Discussing hostility towards migrants in ESOL classrooms

Resources for activities and to support discussions in ESOL classes

About this Teaching Resource

On 1st Dec 2025 and 28th Jan 2026 MESH facilitated 2 Lunchtime Showcases on the topic of countering the far right - ‘Delivering ESOL in a migrant-hostile environment’. This was in response to requests from ESOL providers in the Yorkshire and Humber region, who had witnessed trauma and distress in their learners due to physical and social media violence from far right actors.

​

ESOL teachers can access the recordings of these 2 Showcases HERE and HERE.

​

ESOL teachers across Yorkshire and the Humber have been responding in different ways in their classes to the anti-migrant rhetoric in the UK currently.

​

This is one example from St Augustine’s Centre in Halifax.

On the following slides, you will find resources to use in an ESOL classroom, on the topic of the current far-right anti-migrant hostility, and about reporting hate crime >>>>

1. We live on the same street

2. I help my neighbours in the garden

3. Mr Singh goes shopping for Mrs Jones

5. Sometimes there is a street party.

4. Our children play together.

6. This family feeds our cat when we go away.

7. Artem Shevchenko borrows an onion.

8. The Malik family invite the neighbours to share the iftar meal.

Match the words to the pictures

Click here for activity sheet.

i) Use Cambridge Learners’ Dictionary to look up these words.

ii) Group the words into ‘positive’ and negative’. Does the whole class agree?

iii) Who is Kier Starmer?

iv) Why did he tweet this message?

​

Higher level learners can access the lesson on the ‘Educate Against Hate’ website. Here is the link to teachers’ notes and further exercises

Vocabulary for reporting Hate Crime (1)

‘behaviour that makes someone fear for their safety’ I felt very uncomfortable because the man on the bus kept staring at me in a threatening way.

​

‘saying offensive words’ He spat at me and shouted abusive things.

Threatening

Abusive

Vocabulary for reporting Hate Crime (2)

‘angry or violent behaviour’ She waved her fist at me and said I should go home.

​

‘feeling you are in danger’ I felt unsafe because there were 3 of them all laughing and jeering at my hijab.

​

‘very unfriendly’ My neighbour is hostile to my children.

Aggressive

Unsafe

Hostile

Fill the gaps

1. Usually, I go to the m _ _ _ _ _ to pray.
2. Today, I went there. The windows were sm _ _ _ ed and there was glass on the ground.
3. There was some writing on the w _ _ _ outside.
4. The writing said ‘Muslims go h _ _ _.’
5. Now, I feel sc _ _ ed to go out to pray.
6. I do not want to go out of the h _ _ _ _ .
7. I do not feel we _ _ _ _ _ in the community.
8. I feel s _ _ .

​

​

scared,

sad,

welcome,

house,

mosque,

wall,

smashed,

home

Click here for activity sheet.

What happened? (arrange the sentences in order)

​

They pushed him to the ground and kicked him /He put on his thawb and his kufi /They shouted to him that he was a child groomer /A group of men came up to him /He walked towards the mosque /Farhan was getting ready to go to Friday prayers /

​

Discussion: Is this a hate crime? Why?

Unwelcoming Behaviour and Hate Crime

‘On the street next to ours there are many flags on lamp posts. I feel scared to walk down the road, especially when it is evening and I am returning from college. Last week during Ramadan I heard a noise at the front door. I opened it and found that there was a strip of bacon hanging out of my letterbox.’

​

Discussion:

​

1. Which behaviour is Islamophobic, and

which behaviour is unwelcoming?

​

• Is unwelcoming behaviour a hate crime? Is Islamophobia a hate crime?

Attacks and hate are frightening. How does it make you feel? (Entry 1 and 2)

Attacks and hate are frightening. How does it make you feel? (Entry 3 +)

1. Are your feelings mostly in

one quarter of this emotion

wheel?

​

• Or in one half of it?

​

What are the things we can do as a society that don’t involve calling the police? eg speaking with neighbours, offering to help neighbours, acting collectively, introducing others to aspects of your culture, making an effort to integrate and understand aspects of other UK cultures.

Pictures for discussion (all levels) *

i) What are these pictures about? Is there a theme?

​

ii) Have you seen the flags? How do you feel about them?

​

iii) What do you know about Reform?

​

iv) What do you know about Tommy Robinson?

​

v) True or False? The people on this demonstration are welcoming migrants to the UK

Looking after your mental health (learners)

1. Tell yourself - you are enough, you are good, you deserve to be here.
2. Get a friend or a counsellor who will listen to you. Ask your GP.
3. Get enough sleep and relax when you can.
4. It’s normal to feel sad, angry, ashamed. It does not mean you are bad.

​

Get support: Victim Support has some good advice about coping with crime.

​

HERE is a link to a form to tell the Police about a hate crime.

Accessing Support for ESOL teachers - vicarious trauma

​

It is important to look after yourself mentally and physically

​

Think about what boundaries you want to set for yourself as an ESOL teacher

​

Do you have a regular reflective supervision session?

​

Ask your manager for specific training on Vicarious Trauma and on Trauma-informed ESOL

​

Explicitly acknowledge, and encourage colleagues to acknowledge, anti-migrant hostility

​

Give yourself time to process difficult interactions.

​

Access up-to-date support and resources.

An ESOL teaching resource from