Best Practice

Supporting Syrian refugee children who arrive in your school

Pastoral issues Behaviour Safeguarding Government policy Pupil wellbeing Mental health
Receiving the children of Syrian refugees as they begin to arrive in the UK is a realistic possibility for many schools. It is likely that these children will face many challenges as they integrate. Educational psychologist Dr Joanna Mitchell offers a checklist for successful inclusion

The Syrian refugee crisis of recent months has raised social, political and humanitarian questions with far-reaching consequences. The extent to which we are facing a “children crisis” is now a hotly debated issue.

According to recent figures provided by the UN Refugee Agency, 7.6 million children are in need in Syria, of whom two million are refugees (1). Recent images and stories have generated a huge amount of sympathy and concern for the welfare of these vulnerable families and children.

We know that many of them will have experienced traumatic events, including violence, malnutrition, separation and even bereavement. It may be unclear in many circumstances for how long these families and children have been exposed to such adversity.

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