Celebrating diversity

The distribution of refugees throughout England means that many people are aware of their presence in the local neighbourhood or school. Although some people know of the benefits refugees can bring, others lack familiarity with people from other cultures and can be distrustful and hostile to their presence.

Refugee pupils and their families need to feel safe and secure if they are to overcome the many obstacles they face when rebuilding their lives. People in host communities need opportunities to develop understanding of the experiences of refugees, their needs and how refugees can contribute to their communities. Refugees can contribute to all aspects of community life much more effectively once they feel welcome and supported.

Secondary schools play an important role in helping refugee pupils and their families feel welcome in local communities. By supporting refugee children and young people’s access and enrolment to school and peer support and friendships, they are also helping refugee pupils and parents to contribute to many aspects of community life.

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a duty on schools to promote good race relations. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (PDF) provides guidance to assist schools to meet their duties under the Act. By celebrating diversity, and acknowledging the contribution people of all races and cultures make, schools increase the awareness of issues that affect refugees and they tackle racism.

As part of their five-year strategy, the DCSF has published an international strategy in a report Putting the World into World-Class Education: An international strategy for education, skills and children’s services (PDF). Instilling a ‘strong global dimension into the learning experience of all pupils and young people’ is regarded as a real contribution to one of the strategy’s key goals. The DCSF booklet Developing the global dimension in the school curriculum (2005) shows how a global dimension can be incorporated into the curriculum and the wider life of the school. It outlines the benefits a global dimension can bring to young people and how it has been incorporated into the revised National Curriculum, with guidance provided showing the many opportunities for building a global dimension into all key stages and all subjects.

Schools can use the issue of refugees as one of many relevant topics to explore global interdependence, conflict resolution, diversity, human rights, social justice and institutional and individual responsibilities in many contexts.

Good practice

Learning about refugees, links closely with the National Curriculum Programmes of Study across many subject areas. All pupils need to develop skills and understanding to succeed in an increasingly global society. Celebrating diversity means all pupils’ backgrounds can be valued, strong and positive relationships can grow between pupils from different cultural backgrounds and everyone can develop a sense of belonging to the school and the wider community.

Curriculum opportunities to value diversity

Learning materials need to reflect the school’s, and wider society’s, diversity.

QCA: Respect for all: valuing diversity and challenging racism through the curriculum guidance can help teachers plan activities in different subject areas that foster greater awareness and understanding.

Global Gateway provides access to comprehensive information on how to develop an international dimension to education. It also provides information on the International School Award scheme, which recognises good practice in international work in schools. The scheme has been revised and expanded to encourage all schools across the UK to develop an international dimension in line with current DCSF international strategy.

Develop curriculum work to tackle racism

Teaching resources are available to schools to challenge racism and promote racial harmony. These include

A Safe Place, a video produced by Show Racism the Red Card

Throwing Stones produced by Leicestershire Constabulary is an anti-racist teaching guide for key stages 2 and 3,

Learning to learn for Life produced by Leicestershire Constabulary is a series of CD-ROMs with activities for 5-13 year olds developed by Grampian Police.

Trial and Error is a teachers' resource to support the citizenship education curriculum at key stages 3 and 4.

Involve local community organisations and parents

School activities can be enriched by the participation of a broad section of the community, including ethnic minority and refugee groups. QCA Pathways to learning for new arrivals website for schools provides guidance on working with Community groups that staff working in further education may find useful.

The promoting the participation of refugee parents area of this website also provides guidance on this.

Consult children and parents when planning events

Consultation can ensure that activities support and promote positive relationships. The involvement of groups of minority ethnic pupils and parents helps make sure the school is appropriately sensitive to all aspects of their cultures and situations. The promoting children’s participation area of this website provides guidance.

Provide opportunities to learn about refugees

Provide opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to hear or read about the experiences of refugees at first-hand. Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) can provide speakers, put up displays and provide information for pupils about global events and refugees. Bear in mind that there is a great diversity in the experiences of different groups of refugees. Take care not to imply that the particular experiences described by one group are true for all groups. Useful resources include:

I am Here! a Save the Children citizenship key stage 3 resource pack for teaching about refugees, identity, inclusion and the media. It includes lesson plans, a video of young refugees’ testimony and other resource materials to raise awareness amongst indigenous school populations about diversity and refugees. It also includes a one-hour training programme to increase teachers’ confidence in teaching about refugees.

Student Action for Refugees (STAR) youth programme visits schools to raise awareness about the issues facing refugees. They also have numerous resources for use in schools.

Haringey Refugee Education Resources is an example of a website that provides schools with learning materials to promote refugee awareness.

CEA@Islington's EMAS website provides guidance on teaching about refugees.

Escape to Safety is a Global Link multi-media, multi-sensory, interactive refugee exhibition available to schools based in the North West of England.

Be sensitive to the presence of refugee students

Teachers need to make professional judgements about how to address the topic of refugees in light of the circumstances of the school and current local issues. Asking refugee pupils to share their experiences can be very effective in promoting understanding and empathy from peers and has the potential to enhance the self-esteem and confidence of the speaker whose story is listened to and understood. It is essential that great care be taken to ensure pupils don't feel threatened, or 'labelled' as the person who is always being asked to tell ‘their story’. Being singled out in this way can be discomforting for some.

Enable all pupils to discuss issues safely

It is important to create a supportive environment so that all pupils can discuss issues safely, and where each pupil’s identity is valued. Codes of conduct and respect for pupils’ culture and experiences need to be taught explicitly. Collaborative strategies can be used to promote understanding and build trust. For example learning activities can use drama to create a safe space for students so that genuinely held positions on refugees can be expressed. This can increase students’ empathy and understanding.

Celebrate Refugee Week

Refugee Week is a nation-wide programme of events that promotes understanding about refugees. It is an excellent opportunity for schools to celebrate cultural diversity and promote positive images of refugees. Schools can organise curriculum activities and assemblies. A wide range of artists, theatre groups and writers collaborate with schools across the UK to celebrate the event.

Refugee Week website provides advice on organising activities, with free educational resources available for download.

Share success stories

Nominate refugee children for awards that recognise their contribution to their schools or local communities. Local media are often very interested in running positive stories about refugees.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award recognises the contribution of young refugees.

Community Newswire a Press Association (PA) and Media Trust initiative funded by the Home Office helps community and voluntary groups that currently have little contact with the media, to make their voices heard.

Let’s Talk to the Media, produced by the Refugee Media Group in Wales, is a practical guide for refugee community organisations and other practitioners on working with the media.

Tackle racist behaviour

Don’t Suffer in Silence This DCSF website provides guidance and a range of resources to help children; teachers and parents tackle bullying, including anti-refugee racism.

Racist Incidents Schools Reporting and Monitoring Procedures Leicester City Council guidance includes :

• A six-point response to an alleged racist incident.
• Monitoring patterns of racist incidents
• The importance of identifying victims’ support needs
• Dealing with incidents
• A list of national agencies and organisations that offer advice and information.

Case Studies

‘Journeys’: a Refugee Week competition for schools (.PDF)

The South of England Refugee and Asylum Seeker Consortium (SERASC) worked in partnership with several LEAs to promote Refugee week in 2004 through a competition for children and young people on the theme of journeys. The case study describes how the project provided opportunities to learn about refugees, and develop greater empathy and awareness.

Journey to Safety: a peer-led project (.PDF)

‘Journey to Safety’, a project developed by the British Red Cross Youth and Schools Service and Student Action for Refugees (STAR), trains sixth formers to raise awareness in four Birmingham schools by reaching young people through the key stage 3 curriculum. This case study shows how the participating pupils learn important skills from their peer educators. The project has produced a training pack that includes guidance on how to run the programme as a peer education activity.