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Updated 21 July 2022
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/helping-ukrainian-students-in-schools/resources-to-help-support-children-and-young-people-arriving-from-ukraine
This information is provided solely for reference to help schools and colleges. Resources included are not endorsed, promoted, recommended or connected to the Department for Education in any legally binding way.
The Bell Foundation has translated materials explaining the education system and also produced a number of resources to welcome refugee learners.
Achieving for Children (providing children’s services for Kingston upon Thames and Richmond local authorities) has developed 10 key points for a whole-school approach and ethos to welcoming new arrivals to the UK into schools. This includes:
There is a range of English language learning options and resources available to children, young people and adults arriving from Ukraine.
English language learning resources include:
Oxford International Education Group offers two free English language courses to displaced people and those fleeing the war in Ukraine taught through the OI Digital Institute:
Open University – OpenLearn platform can be adapted to offer tailored, free support, and there is a dedicated hub aimed at refugees
Other resources to support international arrivals into UK schools and colleges include:
Ukrainian people aged 19 and older can access adult education, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Contact your local authority or further education college directly as they will be able to confirm what courses are available and when they happen. A list of ESOL contacts by local authority is available on request by contacting the Department for Education.
To help young people reflect on war and conflict in all forms, the charity Never Such Innocence offers in-person creative workshops lasting 1.5 to 2 hours to schools and other education providers in the UK. Poetry, speech and songwriting workshops are available for students aged 9 to 18, subject to availability. To request a workshop, email enquiries@neversuchinnocence.com.
Young people can from around the world are also encouraged to share their creative responses, expressing their thoughts, fears and hopes. To find out more or submit work, visit their website.
The Pianoman charity offers a number of scholarships to young Ukrainian people fleeing the war so they can continue playing the piano in the UK. It provides free piano tuition with world-class concert pianists, travel expenses (within the UK) and further assistance. Applicants must be aged between 11 and 17, and have achieved a proficiency level of grade 5 or higher.
Badger Learning is publishing six eBooks in a dual-language format, with English and Ukrainian text side by side and a glossary of commonly used words at the back. Books are all suitable for children in key stages 2 and 3. Badger Learning is offering these as free resources to schools to support the learning and integration of Ukrainian refugee children in the UK. The books are available as a free download for use in school or to print out and give to children to read at home.
ILT provides a multilingual digital book service for young children, Polylino. All the books are available for free for Ukrainian families arriving in the UK, including books that can be listened to in Ukrainian. (Some assistance to sign up with ‘username’ and ‘password’ may be required)
One Thought Changes All (1TCA) and One Koala are dual language picture books and activity workbooks to support early years. These are available as free download resource from 1TCA in English, Ukrainian and soon Russian.
Ukrainian Buddy Box is a free educational resource which is designed to be an icebreaker, supporting Ukrainian children, their teachers and peers in a fun and educational way. Buddy Box allows Ukrainian children to effectively communicate with their classroom buddies and supports language learning.
Teachers are not mental health professionals, and Ukrainian children and young people and their families may need ongoing support from specialist NHS and community services. Our mental health and behaviour guidance advises how education staff can identify children and young people in need of extra mental health support.
We encourage you to refer to and work with external agencies. We have published guidance that directs you to external sources of mental health and wellbeing support for teachers, school staff and school leaders to help you support children and young people who might need additional mental health support.
Psychological first aid e-learning training is available for parents, carers, front-line workers and volunteers supporting children and young people in emergency or crisis situations.
Barnardos offers help for anyone fleeing the Ukrainian conflict, or any child, young person or family affected by migration because of other conflicts. Therapy, advice and practical support are available by phone or online in other languages.
Senior mental health lead training grants for schools and colleges equip senior mental health leads with the knowledge and skills to implement effective processes for identifying students or specific groups who need additional mental health support.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has a Healing Classrooms educator training programme that helps teachers promote social-emotional learning and academic proficiency while also addressing the demands of new teaching in the digital age. Training is led by IRC education specialists with extensive experience in the English education system and of working with refugees in Britain and abroad. Training sessions are delivered online to schools and teachers across the UK, as well as in-person in the South East of England.
The Including Children Affected by Migration (ICAM) programme has developed guidance, resource packs and coaching workshops for primary and secondary schools across Europe to help them welcome and include Ukrainian children and begin to repair the social and emotional disruption they have suffered. The ICAM programme works through the professional development of school leaders, who then help their school staff to restore learning relationships.
Save the Children has tips about how to talk to children about war.
The Red Cross has created a teacher resource to help young people explore the impacts that conflict and crisis have on people, and discuss our common human values.
Widget has produced a translated Refugee Support Pack that contains a range of translated and symbol-supported communication charts and other useful resources that can be used by anyone of any age to help refugees convey information, health and urgent needs and requirements.
We have provided information on dealing with misinformation on our Education Blog, Help for teachers and families to talk to pupils about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
More information on how to spot false posts from Ukraine is available on the BBC News website.
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