LEARNERS

There are a lot of people waiting for ESOL and Formal ESOL courses are not open to everyone all year. 

If you want to study ESOL, BEGIN will add your name to the waiting list for Formal ESOL courses

and help with other courses while you are waiting.   Most people progress though different types of classes:

1. Informal Conversation Classes at churches, libraries, community venues, or with trainee teachers

These are FREE for everyone.  There are no exams, but they are often taught by experienced teachers or volunteers.

2. More formal Community courses without exams.  These are more formal courses although there are no exams.  They are usually FREE for most people.  They are taught by trained teachers who check your levels so you get a class at the right level for you.

3. Formal ESOL courses that lead to exams at Nottingham College or other centres.  These are formal courses at all levels that lead to exams.  They are taught by trained taechers who check your levels so you get a class at the right level for you. The rules have changed so most people can now do FREE Formal English courses. 

NEW - 2025-26 Government Funding Rules for ADULT Formal ESOL and other English or Maths courses.  Who can do FREE Formal courses?

ADULT ESOL

The 3-year residency rule has been removed from government Adult Skills Funding (ASF) rules. 

UK arrival dates and No Recourse to Public Funding (NRPF) visa conditions do NOT affect this.  

Most people can now join formal ESOL or other courses up to Level 2 at Nottingham College or other learning providers with ASF funding, including:

·  UK nationals or Settled people with Indefinite Leave to Remain and their dependents

·  People from the EU or EEA

·  Non-EU/EEA nationals with Family or Marriage visas

·  Refugees or resettled people with ARP, UKRS, Hong Kong BNO, or Homes for Ukraine visas

·  Asylum Seekers with UK residency or an appeal of 6 months, or supported by a Local Authority

·  People with Dependent Student or Work visas (but not Dependent Seasonal Work visas)

·  All 16–18-year-olds

People who CANNOT do Formal English courses include:

·   People with Sponsorship visa, including Skilled and Seasonal Worker visas

·  People with Student or Graduate visas

·  People on holiday - with or without a Visitor visa 

·  People with limited length visas who cannot or do not intend to renew their visa.  Those intending to renew their visas can continue with evidence they have applied to extend their visas within the Home Office deadlines.

Learning centres need to see ID and Immigration evidence, including: eVisas, passports, Asylum ARC cards, Home Office or Local Authority documents.

ESOL is also FREE for people with ‘earnings’ less than £25,750 before tax.  This includes people with pay less than £25,750 before tax, or with benefits (excluding Child Benefit), or with no income.  Savings do NOT affect this for people with no income (unless savings generate an income of more than £25.750). 

Learning centres need to see income evidence, eg: pay slips, benefit awards (including s98, s95, s4 NASS or Local Authority support for asylum seekers), or bank accounts. 

Some learning centres also help with travel or childcare if people can evidence a low household income.  For Nottingham College, a low household income is less than £40,000 before tax.

ADULT FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND GCSE

Other English course options up to Level 2 include Functional Skills or GCSE English (and Maths).  These are FREE for adults who have not passed GCSE in English or Maths at grade 4 or above (or a qualification which is at a comparable or higher level), or have an existing skill assessed as lower than grade 4 (even if they have previously achieved a GCSE or equivalent qualification in English and maths). 

16-18-YEAR-OLD COURSES

Young people aged 16-18 years may join Nottingham College immediately, or start with Hope Academy (formerly NEST) or Catch-22 first.

Courses for 16-18-year-olds are funded by the Department for Education (DfE).  All students aged 16–18 on 31 August of an academic year must join full-time study, including ESOL up to Level 2, Functional Skills and/or GCSE English, A levels, T Levels, and apprenticeships. 19-year-olds can continue full-time only if they started before they were 19, or if they have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan.  Bursaries are offered to vulnerable groups and the most financially disadvantaged young people.