St Aloysius ESOL School
Our purpose: to teach, accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of our refugee students
Ogilvie Centre, St Aloysius Church, 25 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RE
The Story So Far
Acting on an idea from, the then, parish priest, Fr Tim Curtis, the parish council and advice from Glasgow City Council, St Aloysius Church has, since March 2016, been hosting English language classes (ESOL) for refugees and asylum seekers from countries as widespread as: Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kurdistan (East, West and South), Iraq, Iran, Egypt, DRC, Kuwait, China, Vietnam and El Salvador. Classes of around 45-55 students take place each weekday (school terms) from 10.00–12.00 at the Ogilvie Centre in Rose St, next to the church.
Over 4500 refugee and asylum seeker students have come through our doors since we opened, most with a nil or beginner level of English. Working with a dedicated team of around 45 volunteers (av. 8 per day on a one-morning per week rota system), we aim to teach, first and foremost, ‘survival English’, at least enough to get students up to speed with the language as quickly as possible, to help them engage with people: shopkeepers, neighbours, their children’s school teachers and other social interactions and, importantly, the necessary interviews and appointments they need to attend.
In addition, St Aloysius ESOL Schools aim to provide a high level of instruction in the four language skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing, to prepare those who want to, for their next move up onto an ESOL course at one of the Glasgow colleges, Clyde, City or Kelvin. We do not set exams or demand rigid attendance requirements; students come whenever they want. Tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits are provided at our 15-minute break time which, importantly, gives students a welcome and useful opportunity for interaction with their peer group as well as our teachers.
On average, students attend classes at the Ogilvie Centre for a year after which they may wish to apply for college or seek employment. The school tries to facilitate this transition as much as possible. Students’ feedback to us is always that they have developed a good bond with our volunteers; they feel welcome, appreciate our support, and enjoy the warm, friendly atmosphere.
An example of one of our success stories is in one of the former students, a Syrian refugee, married with 4 children, who was encouraged, guided and helped with his application in 2018 onto a Masters course in Mathematics and Statistics at Strathclyde University. He graduated in 2019 and now hopes to teach at a Glasgow secondary school at some point in the future. He expressed his gratitude by saying that, without our help and encouragement he would not have even dreamed of achieving this.
As well as English teaching, we occasionally receive donations of used goods: clothes, household items, bicycles, furniture and laptops, which we offer to our students. Our help is also requested by, sometimes very worried, students over a range of other domestic matters e.g. immigration, health, education, jobs. Although our volunteers are not necessarily skilled or trained in these matters, we nevertheless try to find out and ‘signpost’ them to a source of professional help.
As stated beneath our logo, our purpose is to teach, accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of our refugee students. Politics and religion are never discussed and play no part in our dealings with our students; we deal with them solely on grounds of our shared humanity. They have fled war, persecution or disasters and have effectively been dispossessed, and are now trying to re-build their lives from scratch in their new home in Glasgow – the ‘New Glaswegians’. Without a reasonable grasp of English, it would be near impossible for them to feel part of society. That’s where we come in.
What's Happening at the ESOL?
Term breaks:
26-29 September
10-17 October
19 December - 2 January
ESOL volunteers' meeting - date to be confirmed
ESOL Christmas Lunch Party - Wednesday 17 December
Home From Home - Stories about our asylum seekers and refugee friends, the 'New Glaswegians'
St Aloysius ESOL School Projects and Events
St Aloysius ESOL School - Glasgow Half-Marathon – 2nd October 2022
That was the race that was - and what a day. The weather was perfect for the 13.1 miles running task in hand. Starting from George Square, 40,000 legs followed a course that led to Glasgow Green, taking in the Kingston Bridge over the River Clyde, through Pollok Park and many other Glasgow landmarks. There will be a million stories from the 20,000 competitors; from our ESOL school team, however, little needs to be said except: “You did us proud!”
Remarkably, all five completed the course in under 2 hours - no mean feat and, miraculously, no sore feet. Having finished around the same time (36 seconds difference in one case), united in joy as well as relief, all gathered for well-deserved snack of burger, chips and coke and...big smiles all round!
In hope, the sterling efforts of our brave runners will bring in some welcome funds to our ESOL school. If you would like to donate, the bank paying-in details are as follows:
Bank: Royal Bank of Scotland
Name: Archdiocese of Glasgow ESOL School
sort code: 83-52-00
Account: 19127261
Alternatively, cheques can be posted to St Aloysius.
Many thanks,
Kevin Wyber
Coordinator St Aloysius ESOL school
Refuge Garnethill and Migrant Garnethill
Refuge Garnethill - Photography Exhibition of works by the ESOL Students
'Refuge Garnethill’ was an exhibition that took place in Garnethill, Glasgow, Scotland in 2019. It explored themes of heritage, culture and home through photographs taken by eleven students from St Aloysius Church’s ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes. This website presents the ESOL students’ photographs with their writing. It provides some glimpses into the histories and buildings of Garnethill, Glasgow. With very special thanks to Jenny Brownrigg, Glasgow School of Art Exhibitions Director, and the students of the Art School who assisted.
Migrant Garnethill
Migrant Garnethill - A St Aloysius ESOL School Project
Background
Since March 2016, St Aloysius ESOL School, under the auspices of St Aloysius Church in Garnethill has provided English language classes, as well as offering other help and support for refugees and asylum seekers from countries as widespread as: Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kurdistan (East, West and South), Iraq, Iran, Egypt, DRC, Kuwait, China, Vietnam and El Salvador. To date, over 4,000 ‘students’ have registered with St Aloysius Church ESOL classes. Staffed by volunteers, we endeavour to help our students for their new lives in Glasgow, for work, or their next move up to an ESOL SQA course at one of the Glasgow colleges of Further Education, or onwards to university, if they so wish, to pursue their studies.
The project
'Migrant Garnethill' was one of eight projects awarded as part of the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District, a 10-year plan run by Glasgow Life, in partnership with Glasgow City Council, and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund UK-wide Heritage Places programme. The scheme aims to engage community and heritage organisations, social businesses, and local groups in conversations about Sauchiehall Street’s vibrant past, culture and built environment, bringing the community together to celebrate the history and creativity of this iconic street, in order to plan for its future and the long-term revival of the area. The project was carried out by a small team of teacher volunteers and students from our school in partnership with The Glasgow School of Art. The project explored some of the diverse histories of migrant communities who have settled in Glasgow’s Garnethill district over the past century. Many communities have historically passed through or settled in Garnethill who were fleeing persecution and conflict, as well as others in search of a better life, including Commonwealth citizens from Hong Kong, India and Pakistan alongside Irish and Italian communities. The overall aim was to highlight the district’s rich migrant history and its influence on Sauchiehall Street and beyond.
How we did it
Over the months of Apri-June 2025, a team of ESOL School volunteers came together to research and assemble stories and histories of migrants and refugees who came to settle in Garnethill over the last century. Team members: Kevin, Barbara, Angela, Peter, Moyra, and Anne-Marie, each worked on a particular ethnic group: Jewish, Polish, Irish, Chinese and Italian: to gather information from a number of sources including archives held in the Mitchell Library. Several of our refugee students were involved in the research for the project. Research findings were shared with the Glasgow Art School, our partners in the project, where Jenny Brownrigg, Exhibitions Director, and co-director, John Farrell, prepared them for printing onto large storyboards, for display at the exhibition, and accompanied by a short film by filmmaker and artist Basharat Kha (to view, click here),developed from discussions with the group. Artist, curator and workshop facilitator Alaya Ang led the research visit and subsequent work relating to the histories of the Chinese community in Garnethill.
In summary
The St Aloysius ESOL School project, 'Migrant Garnethill', was one of eight projects awarded as part of the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District, a 10-year plan run by Glasgow Life, in partnership with Glasgow City Council, and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund UK-wide Heritage Places programme. The scheme aims to engage community and heritage organisations, social businesses, and local groups in conversations about Sauchiehall Street’s vibrant past, culture and built environment, bringing the community together to celebrate the history and creativity of this iconic street, in order to plan for its future and the long-term revival of the area. The storyboards, photos and film were exhibited in the Glasgow Art School, Garnethill Gallery, from 3rd - 10th May 2025, and visited by many members of the public. Feedback received was excellent. The exhibition will return to the gallery later this year. Dates will be advised