How to support a refugee child to adapt to school

Ellie is a member of two Community Sponsorship Groups in Cornwall and has more than 20 years’ experience in education. Here she shares her top tips on helping children adapt to education in the UK.

“They have been with us every step of the way”

Ghazala was resettled in London with her husband and their two daughters. She told us how her Community Sponsors have supported her during her first 6 months in the UK, and how she’s giving back to the community.

“School in the UK is completely different!”

Nour was a teenager when he was resettled in the UK with his family. He spoke to us about learning English, discovering big differences between school in the UK and in Jordan, and making plans for the future.

“I felt like I had someone from my family with me that day.”

Rashed, Amira and their three daughters arrived in Northern Ireland in September 2019. The warm welcome they received from the Small World Community Sponsorship Group and their neighbours has developed into real friendships that have supported them through the pandemic and the arrival of a fourth daughter.

“Well, now you have sons”

Community Sponsorship volunteer Svenja Powell is one of the founding members of Canterbury Welcomes Refugees. The group first welcomed a Syrian refugee family in 2019: a mother and father, their two grown-up sons and their two primary-age children. Here Svenja tells us about lifting language barriers, a cautious introduction to Father Christmas and doorstep story-telling during lockdown.