Meeting the needs of all children

Early education settings have a responsibility to provide activities and learning opportunities that meet the needs of diverse groups of children, including refugees.

As a result of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, early years settings which are directly run or maintained by the local education authority, and day nurseries run by social services departments of local authorities, have a statutory duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination, and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial groups. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (.pdf) provides guidance to assist early years settings meet their duties under the Act.

Voluntary, independent and private early years and childcare settings or services do not have the same statutory duty as public authorities. However, the principles of equity and justice underpinning the law should be applied by all settings as good practice. Where the provision is overseen, coordinated or advised by the local early years or children’s partnership, the local authority will have responsibility to ensure the duties are fulfilled.

Sure Start provides guidance on the implementation of race equality in early years settings in the Promoting race equality in early years area of their website. The Race equality issues in early years settings area of the QCA pathways to learning for new arrivals website also provides guidance.

All early years settings in England that receive nursery education grant funding are required to plan learning opportunities in line with the Foundation stage curriculum guidance. The foundation stage curriculum is based on a number of principles for early years education, which include:

Early years experience should provide learning opportunities that build on what children already know and can do. It should encourage a positive attitude and disposition to learn and aim to prevent early failure.

Practitioners should ensure that all children feel included, secure and valued. They should also build positive relationships with parents in order to work effectively with them and their children.

No child should be excluded or disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, special educational needs, disability, gender or ability.

It is the responsibility of practitioners to provide a safe and supportive learning environment, free from harassment, in which the contribution of all children is valued and where racial, religious, disability and gender stereotypes are challenged.

Refugee children come from diverse backgrounds. Background information on new arrivals from overseas can be found on the Who are international new arrivals? area of the QCA pathways to learning for new arrivals website.

Good practice

Early years educational settings that are committed to promoting race equality and the inclusion of all groups of children, will be best placed to meet the needs of young refugees.

Develop good procedures for admission and induction

The supporting access area of this website includes guidance on the admission procedures and the importance of good communication with parents and carers. Early years settings can gather important information at the admission meeting with new arrivals and their parents, including information about the child’s development and previous experience.

Resources to support curriculum induction

Support new arrivals to settle in by d eveloping resources to support their induction into play and learning activities. The website of Hampshire Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMA) Service provides guidance on Early years support strategies for children starting school for the first time in Reception or year 1 classes. This guidance is also helpful to workers in other early years settings which are welcoming new children with English as an additional language.

Initial assessment

By assessing children’s development and linguistic background, early years practitioners can better consider their needs and plan for their inclusion and progress. In foundation stage settings, the foundation stage profile (FSP) is used to record children’s achievements and progress. Each child’s development is recorded on an assessment scale derived from the stepping-stones and early learning goals of the foundation stage curriculum. For children with English as an additional language, three particular aspects of their development can be recorded:

• Development of the home language(s)
• Development across the curriculum assessed through the home language
• Development of English.

Guidance on Initial assessment can be found on the QCA pathways to learning for new arrivals website.

Bilingual support staff

Many early years settings have developed the role of bilingual assistants to ensure that bilingual children and their families are fully included. Bilingual assistants can help early years settings communicate more effectively with families, help children to express themselves and take part in activities using their home language, and support ongoing assessment and record-keeping. Portsmouth EMAS has produced a useful guide on Working with bilingual assistants.

Effective support for refugee children’s pastoral needs

The promoting healthy development and promoting emotional well-being areas of this website provide further information and guidance on some of the particular health and pastoral needs of refugee children and families. Early years settings should ensure that practitioners are trained in understanding the range of potential needs and responding to them. Agencies working with refugees, such as the Refugee Council and Salusbury WORLD, and LA ethnic minority achievement services, can offer training. Refugee community organisations can also offer help and advice.

Case Study

Robert Owen Early Years Centre (.PDF)

Robert Owen Early Years Centre, in the London Borough of Greenwich, serves a diverse local community, which includes refugee families. The case study describes the centre’s inclusive ethos and its good practice in ensuring that children from different backgrounds can reach their potential.