Scotland
Rupture, loneliness and education: Experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking people
This paper explores the intrinsic links between rupture, loneliness, resilience and agency within the experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking people, drawing on a wider study conducted in Scotland during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. The paper then posits education, in its diverse forms, as a potential anchor, providing a sense of structure, belonging and purpose, thus serving as…
2024
ESOL classes as trauma-sensitive physical spaces
I have worked in ESOL for the best part of 15 years now in the west of Scotland in a number of educational contexts engaging learners with ESOL needs from a variety of backgrounds. I have often thought of working in ESOL as akin to completing a 1000-piece jigsaw; having to work with an infinite number of variables, fitting together…
2024
‘I need to know what to say when children are crying’: A language needs analysis of Scottish primary educators learning Arabic
This article discusses the language needs analysis which informed the development of a beginner Arabic language course for Scottish primary education staff who work with Arabic-speaking refugee children and families. Interviews and focus group were carried out with: Scottish educators; Arabic-speaking refugee children; and parents/carers. They highlighted the following language needs for the course: (a) language for hospitality; (b) language…
2023
Language and integration of refugee children: Reflections on delinking and decoloniality
In this contribution we illustrate and discuss the decolonial approach adopted in a research project exploring the potential of including in education a language spoken by children and families from refugee backgrounds. The international project team from Palestine and the UK collaboratively designed a bespoke Levantine Arabic language course for beginners tailored to the needs identified by primary school staff,…
2023
Territorial variance in the UK’s refugee politics and its consequences: Young Syrian refugees in England and Scotland
Access to social rights is crucial to refugee settlement and integration, and a whole range of social policy measures determine the limits on those rights. In the United Kingdom (UK) various relevant social policies are divided into devolved and reserved categories. This has resulted in a distinct territorial variance in social rights and welfare provisions within the country. The aim…
2023
“I feel illiterate”: Challenges facing Syrian refugee parents in the educational system in Glasgow
With the increased flow of Syrian Muslim refugees entering new places such as Scotland, attention has been given to Syrians’ adaptation to their new settings. This chapter explores refugee parents’ roles in mediating their children’s educational experiences. The study is informed by theory of identity (Hall, 1996), Orientalism (Said, 1978), framing (Bernstein, 2000), and hegemony in curriculum (Apple, 2004). Snowball…
2023
Meeting the needs of reunited refugee families: An ecological, multilingual approach to language learning
This book explores the gap between policy, practice and academic literature within language learning for refugees and argues that a multilingual approach, which combines translanguaging principles, decolonising methodology and linguistic hospitality, provides a more accessible starting point than current monolingual pedagogies. It considers the multilingual and multilateral approach laid out within Scotland's New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy, which recognises the…
2023
Exploring the place of adult learning for refugees and asylum seekers in migration policy for integration in England and Scotland
Learning, particularly learning English is presented as a key part of integration for adult migrants in the UK. England and Scotland differ in how their policy approaches to integration include adult learning. This article aims to explore and uncover the ways in which adult education, particularly for refugees and asylum seekers is embedded and included in policy for integration of…
2023
Tutoring project for children from a refugee community: tutor perspectives
Background: The question of how best to support children who are refugees to resettle and thrive in a new country is important and complex. One of the many challenges experienced by such children is disrupted education. It is widely recognised that a sense of belonging and integration within a new school and community are key to enhancing children’s chances of…
2022
Learning in and beyond the classroom: Communities of practice in education support for separated children
Separated children, seeking protection in a new country unaccompanied by parents or customary caregivers, have the right to education yet many face difficulties accessing appropriate provision. We analysed data from Scotland across different types of provision: one specialist programme for separated children and four areas providing a mixture of mainstream and adapted classes. Drawing on situated learning theory and the…
2022
Language learning for refugee women in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: Restorative pedagogies for integrating to place—Perspectives from Scotland
As we reflect and learn from the lessons lived during the COVID-19 pandemic that severely disrupted our ways of being in the world, in this article we call for restorative pedagogies which can reconnect us to each other and to the places we live in. We present the language learning needs and experiences of four newly arrived refugee women in…
2022
Is the public library included? An analysis of local government documentation on the integration of forced migrants in Scotland
Introduction. Library and information science researchers identify public library roles in the integration of forced migrants into local communities. Here an analysis of formal documentation issued by local authorities allowed for an exploration of public libraries as services to aid the integration of forced migrants in Scotland. Method. In 2021, 23 Scottish local authorities responded to Freedom of Information requests…
2022
An ecological, multilingual approach to language learning with newly reunited refugee families in Scotland
Although academic literature and Scotland's refugee integration strategy recommend multilingual, decolonising approaches, language classes for refugees in Scotland usually focus only on the target language (English) and are predominantly teacher-led. This paper argues that newly reunited refugee families can be better supported through an ecological, multilingual approach by presenting empirical data from a five-month teaching study using qualitative methods (semi-structured…
2022
The impact of educational achievement on the integration and wellbeing of Afghan refugee youth in the UK
An unprecedented number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) have arrived in Europe over the last decade, and young Afghans account for the highest proportion of UASC across England, Scotland and Wales. Despite a wealth of UK policies aimed at ensuring positive outcomes for young people who have been through the care-system, and a rich body of research exploring the…
2021
Improving labour market access for refugees in Scotland: Key findings and recommendations
Access to the labour market is a key element of displaced migrants’ ‘integration’ experiences. Labour market access provides displaced migrants with financial stability and sustainability, the development of community networks and positive health outcomes. It also provides benefits to local and national economies. Displaced migrants bring new skills-sets, perspectives and experiences to the labour market, and the medium to long-term…
2020
Displaced Migration and Labour Market Governance in Scotland: Challenges and Opportunities
Labour market conditions in the UK create significant barriers for refugees seeking employment. These include: ethnic and racialised penalties, barriers related to immigration controls, barriers related to employers’ perceptions of these controls and the effects of the ‘hostile environment’. As a result, refugees are more likely to be unemployed or under-employed than a British citizen. GLIMER Stakeholders reported the same…
2020
Education transitions for refugee and asylum-seeking young people in the UK: Exploring the journey to further and higher education
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) enshrines the right to education for all children. This right is not suspended when children are forced to flee their home countries. Amidst the uncertainty and adversity of forced displacement, education is a source of hope, a space of safety and a gateway to opportunities for the future. Yet…
2020
You and me, we’re the same. You struggle with Tigrinya and I struggle with English.’ An exploration of an ecological, multilingual approach to language learning with New Scots
Increased migration into Europe has placed integration and language learning for refugees at the centre of political and public discourses. Scotland’s Refugee Integration Strategy recognises the importance of linguistic diversity and academic literature also highlights the benefits of multilingual learning. However, most support for language learning for refugees is delivered monolingually, creating a gap between policy, literature, and practice. Research…
2020
Micro-level initiatives to facilitate the integration of resettled refugees
Integration, a two-way process involving refugees and the host population, is a politically contentious issue. Successful integration of newcomers in a receiving community is required to create a cohesive society. Yet, there is still little understanding of how integration strategies are employed at a community level. This paper explores how micro-level activities such as education in local schools, lifelong learning…
2020
Education for refugee and asylum seeking children: Access and quality in England, Scotland and Wales
In 2017, UNICEF UK commissioned research to understand how far refugee and asylum-seeking children are currently accessing their right to education in the UK. For children on the move who come to the UK, education is one of the first and most critical services they need access to. This report, produced by Refugee Support Network, provides an up-to-date overview of…
2018
International Perspectives on the Pedagogies of Educational Transitions
There has been a great deal written recently about children starting school, particularly primary school. All of the stakeholders in these transitions to school have been considered, along with matters of readiness – for the child, family, educators, schools and communities; adjustment and adaptation; continuity and change in curricula and learning; and the opportunities, aspirations, expectations and entitlements encompassed in…
2017
Improving ESOL provision for displaced adult migrants in Scotland: Key recommendations and findings
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) provision for asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government’s (SG) education brief and has developed independently of and diverged from UK Government approaches in England. The SG’s ESOL Strategy, now in its second iteration, Welcoming Our Learners (2015-2020), interacts with other policy areas, including Adult Literacies, Community Learning…
2019
Language Education for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Scotland: Provision and Governance
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) provision for asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland is distinctive within the UK. The Scottish Government waives ESOL fees for asylum seekers, meaning that ESOL provision is not formally restricted according to immigration status. The ESOL environment in Scotland is currently characterised by complexity. ESOL providers include: colleges, local authorities, ALEOs, the third…
2019
Critical inquiry into the education for refugee and migrant pupils: The construction of primary teachers’ practices in one city in Scotland
Schools and teachers play key roles in promoting positive re-settlement outcomes for refugees and migrants. As such, this requires schools and teachers to identify and respond to their diverse linguistic, cultural and emotional needs (Pastoor, 2015; Block et al., 2015; Hek, 2005). As a result, teacher roles can stem beyond their traditional expectations when presented with refugee and migrant pupils…
2019
More than a game? Exploring sport’s role in refugee and asylum-seeker settlement in Glasgow, Scotland
Up until recently, refugees and asylum-seekers, and even more so, the relationship between sport and settlement, has generally been written out of discussions surrounding sport for development (SFD). This study seeks to fill some of this lacuna through a critical analysis of a grassroots, community football club for male refugees and asylum-seekers - United Glasgow FC (UGFC). Drawing on fieldwork…
2018
Towards a well-being focussed language pedagogy: enabling arts-based, multilingual learning spaces for young people with refugee backgrounds
Abstract: The following article explores the conceptual background and pedagogical realities of establishing a well-being focussed language pedagogy in the context of an informal educational event called ‘Language Fest’. The event was organised as part of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded large grant project ‘Researching Multilingually at the Borders of Language, the Body, Law and the State’ –…
2016