Evidencing the ESOL Crisis: Towards a Vision for ESOL in Scotland. Final Project Report.

This report outlines the findings of the research project ‘Evidencing the ESOL Crisis: Towards a Vision for ESOL in Scotland’ (February-July 2026).  

Publicly funded ESOL provision enables adult migrants in Scotland to access services, pursue education and employment, and build meaningful participation in their communities. However, austerity measures and the absence of a long‑term ESOL strategy since 2020 have left the sector under‑resourced and unable to meet growing demand. Recent independent reviews highlight the accelerating scale of the ESOL crisis.

This project responds to these challenges by evidencing the dimensions of the crisis, strengthening the platform for collaborative lobbying, and advocating for a coherent policy vision across education and migration agendas. Building on the LLaMIS project (2019–23) and partnerships with NATECLA Scotland and Migration Policy Scotland, it employs a mixed‑methods approach combining secondary data analysis, a national survey of ESOL providers, and follow‑up focus groups.

The project aims to support the development of a clearly articulated, well‑resourced, long‑term ESOL strategy for Scotland. Key objectives include re‑engaging stakeholders to map regional pressures, producing a report with findings and recommendations, and convening a dissemination event bringing policymakers and practitioners together to support uptake of the proposed policy actions.