"Books of Hope, Pages of Change" - Help us turn the page to a brighter future filled with hope and opportunity.

The numbers speak for themselves—literacy remains a major challenge for displaced communities. UNESCO’s 2022 report shows that only 60% of adult refugees are literate, far below the global average of 86.3%. In the UK, where the literacy rate is 99%, only 75% of refugees reach functional literacy in English (Migration Observatory, 2024).

The gap between the UK’s overall literacy rate and that of refugees highlights the struggles many newcomers face with everyday reading and writing—tasks most English speakers take for granted. Lower literacy rates stem from disrupted education, language barriers, trauma, health challenges, and even difficulties reading or writing in any language.

Each statistic represents real people—professionals unable to work in their fields, young people with dreams put on hold by language barriers. As global displacement rises, tackling these literacy challenges is key to building more inclusive and supportive communities.

Access to the right reading materials can make a real difference. Let’s change the stats together!

Your donations will help us build our Easy Reader Books lending library, giving students access to books that are just right for their age, culture, and reading level. With the right materials, they can learn English and grow their reading skills in a way that works for them.

£600 will enable us to purchase six sets of books, getting our library off to a really great start!

Every donation makes a difference!

About Hope English School

Why We Exist

We exist to see asylum seekers and refugees set free from the isolation that comes from not being able to speak the language of the culture they are in.

We believe that there is a future and a hope for them and that language plays a key role in providing them with opportunities and helping them to integrate.

Hope English School was set up in 2016 to respond to the challenges being faced by refugees, asylum seekers and the organisations who work with them. These challenges include: Government funding cuts, long waiting lists, gender barriers and long travel distances to classes.

In 2020, in light of the growing digital inequalities, we decided to launch our digital skills training course specifically designed for speakers of other languages.

What We Do

We provide free at point of access one to one home tuition, small group community based classes and digital skills classes.

All of our classes are in easily accessible locations, with a crèche if needed and are delivered by qualified and experienced teachers.

We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality lessons to our students, we believe they are entitled to the best and strive to provide excellence at every stage of their learning journey.

Why We Do It

Learning English and gaining access to education is one of the biggest challenges new arrivals face. Very little is provided by the government and college courses are over subscribed and often difficult to access. We want to make education as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

We believe that gender, finances, legal status, mobility or childcare should not be a barrier to anyone accessing the learning they need. Learning English and gaining digital skills is ESSENTIAL to making a home here.