Country Information
Having access to a little background information on the child's country of origin can be empowering for teachers, and can serve to open friendly channels of communication with the children and their parents. As confidence grows, they may be happy to share their own memories and knowledge.
A good immediate source of more detailed information on specific countries is available from the info centre on the Refugee Council website: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk. There is a new QCA website, www.qca.org.uk/newarrivals, which also provides "teacher friendly" guides to the most commonly represented countries, as well as much other useful background information.
There are many very helpful children's books, giving information about the countries refugees may have come from, which also give a taste of the refugee experience. The following children's books, including fiction, are strongly recommended for adults and children alike:
KS1/2
- Bilingual Folk Tales from the Refugee Council
- The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman
- Refugees: A Resource Book for Primary Schools by Jill Rutter
- Threatened Cultures: Kurds by Dr. John King
- Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic
- Kosovan Journeys: Refugee children tell their stories
KS2/3
- Petar's Song by Pratima Mitchell
- Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
- The Other Side of Truth, and Web of Lies by Beverly Naidoo
- The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey, and Mud City by Deborah Ellis