures, balancing jobs, caring responsibilities and the daily reality of building a life in a new country. Our students at King’s mirror that same commitment. Through volunteering, they give their time because they believe in creating change. The programme demonstrates how powerful interdisciplinary collaboration can be, how ideas that bridge faculties, professional services, and communities are often the ideas that have the greatest potential to change lives."

One King's Impact

The pilot was funded by the One King’s Impact Fund, which supports new initiatives and scales existing projects that bring together King’s people, partners and communities, harnessing expertise and resources to address deep-rooted challenges and advance the university’s commitment to serving society through academic excellence. EmpowerESOL reflects this collaborative approach, having been co-created with King's Volunteering, the Social Mobility & Widening Participation Department, researchers from Social Sciences & Public Policy, community organisers and Latin American parents to ensure the classes reflect lived experience and respond directly to community needs. 

If you have an idea that can actively address urgent and deep‑rooted challenges, apply to the One King’s Impact Fund by 1st April. More information: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/impact/fund 

Collaborators

Research team

• Dr María B. Batlle, Visiting Research Fellow
• Camila Merlo, PhD student in the Centre for Language, Discourse & Communication

Supervised by

• Dr Melanie Cooke, Senior Lecturer in ESOL and Applied Linguistics
• Professor Catherine Boyle, Professor of Latin American Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Language Acts and Worldmaking

One King's Impact Project Team

• Naureen Abubacker, Head of Volunteering (King’s Volunteering)
• Isabel Fernandez-Moreno, Social Mobility Senior Officer for Place-based Community Organising, Social Mobility & Widening Participation Department (SMWP)
• Sarah West, Social Mobility & Widening Participation Manager (SMWP)
• Eftyhia Garcia, Head of Social Mobility & Education (SMWP)
• Michael Bennett, Associate Director (SMWP)
• Dermot Bryers, Founder (English for Action)
• Gina Rodriguez (English for Action & Empoderando Familias),
• Shah Ahmed (English for Action)
• Claire Arkwright (Citizens UK)

2nd year of project:

• Paul Webb, Sanctuary Manager (Service & Impact)
• Fiona Elliot, Associate Director of Facilities - Security and Cleaning (Estates & Facilities)
• Anna Joynson, Engagement Manager (King's Volunteering)
• Lucy Clark, Sanctuary Project Officer (Service & Impact)
• Lucie Vyhnalkova (English for Action)
• Anne McConnel (English for Action)