Breaking Barriers: English UK members helping refugees

An incredible £1m-worth of tuition and exams was donated to refugee English learners by English UK members and other partners in 2025.

As part of our partnership with Breaking Barriers, around 130 member centres offer free tuition to refugee clients who need English language qualifications to resume careers or go to university. Some members have been offering free places since 2015, when the language and re-accreditation programmes were started by RefuAid before moving to Breaking Barriers in December 2024.

262 success stories

Ilaria Tarulli, head of the language programme, said: "Since the merger, 262 clients have completed the language programme, achieving their goals to move into professional and educational careers. The momentum is growing fast, with 187 of those completions happening since the start of our financial year on 1 June 2025.

"Since the beginning of this financial year, we have reached out to over 800 individuals seeking support, providing crucial guidance, signposting where necessary, and supplying independent English self-study resources.

260 clients, 40 countries

"We are currently supporting over 260 clients from 40 different countries, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen. They represent over 45 professions, led by healthcare professionals (doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, vets), followed by engineers, teachers, lawyers, and students."

Thanking English UK members and teachers for their support, she said that around £850 of language tuition and £150k in university pre-sessional courses as well as client learning platforms and resources for 57 volunteer teachers had been donated by over 150 partners. The figure does not include the time of the volunteer teachers.

She added: "I also believe that the strength of the collaboration between Breaking Barriers and the schools is that our clients have the opportunity to attend the same classes as the paying students from the most diverse backgrounds."

Find out more

> Visit the Breaking Barriers website

> Email Ilaria Tarulli, Language Programme Lead at Breaking Barriers