Education

ESOL Childcare Fund

As you welcome and support families into your communities, one of the key areas of focus will be the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. Adult members of the family are required to attend eight hours of ESOL classes per week. We realise that physically attending these classes isn’t always easy – and…

Creating informal English learning opportunities

As refugee families are learning formal ESOL in the classroom, you can play a vital role by encouraging them to make use of all the great ways they can improve their English skills through more informal routes at home. The following suggestions are both practical and easy to incorporate – while also helping to change…

Education in Scotland

All of the children in the family you welcome are entitled to access education when they arrive in Scotland. They are automatically entitled to the same provision as a Scottish child. The Local Authority will determine how to assess the support required for children who need language support and are 16 and over. There will be…

Experts by Experience: Adjusting to the English education system

As part of our Experts by Experience project, we interviewed Khadeja who was resettled to North Devon in 2017 with her husband and three young children, about her and her children’s experience in adjusting to the English education system. In addition to this resource, Khadeja has produced a guide to the English education system for newly arrived parents…

Experts by Experience: Starting at a new school

As part of our Experts by Experience platform, we interviewed Ghazala and her family who were resettled to the UK through Community Sponsorship. Watch the below video to hear them talk about their experience of starting a new school. WARNING: This video contains flashing lights. Viewer discretion is advised.  Preparing Families for the British education system…

How groups can support families experiencing bullying

This resource has been produced for community sponsorship groups who may need to support refugee families who are experiencing bullying in school. It has been produced in collaboration with the Anti-Bullying Alliance who are a coalition of organisations and individuals that unite against bullying to create safer environments in which children and young people can…

Preparing Families for the British education system

Although all schools, Community Sponsorship Groups, parents and children are different, there are many similarities in the way in which school impacts on all families in the UK. Whilst Community Sponsorship Groups will have identified those within the team who have experience in education to prepare schools and support a family, it is important to…

Sources of funding for training and education

For some refugees going back to the profession they held before they arrived in the UK are likely to require some additional training or getting a qualification.  Carrying out the role they used to do may be very difficult if they don’t speak English and re-training is the best way to increase chances of finding…

Supporting refugees to access higher education

Many refugees arriving to the UK may have had plans to study at University before their lives were upended and they were resettled.  They may also now see this as a remote or unlikely possibility, because of lost years of education, their age, or feeling that the language barrier is insurmountable. Getting a place at University…