Class strategies, how individual members of class fractions tactically gain advantage in fields including education, have been used to analyse schooling and initial post-compulsory education. In this paper, class strategies are applied to adult education in considering participation across social classes. Using empirical data from a biographical study of adult education I show how different notions of "positionality" are employed in three cases. Uniquely, I consider ruling class strategies in adult education and why the consideration of a ruling class might alter our perspective on differences between working- and middle-class learners. Finally, I apply these perspectives to the policy arena and discuss how pernicious class strategies might actually be enhanced by new "stealth" policies in adult education.