1. ITE session Understanding the experiences and needs of refugee children and young people

2. Aims To increase awareness of diverse backgrounds and experiences of refugee children and young people To develop understanding of how the well- being of refugee learners may be affected by their experiences and circumstances To consider how schools can fulfil their duties to safeguard and promote well-being

3. ‘Home to Home’ animations made by young asylum seekers in Canterbury: Kamran ’ s Story Coming to England Our Country Small Rabbits Pre-session activity discussion feedback

4. Activity 1 Refugee Kids

5. Activity 2 Who are refugees?

6. Definition of refugee A refugee is someone who has had to leave his or her country and who is afraid to return there ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.’ (1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees) A person with refugee status is protected from being returned to their country of origin

7. Asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who has crossed an international border and is seeking safety or protection (recognition as refugee) in another country An asylum seeker is someone who declares themselves to be a refugee but whose claim has not yet been determined

8. Unaccompanied asylum seeker children Children under 18 years of age who are outside their country of origin and not accompanied by a close relative Every year around 3,000 unaccompanied children, aged 17 or under, apply for asylum in the UK

9. World Refugee Survey 2008 More than 14 million refugees in the world 1 million people fled their homelands in 2007 Iraq is the source of most new refugees Almost two-thirds of all the world’s refugees are found in just two regions: the Middle East and Africa The least developed countries in the world host the majority of the world’s refugees - over 90% live in Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia Under 4% of the world’s refugees live in Europe www.refugees.org

11. Asylum applications in Britain 24,000 asylum applications in 2007 Applications have fallen by more than 70% since 2002 Countries accounting for most applicants in 2007 were Afghanistan, Iran, China, Iraq, Eritrea,Somalia and Zimbabwe and - all countries in conflict or where there are human rights abuses Highest numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeker children came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Eritrea

12. Refugee children in school An estimated 100,000 school-age refugee children in the UK 65% live in Greater London At least 6% of London schoolchildren are from a refugee background The largest group of children are from Somalia

13. Refugee children are a diverse group Diversity of languages, cultures and countries of origin They have different experiences of persecution and journeys to safety Their exile experience in the UK are also very varied Like adults, children vary in how they cope with adversity Most refugee children are highly resilient despite their experiences Important to avoid stereotypes and generalisations

14. A model of refugee children’s adaptation and development Refugee children need to adapt to abrupt and major changes in almost all aspects of their lives Key feature of model is distinction between  Pre-migration factors  Trans-migration factors  Post-migration factors At each of the three phases there can be dramatic tensions due to ‘atypical’ conditions which impact on the child Educational interventions for refugee Children: Theoretical perspectives and implementing best practice (2004) Richard Hamilton and Dennis Moore

16. Activity 3 Experiences and transitions

17. Pre-migration experiences Violent death of parent or family members Witnessing murder, torture or injury Separation Child soldier activity Bombardments/shelling Witnessing parent fear and panic Physical injuries Scarcity Disruption of normal routines and functioning of society (such as health services, schools etc)

18. Trans-migration experiences Transitions through several countries Long and often dangerous journeys Separation for parents and other family members Refugee camps Risk of exploitation Settlement and schooling in other countries before arrival in UK

19. Post-migration experiences Family stress Loss of status Asylum seekers banned from working Asylum process Poor quality and overcrowded housing Racism and public hostility towards asylum seekers Isolation Some families at risk of being detained in immigration removal centres Difficulties in accessing services, including health services and school

20. In the midst of the whirlwind (1998) Naomi Richman

21. Every Child Matters outcomes Being healthy Staying safe Enjoying and achieving Making a positive contribution Achieving economic well-being

22. How Am I Different - Seeking Asylum

23. Activity 4 Barriers to achieving ECM outcomes

24. The importance of school “It is no exaggeration to say that refugee children’s wellbeing depends to a major degree on their school experiences, successes and failures....School policies are a powerful tool for helping refugee children feel safe and normal again, and begin to learn.” Naomi Richman, In the Midst of the Whirlwind - a manual for helping refugee children, 1998

25. Starting again (2002) Research undertaken by Save the Children and Glasgow City Council More than 700 young asylum seekers from 27 schools were questioned More than 75% ranked school as the best thing about living in Glasgow Children and young people said that going to school helped the to feel normal, make friends and learn English Children and young people also said it was easier to make friends at school than in the community where they live

26. Things that refugee young people say help them Having friendships and people to trust Caring, supportive and friendly teachers who are confident and interested in teaching children and young people from diverse backgrounds Being included in all activities Opportunities to do activities with refugee and non- refugee peers, both in and out of school Being in a school that values and celebrates other cultures

27. School and local authority responsibilities Refugee children should be given the same opportunities as all other children to access education Local authorities have a legal duty to ensure that education is available for all children of compulsory school age in their area. This duty applies irrespective of a child's immigration status There is a statutory duty on schools to safeguard children and to promote their well-being (Education Act, 2002)

28. School and local authority responsibilities Schools must not discriminate against refugees and have a duty to promote good relationships between children from different backgrounds (Race Relations Act, 1976 and Race Relations (Amendment) Act, 2000) Schools have a duty to promote community cohesion (Education and Inspections Act, 2006) Local authorities must promote the educational achievement of looked after children (children in care), including unaccompanied asylum seeker children

29. School and local authority responsibilities The National Curriculum (2000) sets out the entitlement to the curriculum for all pupils. The statutory NC inclusion statement offers three key principles for developing an inclusive curriculum:  responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs  setting suitable learning challenges  overcoming barriers to learning

30. QTS standards Q18: Understand how children and young people develop and that the progress and well-being of learners are affected by a range of developmental, social, religious, ethnic, cultural and linguistic influences. Q21 (a): Be aware of the current legal requirements, national policies and guidance on the safeguarding and promotion of the well-being of children and young people. Q21 (b) Be able to identify and support those whose progress, development or well-being is affected by difficulties in personal circumstances.

31. Further activity Prepare a short PowerPoint presentation on the lives and experiences of one group of refugee children in the UK. Include:  Information on the country of origin  Information about language, culture and beliefs  Information about particular needs they might have  Some suggestions for how teachers can support them, including useful resources