Resources
Weblinks
Background information and class activities
Refugee Council
The Refugee Council is the largest organisation in the UK working with asylum seekers and refugees. Provides direct advice to refugees and publishes translated information booklets. Useful pages include background information to refugee producing countries, answering the media myths, and languages and scripts of refugee communities.
Refugee Week
Provides ideas and resources around refugee issues, not just for refugee week.
Global Eye
A useful website for children. The archives contain ideas for learning about refugees.
Save the Children
Provides information and background on refugee issues for children. Also has downloadable resources, and lists of their own published resources.
www.savethechildren.org.uk/eyetoeye/ gives a glimpse of life in a refugee camp with photos and stories by Palestinian children. Includes background information and helpful guidelines for teachers.
Oxfam
www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet
- good ideas for global learning for teachers and children.
www.irespect.net/index.htm
Also good ideas and worksheets.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees
Provides a Gallery of Prominent Refugees on their home page, plus general background information. More useful for teachers and older students.
The BBC website is a useful source of updated information relating to refugee issues. 3 sites in particular stand out:
CBBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/uk/asylum_seekers/newsid_1606000/1606878.stm
The first of a series of sites specifically designed to explain the current issues around asylum seekers to children and young people. Very clear and helpful.
The Road to Refuge
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/road_to_refuge/default.stm
This special World Service report tells the stories behind the statistics of refugees, using first-person testimonies and in-depth interviews to trace the journey from home into exile. It asks why refugees are still fleeing, where they go, and examines how we treat them. Includes slide shows on 50 years of refuge, and refugee portraits, plus a photo diary of camp life by refugees in Tanzania.
Passages of Asylum
http://www.hwlc.ac.uk/lweb/pa/index.htm
Short personal histories (testimonies) of refugees and asylum seekers, organised into 3 categories: departures, journeys and arrivals. Includes teaching ideas and worksheets.
United Colours of London
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/yourlondon/unitedcolours/index.shtml
Comprehensive information on 30 of London's communities, including Ethiopians, Somalis and Vietnamese.
www.movingHere.org.uk
is a huge database of photos, maps, objects, documents and audio items relating to migration in the last 200 years. It also includes a useful 'Tips for teachers' section.
QCA: New Arrivals
Extremely useful information section on supporting new arrivals, including refugees and asylum seekers. Has a wealth of material, including case studies of good practice, and short background information sheets on countries of origin.
National Refugee Integration Forum
http://www.nrif.org.uk/Education/index.asp
This website provides information, guidance and examples of good practice to support the integration of refugee children. It should be of interest to all professionals working in educational settings.
The Collaborative Learning Project
This is a network of teaching professionals supporting inclusive education and developing and disseminating accessible teaching materials in all subject areas and for all ages.
Exiled Writers Ink!
http://www.exiledwriters.co.uk/index.shtml
Exiled writers ink provides a platform for the work of artists living in exile in the UK and mainland Europe through performance, publishing and training activities.
LEA sites
Managing Pupil Mobility
http://www.islingtonschools.net/p/T&L/EMAS/mobility_home.htm
Website guidance to assist schools' management of pupil mobility. It provides schools with ideas for good practice, case studies of good practice in Islington schools and up-to-date links to other useful guidance and resources.
Portsmouth EMA Team
www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk/asylum
Very helpful and user friendly website.
Newcastle EMTRAS
http://emtras.newcastlelea.org
As above. Contains welcome booklets in a variety of languages which can be downloaded.
Hounslow Language Service
http://www.ealinhounslow.org.uk/
Hounslow Language Service site with downloadable beginners programmes, multilingual stories, multilingual parents guides to bilingualism, multilingual maths key vocabularies, policies and information. Further resources available to purchase from the site.
Issues
NUT Relearning to Learn:
http://www.teachers.org.uk/resources/word/relearning.doc
Advice for teachers who are new to teaching children from refugee and asylum seeking families.
The Guardian
www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Refugees_in_Britain
Has useful updates and digests.
Asylum Newsround
Useful digest of recent news topics, provided by London Asylum Seekers Consortium (LASC).
Information for Asylum Seekers
www.londonmet.ac.uk/ragu/asset
Provides information on education, preparation for employment, volunteering and getting recognition for qualifications and experience. It includes a useful section on understanding the UK education system. The website includes translated summaries of information in 8 refugee languages, details of local provision and a chance to ask a question. The website was developed by RAGU (Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit).
Save the Children: Site for young refugees
www.savethechildren.org.uk/caris
Site set up for young refugees, their parents and their legal practitioners.
SA Brighter Future
A site developed by 3 groups of young asylum seekers and refugees in Newcastle, Manchester and London aiming to improve the lives of others like themselves in this country. Includes a helpful list of support services. Children's Legal Centre (refugee and asylum seekers)
www.childrenslegalcentre.com
Easily accessible advice relating the rights of refugee children
National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC)
http://ncadc.org.uk/campaigns/guide.htm
Has produced a campaigning guide good advice on how run a campaign against deportations. Available on CDROM (price £5), or can be downloaded free from NCADC website.
Schools Against Deportation
Recently set up by the Institute of Race Relations to provide readily available campaigning resources, guidelines, and information for schools facing similar problems.
Time Together Mentoring Project
http://www.timetogether.org.uk/
Time Together matches UK citizens in one-to-one mentoring relationships with refugees.
EAL
Language of the month
http://www.newburypark.redbridge.sch.uk/langofmonth/index.html
Award winning site, containing first words, free downloadable activities for schools and teaching ideas in a range of languages, including Albanian, Arabic, Lingala, Somali and Tamil.
Bristol EMAS
http://www.bristol-lea.org.uk/services/emas/materials/home.html
Has some excellent downloadable materials for young people who are new to English. Altogether a helpful site.
QCA: A Language in Common
Government guidelines on assessing English as an Additional Language.
Naldic: Working for pupils with EAL
Provides news, advice and resources for teachers of EAL.
EMA Online
http://www.emaonline.org.uk/ema/
This online resource base for teachers has been developed by Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester LEAs with funding from the DfES.