Refugee children have the same entitlement to full-time primary education as other children in England.
Education provides a positive means to foster more rapid and supportive integration. Getting into school quickly and receiving appropriate support helps refugee children fit into a normal daily routine where they can feel safe, make friends and achieve. For refugee families, schools are also places where they can obtain important information and advice about local services and ways to obtain further support. By accessing school, refugee children and families can therefore receive help with their immediate needs and start the process of integration.
Recognising that refugee children often arrive in school outside normal admission times, primary schools have developed effective strategies for supporting access and enrolment to school.
Primary schools have developed a range of additional strategies to respond to the often complex needs of refugee children and families. Through multi-agency working schools can ensure that families receive the help they need to integrate, and the children can thrive.
Many primary schools provide a wide range of additional activities and opportunities for out-of-school-hours learning. Through involvement in these activities, refugee children have additional opportunities to make friends, catch up with learning and integrate into their local community.
Schools should ensure parents of refugee children and refugee communities are aware of the role of the governing body and that parent governors are on the governing body to represent them.
