Vineyard English School (VES) began as a simple act of outreach from Croydon Vineyard Church. In 2015, our small team started offering free teas and coffees to people queuing outside Lunar House, the Home Office’s asylum processing centre in Croydon. The queue was often filled with individuals and families who had just arrived in the UK, facing an uncertain future. As we listened to their stories, one need became obvious - English language classes to help people take their next steps in the UK.

In response, we booked a room in Croydon Central Library and began offering free conversational English classes—a small but meaningful way to serve and welcome those starting new lives in our community.

From these humble beginnings, VES has grown into a thriving school. What started as a handful of volunteers now involves over 25 weekly volunteers, delivering structured English language classes to refugees, asylum seekers, and others across Croydon. Our vision remains the same: to demonstrate the welcome and compassion of Jesus. We seek to serve people well through high quality classes, and to signpost to other services where appropriate.

Over the last ten years we have welcomed hundreds of students; dozens of volunteers have taught fantastic classes; and we have grown our network of partners to deliver a great signposting service.

VES is primarily funded by Croydon Vineyard Church, but we actively welcome funding from individuals and organisations who share our heart for this work. Previous grants and external support have enabled us to expand significantly—increasing our class offerings, reaching more students, and deepening our impact.

If you would like to partner with us in this mission, please email ves@croydonvineyard.org.uk for more information. Or, if you’d like to give now, head to our Giving Page.