Welcome to the

Refugee Teachers Network

Conference, 2009

Aims of the conference:

1. Share ideas from organisations around the UK on

how best to support overseas-trained (refugee)

teachers

RITeS (Refugees into Teaching in Scotland)

Leeds Metropolitan University

Institute of Education (London)

Education Leeds andRefugee New Arrivals Project (Sheffield)

2. Help and support individual teachers that have attended today

Manchester Metropolitan University

STTORMM

Barnardo’s North WestRefugees into Teaching

Teachers from Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle

Aims of the conference:

3. Make recommendations to the Refugee Teachers’ Task Force

Employability Forum Refugee Council

- How can we increase enrolment of ‘refugee teachers’ onto ITT programmes?

- How can ITT providers continue to support overseas-trained (refugee) teachers – without TDA funding?

- How can we engage schools to take on refugees as unqualified teachers, TAs, volunteers?

- Which models from Scotland, London, Leeds, and Sheffield can be recreated here in the North West?

Questions to think about…

Aims of the conference:

1 year of the Refugee Teachers Network

June – Refugees into TeachingConference…

Leeds

SheffieldHull

Liverpool

Manchester

Bristol

London

Lincoln

Leicester

Huddersfield

Newcastle

1 year of the Refugee Teachers Network

June – Refugees into Teachingconference

September –Yorkshire and Humberside Network ‘steering group’ set up:

RETASEducation Leeds

Leeds Metropolitan UniversityRefugee New Arrivals Project (Sheffield)

Refugee Council HullTrinity College, Leeds

B-NETTSheffield Hallam University

TC21TDA

Yorkshire and Humberside Network ‘steering group’ set up…

1 year of the Refugee Teachers Network

November – January,Familiarisation course – Leeds Metropolitan University

Familiarisation course – Leeds…

1 year of the Refugee Teachers Network

November -Manchester ‘Network’ meeting

Refugee ActionMARIMManchester Refugee ForumUrbisManchester City CouncilManchester Metropolitan University STTORMM

Sheffield course

Sheffield Hallam UniversityRNAP

Liverpool course

John Moore’s UniversityMRSN Liverpool Council

Cross-Curricular day

GTP open evening

Post-course support, Leeds…Interest in North East

MERIT

Course?

Post-course support, Leeds…

1 year of the Refugee Teachers Network

Joint evening event for ‘refugee teachers’ –Trinity College / B-NETT

PGCEs in Yorkshire and Humberside /

Employment-based routes to QTS

ESOL for Teachers course to be set up, September ‘09 (?)

- Thomas Danby College

Work-placements – Education Leeds

IELTS at RETAS

Degree top-up information event,Trinity

Leeds

SheffieldHull

Liverpool

Manchester

Bristol

London

Lincoln

Leicester

Huddersfield

Building next steps for the Refugee Teachers Network

Gateshead

Middlesbrough

Glasgow

BirminghamCoventry

Bradford

GreaterWakefield

Wolverhampton

15752

13

Walsall

Brighton

88 14

192

16

29

5

2

Norwich

Newcastle

Sunderland

Building next steps for the Refugee Teachers Network

• One-to-one IAG support - (Refugees into Teaching)

• Structured work-placement schemes – (+ support groups)

• ‘ESOL for Teachers’ courses

• More ‘familiarisation’ / ‘taster’ courses

Liverpool?

Manchester?

Hull?

Leeds

Other?

North of England

Manchester?

North East?

• Build partnerships in other regions: East of England; East Midlands…

Challenges ahead:

• Independent Safeguarding Authority…

• Sustaining support

• Teaching becoming a fall-back career for private-sector workers…

45 % rise in the number of enquiries about a career in teaching in the past year….

single agency to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with children

Funding?

WorkshopsWorkshops a, b and c are designed for organisations supporting refugee teachers.

Workshops d, e and f are specifically designed for refugees who want to get into teaching! 

a) Running a familiarisation course for refugee teachers

- Sharing good practice from a short familiarisation course for internationally trained teachers on the UK education system.

REDHILL ROOM

b) Refugees into Teaching in Scotland (RITeS project)

- RITeS Project developments and /achievements- RITeS Research findings.

BEEHIVE ROOM

c) Work placements / How can local authorities support refugee teachers?

- Sharing ideas from refugee teacher work-placement schemes- Discussion on how to set these up elsewhere.

BOARDROOM

d) Getting onto PGCE courses

- Before lunch only!

BROWNSFIELD ROOM

e) Employment-based routes to QTS

- After lunch only!

BROWNSFIELD ROOM

f) National services available to refugee teachers

- Explanation of Refugee Teachers’ Database, Standard Assessment Tool, website…- Analysis of skills and specific obstacles facing refugee teachers, plus ways to overcome them…- Discussion - How can RiT help overseas-trained ‘refugee teachers’?

SMITHFIELD ROOM