This article draws upon a research project funded by the ESRC (R000239387) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from the 1970s to 2000 in England using life-history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article discusses the key influences shaping the field. It outlines the Deliberative Policy Analysis framework used to analyse the data. It identifies tensions and gaps that have existed between practice, policy and research. It illustrates the analysis through discussion of key thematic areas that emerged from the study.