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1. Information: Parents need more information

about the UK education system and how to

access a school place when they first arrive.

The local education authority ‘Welcome to Leeds’information leaflet could be printed as a hard copy inother languages and disseminated widely through avariety of agencies.

2. Support: Improved levels of support would

help newly arrived parents to access a school

place for their child, reducing the time that

children remain out of education. Support couldbe provided through increasing the capacity of thelocal education authority admissions team andvoluntary agencies such as The Children’s SocietyLEAP Programme

3. Induction: It will be helpful if all schoolinductions involve a tour of the school for both

child and parent.

4. Access: Schools should consider ways to

involve disabled parents in educational

processes. Suggestions include; supporting parentswith transport arrangements, home visits, telephonecalls and translating documents.

5. Use of interpreters: Best practice is to use a

professionally trained and CRB checked

interpreter without reliance on children to

interpret for parents. While some schools offer

professional interpreters, a more consistent

approach across schools citywide needs to be

adopted.

6. English as an additional language: It is

important not to assume a parent does or does

not understand English. Best practice would be

to ask parents to identify their needs and

involve a professional interpreter where

required. If this is not possible, school staff can helpbybeing confident in their abilities, providing awelcoming and friendly reception at the initialinduction and by being creative in how theycommunicate information. Examples could include,avoiding jargon, speaking clearly and at a steady pace,being patient, having open and friendly bodylanguage, using pictures and translation whereappropriate.

7. Inclusion:Communication to parents

regarding their child’s educational attainment is

strengthened creative and inclusive methods are

used. Examples of existing good practice

include: telephone calls and home visits after

the first two weeks of a child starting school,

school-based celebration events following the

two-week induction programme, and ‘well done’

postcards sent from school to the home. Further

suggestions include the use of interpreters at

parents evening and support to understand the

school report system.

8. UK education system: Schools to further

explore programmes to increase parent’s

knowledge and understanding of the UK

education system. Information such as schoolcurriculum, GCSE options and assessment methodscouldbe provided as part of the school induction, atone-off events for parents, through activities as partof extended schools, a Welcome DVD, or built intoESOLclasses.

9. Engagement: Schools could develop ways to

strengthen their engagement with refugee and

asylum-seeking parents through involving them

in school based activities. Examples includeoffering ESOL and IT classes, coffee mornings,promoting parent governor opportunities, and

involving parents to co-lead or inform activitiesrelating to international or refugee week. Suchactivities would empower parents, enhance mutualunderstanding and strengthen community cohesion.

10. Training: Staff training regarding specific

experiences and needs of asylum seekers and

refugees offered toall staff would contribute to

their professional development as well as their

relationships with families. An alternative totraining as part of an inset day would be self-guidedlearning using resources available from organisationssuch as The Children’s Society and The RefugeeCouncil.

Further information

Thefull report will be available atwww.childrenssociety.org.uk  fromApril 2010

For any queries regarding this report, please contact:

The Children’s Society LEAP Programme

Lower Ground Floor Cubic Business Centre

533 StanningleyRoad

Leeds

LS13 4EN

Tel: 0113 236 3900

Email: lpl@childrenssociety.org.uk

Web: www.childrenssociety.org.uk

The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of The Children’s Society

Charity RegistrationNo.221124 | Photographsmodelled for The Children’sSociety © | Pierre-FrançoisDidek| Melissa Elsey

Recommendations

7/31/2019 Include Us - Strengthening Communication and Involvement of Refugee Parents in High School Education. Executive Summary

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The Children’s Society is a leadingchildren’s charity committed to making childhoodbetter for all children in the UK. We take action toprevent, rescue and support children facing lifetrapped in a vicious circle of fear and harm; avicious circle driven by violence, neglect, povertyand discrimination, which destroys childhood andwrecks community living. We give children thehope and confidence they need to face the futurewith optimism. We never turn away.

The Children’s Society Leading Edge

Initiative is a national programme deliveredfrom six sites across England. The Young PeoplesFund at the Big Lottery funds the Initiative untilMarch 2010. The Initiative works in partnershipwith secondary schools and colleges in England.It delivers high quality, participative interventionsthat ensure refugees and asylum seekers feelsafe, welcomed, included and able to achieve in

their education.

The Children’s Society LEAP

Programme is based in Leeds and operatesacross the city. LEAP stands for Listening,Empowerment, Advocacy and Participation and itworks to listen to and promote the inclusion of disabled children as well as refugee and asylumseekingchildren and young people, particularly ineducation and within the community. We aim toraise awareness, promote diversity, and encourageinclusion and integration.

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AcknowledgementsSincere thanks to all parents and practitioners whogave their time to share experience, knowledge and

opinions, as well as those who assisted in accessingparticipants, particularly colleague, Steve Richards.

Thank you to Myfanwy Franks, Senior Researcherat The Children’s Society, for her advice andsupport at every stage of this study.

Thank you to the interpreters involved, whoprovided a professional and valuable service.

This summary was prepared by Nola Pugh withadvice and support from Myfanwy Franks and

 Judith Shalkowski.

IntroductionThis document is a summary of the research studyInclude Us: strengthening communication

and involvement of asylum seeking and 

refugee parents in high school education

in Leeds.

The study was carried out over a three-month periodas part of the Children’s Society Leading EdgeInitiative based at the LEAP Programme, Leeds.

The study looks at the experiences of communicationand involvement between refugee and asylum seekingparents and high school staff in Leeds.

The findings are intended for anyone who works withrefugee and asylum seeking and children and familiesin schools and stakeholders within local educationauthorities.

 About the studyThe study engaged with refugee and asylum seekingparents and high school staff across Leeds. A total of 

 36 parents and school staff were consulted, linked to14 schools in Leeds.

Furtherdetails of the methodology are available in thefull report.

The study provided parents and school staff with anopportunity to share their experiences. The studyidentifies learning points and makesrecommendations to inform and strengthen practicein the future, improving outcomes for asylum seekingand refugee children and families.

What parents told us

• Parents would welcome further information

about the UK education system when they

first arrive.

• Some parents find the process of accessing

a school place for their child difficult.

• Parents who received support in accessing a

school place, for example from The Children’s

Society Connexions PA, found the service

extremely helpful.

• Increased information and support offered to

parents is needed to help them access a school

place, reducing the time that children spend

missing education.

• Waiting a number of months for a school placecan have a damaging effect on families.

• Parents value the school induction. Schools

might consider how they can still involve

parents with access difficulties in the

induction process.

• It would be helpful if schools inviteevery new

parent and child tolook around the school as

part of their induction.

• As information was not always reaching

parents, it would help if alternative ways of

communicating information about the UK school

system and curriculum could be found. Parents

said they would find the following useful:

information as part of an ESOL class, activities as

part of extended services, one off events, a DVD.

• Parents would like to be offered a professional

interpreter when they attend meetings with

staff at school. This would enable effective

two-way communication.

• Parents would like to be kept informed at every

stage when incidents of bullying arebeing

addressed. Where an incident of bulling arises,

parents would like to be invited for a meeting,

to havetheir voices heard.

• Parents vary in their confidence levels, some feel

confident to contact school whilst others don’t.

• One EAL co-ordinator visited or telephoned

parent(s) after two weeks of a child starting

school to update them on progress made.

One parent described this as ‘extremely

helpful and reassuring.’

• The use of interpreters at opening evening

would encourage some parents to attend.

• Some families have specific reasons why

attending parents evening is difficult. Asylum

law and policyresults in the Home Office

moving families around. Some families have

been moved toa different part of the city,

increasing the distancebetween home

and school.

• Some parents need to carefor younger children.

This can make travelling to the school difficult

and expensive.

• Disabled parents might not be able to travel to

the school independently however they still value

the opportunity to communicate with the school.

• Parents expressed the importance of knowing

about their child’s performance and general

wellbeing at school.

• Parents valued the opportunity to meet with

teachers and to receive information about the

progress of their child. Some parents would

like more information about their child’s

progress at schools.

• Some parents found it difficult to understand

school reports and need help with this.

• Some parents do not feel confident to

contact the school due to language rather

than disinterest.

• Where effective communication and

relationships were developed, parents were

more likely to feel confident in contacting the

school to discuss issues. This resulted in an

appropriate level of support being offered and

positiveoutcomes for children.

Key research findings