Refugees into Teaching Impact ReportNovember 2008 –October 2011

 

The Refugee Council is a human rights charity, independent of government, which works to ensure that refugees are given the protection they need, that they are treated with respect and understanding, and that they have the same rights, opportunities and responsibilities as other members of our society.

3 Foreword4 Introduction6 What We Do13 Working in Partnership15 Achievements16 Further Need17 Appendix I National Refugee Database statistics18 Appendix II List of organisations RiT has worked with

For further information on the project, please visit our website at: www.rit.refugeecouncil.org.uk

The Refugee Council240–250 Ferndale Road London SW9 8BBTel: 020 7346 6700 Fax: 020 7346 6701 www.refugeecouncil.org.uk

British Refugee Council, (commonly called the Refugee Council) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales, [No 2727514] and a registered charity, [No 1014576]. VAT reg no: 936 519 988. Registered office: 240-250 Ferndale Road, London, SW9 8BB, United Kingdom

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The Refugees into Teaching project is exactly the sort of work we should be doing in this country to support refugees.

This dynamic project demonstrates that many people who come to the UK seeking protection are skilled teaching professionals in their home country. It inspires me to see their passion for teaching, their commitment to improving young minds and their determination to rebuild their lives and careers despite all they have been through.

These individuals really need specific support to help them get into a UK classroom, achieve their full potential and make a real impact. Without a vital project such as this, they will struggle to find employment and training commensurate with their talents, and the UK will lose people with a unique skill set who deserve a chance to rebuild what they have lost.

This great country of ours has been continually enhanced over the centuries by the contribution of refugees. The Refugees into Teaching project, with its direct tailored support to individuals, is helping many more make a major contribution to our country as the teachers for our children.

This year we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Convention. It is also a special year for the Refugee Council as it marks the charity’s 60th year of supporting the needs of refugees. This project is therefore part of a long tradition, which we are proud to be a part of. I hope that once you have read this inspiring report you will share my sense of enthusiasm and passion for this remarkable project.

Jonathan EllisDirector – Advocacy and InfluencingRefugee Council

“The diversity in this country is quite big; there are people here from everywhere in the world. Employing refugee teachers, even as teaching assistants, could have a big positive impact on pupils. You see sometimes teachers don’t understand the culture a student comes from, this way the pupils sometimes cannot relate to teachers and teachers cannot always understand their [students’] cultural background. So I believe refugee teachers could be a bridging gap and they can even inspire students, they can sometimes also help bridging gaps between the families of different pupils. Refugee teachers definitely have a role to play.” Bertrand, Teacher from Cameroon

 

Foreword

 

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Refugees are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. They’ve been forced to leave their homes and their families to escape from war, torture and persecution. Refugees are looking for something we all take for granted – safety. The Refugee Council has been providing support to refugees for 60 years, and we want to see a world in which men, women and children who are forced to flee their homes can find the protection they need and rebuild their lives in safety and dignity. One of the ways we help refugees integrate fully into British society is through promoting, encouraging and building on the skills many people bring with them. This includes valuable work with teachers displaced from their home countries.

Refugees into Teaching (RiT) provides free advice and support to refugees who have a background in teaching from their home countries, and are now looking to rebuild their careers and to become qualified teachers or work in other support staff roles in UK state primary or secondary schools. RiT is an England-wide project based at the Refugee Council offices in London and Leeds.

RiT is funded by the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA), the body responsible for teacher training in England.

The project was funded as the TDA recognised that, although there were anecdotally a significant number of refugees in England from a teaching background, the skills and experience of these professionals were not being utilised in schools. They also recognised

the fact that refugees have no restrictions on work, unlike migrant populations, and that, over and above their commitment to children’s education, they have extra skills to bring to schools, like multiple languages, different cultural viewpoints and extraordinary and inspiring life experiences.

The project began with a pilot phase in 2006-2008 to ascertain evidence of the number of teachers from a refugee background, their needs, and the services that would particularly facilitate their return to work. This scoping exercise far surpassed its target of finding refugee teachers, with triple the number of teachers registering. RiT was then awarded funding for a further three year period to support refugee teachers, from November 2008 to October 2011. With this further funding, the project was able to expand both its services and its geographical reach, reflecting the needs and distribution of the teachers across England.

RiT now works with teachers from 66 countries, living all over England, who have a variety of educational backgrounds, previous experience and skills.

About the Teachers

Over half of the teachers registered with us have more than five years’ experience in their home country, and the majority are shortage subject specialists in areas such as maths, modern foreign

Introduction

languages and science, or are men who wish to teach at primary level. Over a third of teachers speak two or more languages in addition to English, including important community languages like Arabic, Turkish, Mandarin, Farsi and Somali.

These characteristics, along with the global dimension they bring to the classroom, their links with local communities and their ability to engage pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds mean the teachers we work with can be a unique asset to a school.

Despite previous skills and experience, the routes back into teaching can still be complicated, long and difficult, even for someone who has been a teacher for over 20 years in their home country. Before 2006, the number of people from a refugee background accessing Initial Teacher Training or working in schools was negligible. Since then Refugees into Teaching has been able to offer practical advice and support, leading to individual progression and achievement that would not have been possible otherwise. However, the numbers of refugee teachers still hoping to navigate their way through the requalification process and employment market is considerable. Real progress is being made but there is a lot more to do to ensure that skills aren’t wasted and schools have the opportunity to benefit from this pool of talented professionals.

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80% of teachers are unemployed or in low paid work when they register with RiT.

94% of teachers in state maintained schools in England are of white ethnic origin. 25.5% of pupils in primary and 21% of pupils in secondary are from a minority ethnic background. 1

1 http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000927/sfr11-2010v2.pdf http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000925/sfr09-2010.pdf

Understanding the Issues

The return to teaching can be a complicated process for a number of reasons:• Theasylumsystemmeansthatpeople are forcibly inactive for a significant period of time, sometimes for several years, as people do not have permission to work until they get a decision from the Home Office. Long term unemployment can lead to a lack of confidence and a level of de-skilling.• Theeducationsystemandemployment methods here may be very different from

a teacher’s home country, so familiarisation is needed.• Theroutesintoteachingarevaried and finding the right information and advice can be challenging, particularly when people are not aware of refugee entitlements.• Alloverseasqualificationsneedtobe assessed by the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) – sometimes these come back at less than degree level, meaning further study is then needed. • Forceddisplacementmeansthat some are also unable to bring their qualification certificates with them – in many cases this can mean starting

Thushi, the Doctor and Science Teacher

Thushi qualified as a doctor in Sri Lanka, where she practiced medicine. She later used these transferable science skills in the classroom as a qualified secondary science teacher, working for several years in the profession. She was forced to flee Sri Lanka in 2007, and on arrival was prohibited from working for two years during her asylum claim. Once she received refugee status in the UK in 2009, she then tried to find a job in a school, but was unsuccessful, knocking her confidence.

again from the beginning.• Findingaplaceinaschool independently to volunteer can be a major barrier – without this UK experience people cannot progress.• Schoolsandeducationsupply agencies can show a reluctance to employ people from non traditional countries, stating that they are uncomfortable with things like unfamiliar overseas qualifications, permission to work documents and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks.

RiT guidance workers communicated with Thushi many times over the course of an academic year. This began with introductory information and help with contacting her chosen university for admissions procedures, then moved on to preparation of her personal statement before submission. Thushi was rejected from her first choice, and RiT was able to find out the reason behind this – she was wrongly rejected as an international student due to clerical error and confusion over refugee entitlements. Through advocacy from RiT, her application was resubmitted and she gained an interview. In partnership with another organisation offering advice to refugee teachers, we were then able to

support her through the interview process, offering mock interviews and role plays to great effect – Thushi was offered a place at her chosen university in her subject specialisation, Science.

Thuyshi’s journey shows that, even with amazing skills, previous qualifications and useful language skills, navigating the system can be extremely hard. Without specific support, teachers like Thuyshi could be lost to the UK classroom.

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RiT offers a range of services to help teachers reach their training and employment goals. As the barriers holding people back are individual, so is the tailored support we offer. We have put together a core level of service relevant to all teachers trying to get back into work and study, and this is supplemented by specific schemes depending on the person’s need. Being based at the Refugee Council, we are also expertly placed to conduct advocacy on behalf of refugee teachers, making their voice heard in wider scale debates on education, employment and integration of refugees in the UK.

What We Do

National Refugee Teachers Database

We currently have over 1194 teachers registered with us. 2

(Target 225)

We manage the National Refugee Teachers Database, the only national database for mapping the experience, skills and geographical distribution of refugees from a teaching background. This has allowed us to gain a more comprehensive picture of who the teachers are, and where they live. The database is unique in the fact it also tracks the progress teachers make towards their goals, and highlights what services have been instrumental in their successes.

Approximately 50% of our registrants are active at any given time (they have been in contact with the project in the last year). One third live in London, with a further third in Yorkshire and Humberside and the West Midlands, and the final third spread across the rest of England. The number of registrations has been steady, averaging around 30 per month, demonstrating the ongoing demand from refugee teachers across the country for the project.

2 Statistics quoted in this report cover the period up to March 2011.

Advice andGuidance

We have provided 2005 advice and guidance sessions to date.(Additional work beyond targets)

RiT aims to equip teachers with all the tools necessary to make informed decisions, and helps guide people through the options available. The staff are knowledgeable not only about routes into teaching and the English education system, but also about the asylum system. Each advice and guidance session represents a chance to build a positive action plan, with input from the teacher and the guidance worker.

As part of this work, we have developed a comprehensive and highly regarded portfolio of supporting documents, including a 23 part information pack on all aspects of teaching, and an information portal website: www.rit.refugeecouncil.org.uk

Project Targets:• 225refugeeteacherstoberegisteredontheNationalRefugee Teachers Database• 80UKNARICassessmentsofoverseasqualificationstobecompleted• 150referralstopartnersandotherservices• 150peopletohaveaccesstoevents•125mentoringrelationshipstobesetup

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Overseas Qualification Assessment

We have coordinated the assessment of overseas qualifications for 503 people.(Target 80)

One vital yet simple service we offer teachers is free equivalency of overseas qualifications through the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC). Without knowledge of how overseas qualifications fit into the UK system, teachers are unable to work out their progression route, or apply for jobs or university. Without our help this can be costly, and the results confusing, so guidance workers discuss the results with teachers, and plan next steps.

Support Groups and Events

1306 teachers have now attended an information event or course through the project.(Target 150)

RiT offers a range of monthly meetings across England working with guest presenters on different topics. These give people an insight into areas of the English education system that may be new, challenging or confusing. They are also a chance for teachers to meet each other, share experiences, gain confidence and support one another through peer learning forums.

Event topics have included:• Routesintoteaching• SpecialEducationNeeds• Safeguardingandchildprotection• Writingeffectivepersonalstatements• Jobapplications• Theroleofteachingunions• ICTintheclassroom• Widerworkforceroles

We run support groups and other events in London, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester, as well as signposting teachers to events by other organisations all over England.

Courses

113 teachers have attended a familiarisation course through the project.(Additional work beyond targets)

In addition to the monthly events, RiT has also worked with a variety of partners to offer unique courses designed specifically for refugee teachers. These have taken either a holistic approach, such as familiarisation courses, or focused on specific confidence building and communication techniques.

RiT has so far worked with Leeds Metropolitan University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Sheffield Hallam University and London Metropolitan University to run 7 familiarisation courses. It has been particularly valuable to have the courses run by Initial Teacher Training providers, so teachers have access to the best professional knowledge. The courses last several weeks part time, and cover a variety of sessions, from the National Curriculum to behaviour management, as well as including a short observation period in a school.

“I have been going to the support groups for 9 months because the staff have knowledge and understanding of refugee issues and teaching in the UK. The support groups have allowed me to assess my current skill set, determine what needs to be improved and where and how this improvement can be achieved.” Lester, Teacher from Zimbabwe

“I was confused… this course opened my eyes… everything is clear now… I didn’t know before what to do, where to go, how to do it… am really confident I will get QTS.” Tichoana, Teacher from Zimbabwe

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“[The support groups] helped me like spotting the light in a dark tunnel. This is how I had seen UK education before attending these valuable sessions. I am now more able and confident in applying for teaching jobs and (have a) good understanding of the UK education structure.” Abdul, Teacher from Iraq

Bertrand, PGCE French

Student activism caused Bertrand to flee his native Cameroon in 2005. He could only begin his journey to teaching again in 2009, as waiting for the outcome of his asylum claim made him forcibly inactive for four years.

“You could only imagine how hard it is for anyone not to be able to work for four years or to study at college or university level despite having the ability to do so.”

RiT began by organising for his overseas qualifications to be sent to UK NARIC, which came back as an equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. We gave him

preliminary advice on his options, and referred him to an invaluable familiarisation course being run by another service in London. He received a place at Kingston University after a successful interview, dependent on gaining GCSE English equivalent.

Refugee documents and entitlements, as well as the problems the asylum process can pose, are not always easily understood. In a case like Bertrand’s, our expertise in this area was uniquely able to resolve a barrier that might have led to Bertrand missing out on his PGCE place. If we hadn’t intervened, he would not have sat his International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, and so not be completing his Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) this year in French.

“Without RiT I wouldn’t know what to do even though I wanted to become a teacher; the guidance worker in particular helped me a lot and she advised me. For example, when the Home Office granted me my status, they had misspelled my name so I had to send the documents back to them to correct it. At the same time I had to do the IELTS test but they wanted to see my original document which was still with the Home Office. So I was desperate, but then RiT talked to the British Council and explained my situation – finally they [the British Council] accepted me and let me do the test. You can imagine this was exceptional and really wouldn’t have happened if RiT didn’t help.”

Summary

We have also worked with high profile organisations like the National Theatre and the Central School of Speech and Drama to offer communication skills courses ideal for teachers.

Those on the courses have then gone on to voluntary placements in schools, paid work, and Initial Teacher Training, having gained relevant foundation knowledge not normally accessible to them.

Teachers can expect, as a minimum, the following services from us:• Atleastoneindividualadvice and guidance session, over the phone or in person• Acomprehensive,23partinformation pack which covers the basics of the English Education system, information on applying for teacher training and other relevant topics• Accesstoevents and support groups in many regions of England• Amonthlye-newsletter with information on training, policy, news and events in different regions

• Freeoverseasqualification comparisons (through UK NARIC)• Adedicatedandfrequentlyupdated website which acts as a central epository of information aimed at refugee teachers and those who support them: www.rit.refugeecouncil.org.uk

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“I realised that yes, teaching is different here, but it is also the same… it is only a matter of time required…[the] most important thing is that the course has restored confidence…” Mahmoud, Teacher from Syria

Guest Speakers, Event and Course Partners

Alan Newland Public Relations Manager General Teaching Council for England

Of the hundreds of sessions we do with students across the country, some of the most enjoyable and satisfying were those with the refugee teacher groups. Within the space of an hour and a half it was obvious that they not only felt challenged by stimulating and thought-provoking discussion about professional standards and professional ethics, but they felt their professional identity was being re-constituted and re-affirmed – which of course has profound implications for them personally as individuals trying to re- establish themselves in a foreign country.

Christopher Dalladay Senior Lecturer, Music Education and Overseas Trained Teachers The University of East London

I enjoy working with all Overseas Trained Teachers as they frequently bring much potential experience and insight which will benefit young people in schools. They are also highly motivated to bring the experience and knowledge they have to the education of those young people.

Bruce Wooding Head of the School of Professional and Community DevelopmentCentral School of Speech and Drama

I think this is an excellent organisation and essential to enable refugees with appropriate qualifications to develop… [further] teaching skills. The development of their talent and helping them to become members of the work force must also have great economic impacts; for example removing the need to rely on benefits and giving status through work, thus avoiding issues like depression from unemployment.

Lorraine Petersen OBE Chief Executive Officer NASEN – the leading organisation in the UK for special needs information

I think it is very important to engage with this group as they have obviously had experience in the teaching field in their home country and have a great deal to offer UK schools – however because of the different levels of academic requirement from country to country they will need support with UK policy and practice. From my personal point of view I have been able to interact with a group of people who I would not have had an opportunity to meet with if it was not for the project. I have not only learnt a great deal about refugees but also about the educational experiences in their home country – I also now have knowledge of their hopes and fears of being in another country.

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“I am very happy with the relationship between me and my mentor Linda, she was very supportive and friendly and tried her best to help me at all times. For example, she helped me get a placement in her school. I feel I have more confidence to take part in the education sector.” Hamid, Teacher from Syria

Mentoring

111 mentoring relationships have been established across England to date. (Target 125)

RiT’s mentoring scheme gives teachers from a refugee background the chance to build a one-to-one relationship with a UK-qualified teacher and receive support that is individually tailored to their needs.

The scheme recruits UK-qualified primary and secondary teachers to volunteer to mentor a teacher from a refugee background. Mentors and mentees are matched, taking account of

factors such as teaching specialism, geographical location and other needs or areas of expertise. The pair then meet regularly over a period of three to six months to exchange ideas and experiences and, importantly, to work towards the mentee’s goals. We give initial training and ongoing support for both parties. This includes a tailor-made mentoring handbook we have created for both mentors and mentees.

Mentoring has proved to be an extremely valuable experience for both mentees and mentors. For many mentees, as well as helping them to take concrete actions towards achieving their goals, the scheme has benefited them in less measurable ways, such as building

their confidence and helping them to integrate more fully into life in the UK. 87% of mentees found the mentoring service helpful or very helpful.

For mentors, being involved with the scheme has been a unique chance to work with a fellow teaching professional from overseas, develop mentoring skills and learn about the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers in this country. We are still matching teachers, and 89 mentors have been trained to date.

In London, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle RiT has worked in partnership with Barnardo’s, Timebank, the Northern Refugee Centre (NRC) and JET North to deliver mentoring.

Mesfin, Mentoring Success

In the rush to scramble for safety, refugees have to leave behind many aspects of their lives. This often includes not only family members, but important documents such as university transcripts and qualifications. Such was the case for Mesfin, a qualified teacher from Ethiopia. Despite his previous study and experience, he had to start again – studying a maths degree in this country. Undeterred, Mesfin successfully completed his degree before applying to do a PGCE course. But with such fierce competition, he

needed to make sure he could stand his own, and this is where our mentoring scheme came in.

Mesfin has worked with two mentors, both of them secondary teachers, keen to give their time to support a fellow professional.

“The mentoring scheme helps people like me to succeed.”

The support offered by David, a secondary History teacher, was pivotal in securing him a place on a PGCE course. Disappointed with not getting into his first choice of university, Mesfin sought his mentor’s help in preparing for his second interview. He also arranged to observe an experienced maths teachers

at David’s school. Thanks to just a few meetings with his mentor, Mesfin is now happily installed on a PGCE course at the University of East London (UEL).

But our support did not stop there. Once on the PGCE course, Mesfin felt he needed more subject-specific help. We paired him with Charity, a secondary maths specialist originally from Zimbabwe. Over coffee at a local café they have been discussing the levels of attainment required at maths key stages 3 and 4. Mesfin’s essay on emerging technologies is due in soon and Charity will be providing feedback on his first draft at their next meeting.

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Placements

308 placements and 97 observation places in schools have been set up for teachers(Additional work beyond targets)

Gaining UK classroom experience is vital to securing employment and training, but many teachers find securing a place independently extremely challenging. We work with partners in Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield to engage schools, offering them experienced teachers to undertake voluntary work. We have also created a voluntary placement pack of supporting documents, so teachers can get the most out of their time in the school.

“The system is different from Zimbabwe, so starting by having a placement in a school gave us a chance to get used to and adapt to how things are done here…It’s all about determination in the end though. If you are determined and you want to see what you can do, and you want to show people that you are able, you can. It’s encouraging to think that people are supporting me.” Vinolia, Teacher from Zimbabwe

Placements on average last for eight weeks part time, and include reviews for teacher and school at the mid and end point of the placement. The majority of schools evaluated that their volunteer teacher performed either excellently or

“I believe I am more sensitive to the needs of refugee teachers as a result of this experience and it has improved my coaching skills. Hamid’s biggest learning curve was how to relate to English students. His biggest achievement was planning, resourcing and delivering lessons. His next step is to differentiate the work to meet the students’ needs and learning styles.” Linda, EAL support Worker in a secondary school

very well, and some schools have now taken on up to five teachers on placement. We have now engaged with over 250 schools across England.

“I was delighted by Vinolia’s enthusiasm, despite her obviously difficult personal circumstances. We very quickly entered into a warm and positive relationship and I felt secure in our decision to engage her with my class of year 2 pupils. It was obvious from the start that she had excellent teaching skills. She engaged with pupils immediately, supporting me with a great many everyday issues such as minor behaviour problems, group activities, individual reading/phonics sessions etc. She was keen to respond to the children’s curiosity about why she was here and offered to bring photographs and video clips of her life in Zimbabwe, in particular her teaching of pupils there, which will provide our pupils with a very useful comparative study and will meet the requirements of many aspects of Geography, RE and PSHCE programmes of study. We currently have an “all white” staff and therefore her work and presence in school will most certainly broaden the ethnic and cultural diversity of our workforce and bring the global dimension right into the classroom.” Maggie Hewson, Inclusion Manager and Year 2 Class Teacher, Beeston Primary School

“TimeBank has supported initiatives to better integrate refugees into British society for many years and we were very happy to support Refugees into Teaching through the recruitment of volunteer mentors. We strongly believe that refugees need practical support and guidance to develop their skills for the UK jobs market and Refugees into Teaching provides just that. We hope that the programme can grow, and support more teachers in the future.”

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“We have a client with us at the moment who comes in one day a week to observe and act as a Teaching Assistant but from day one he has put himself in a position of authority and at week two he was actually teaching the class for small chunks of the lesson. One particular class that he is involved in is the most challenging class in school. This has not been an issue at all for him. He has risen to the challenge and has made some major breakthroughs with certain students, which is amazing! In one particular incident recently he was able to diffuse a very challenging situation, which led to the pupil apologising for his behaviour, an unprecedented resolution during the pupil’s time at the school.” Nicky Palmer, Head of English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department and Modern Foreign Languages Teacher

Guide to EmployingRefugees in Schools

As part of our work with schools, we aim to make education employers aware of refugee entitlements to work, an area which can cause confusion for those not familiar with this sector of the UK population. We have created a unique guide to employing refugees in schools. This guide aims to support schools and other education employers in their recruitment practices. It explains clearly who refugees and asylum seekers are, their entitlements to work and train in the UK and the documentation they will have to demonstrate this. This has now been distributed to over 300 schools.

www.rit.refugeecouncil.org.uk/employingrefugeesinschools

“Bringing in RiT clients has exposed our students to other cultures and ethnic minorities, and given them exposure to other cultures. Rodillian students reacted very well and I am very proud of how the student body as a whole has accepted both RiT clients and our EAL students.”Nicky Palmer, Rodillian School

Rodillian SchoolPlacement Success

Rodillian School is a large high school based south of Leeds with just over 1000 predominately white students. They have been involved with refugee teachers through RiT since 2008, and have so far taken five people on placement.

The experience of offering placements has been a learning curve for both the school and RiT. There were some issues with the first person placed and their level of English, which led to more stringent vetting and preparation of RiT clients before placements begin to ensure the right fit of client to school. This client has since taken further English language provision and is improving substantially. With this work to improve our service, of the further four teachers who have been placed, one is now a paid qualified teacher, one has an unconditional offer to study for a maths PGCE, and two are currently applying to start PGCEs in September 2011.

“I hope that in the work I have done with RiT that I have given a number of clients a fighting chance in the battle to achieve and become successful in this country.”

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Refugees into Teaching is based in London and Leeds, corresponding to where many teachers on the National Refugee Teachers Database live. As the number of teachers approaching us grew exponentially, our capacity became stretched. We wanted to increase how many people we could offer a service to, and where, so we have now established delivery partnerships in regions across England to fill this need.

RiT has established contractual partnerships with the organisations listed above to deliver activities like mentoring, support groups, placements and Information Advice and Guidance in areas of the country where there is an identified need.

We also work closely with many more wide ranging organisations across England, who support the project’s objectives and who add to and compliment the work we are undertaking

to ensure the best possible services are available to our clients.

The important links RiT has made across the country cover a variety of different types of organisations, including:

Teaching Unions – National Union of Teachers (NUT), NASUWTInitial Teacher Training Providers – STORM EBITT Provider, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds Trinity University, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of East London, St Mary’s University College Twickenham, Teachers for the 21st Century (TC21), MERITSpecific organisations – National Association for Special Education Needs (NASEN), Speakersbank, National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM)

Working in Partnership

Local Authorities – Education Leeds 3, Luton Local Authority, Barnet Local Authority, Portsmouth Council, Rochdale Local Authority, Southend on Sea Council Refugee Supporting Organisations – JET North (IAG, support groups, placements, mentoring), Employability Forum (placements), Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit (placements), Northern Refugee Centre (support groups, placements, mentoring, familiarisation courses).

A full list of the organisations we have worked with can be found in Appendix II.

3 The Refugee Council and Education Leeds were shortlisted for a Business in the Community award in 2009. This award recognises exceptional progress within organisations working towards race equality, diversity and inclusion. For further information see: www.bitc.org.uk/workplace/diversity_and_inclusion/ race/case_studies/education_leeds_cs.html

North East JET North

Yorkshire and Humberside RETAS Leeds Northern Refugee Centre

Greater London Employability Forum RAGU TimeBank

•

•

•

•

•

North West Barnardo’s

West Midlands Newman College

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“Refugees into Teaching has, for me, opened a new avenue with regards to the individuals I have helped. They have been a source of information about the support and help already available, especially the work being done in the Yorkshire area, and have often directed refugee teachers in the North-East towards MERIT. Working together on a joint course in Newcastle was very rewarding.” Sheba Joseph, MERIT Advisor

Laleh, Maths Teacher

Laleh worked for several years in Iran as a secondary Maths teacher, something she was desperate to continue in England when she received refugee status in 2007. “The situation in Iran is generally not good for anyone but it is worse for women. In my case, I was Kurd, not religious and a woman – a combination of problems if you’re in Iran with all these qualities”.

Arriving speaking little English, she quickly enrolled on a language course. Luckily, her qualifications were found to

be equivalent to the English system, but she still faced the challenge of adapting to a new system of teaching and education, while learning the language: “The first days were really difficult; I didn’t even understand their English – I thought I’d never become a teacher.”

Through collaborative partnership work between Education Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, TC21 and RiT, Laleh was able to access a holistic spectrum of services over several months, including interview practice, informal mentoring and a 6 week familiarisation course run by Leeds Met, containing an embedded school placement. Through this experience, Laleh was able to gain a Maths PGCE place, a great achievement. RiT then

continued to support her on the course, finding a PGCE school placement for her when the provider could not. She is now permanently employed as a secondary maths teacher in Leeds, and was recently awarded QTS.“The media has created a negative image of refugees and asylum seekers and also of the countries they come from. By employing refugee teachers we can show that while the governments of our countries may be rubbish, our nations are great. Also we can show that refugee teachers can be positive role models for young people who are struggling with life.”

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Forcible unemployment because of the asylum system damages the potential for quick progression for many teachers from a refugee background. In addition, our experience has shown that the range of complicated challenges refugee teachers face only emphasises the need for ongoing specialist advice and support.

Refugees into Teaching has become a highly regarded specialist in the field of widening participation within teacher training, and an important voice in the move to engage a more diverse teaching workforce within schools.

RiT staff offer specialist high quality advice; our information tools and resources have been adopted by a number of organisations; our ability to engage school support has been impressive and the level of specialist support we offer refugee teachers invaluable.

Since we began offering specialist support to refugee teachers we have seen some considerable outcomes, achievements and progress. This is remarkable considering the lead time involved in progressing people through a process that can take several years. The project was originally intended to widen participation onto initial teacher training but supporting people into employment quickly became an important addition to the services we offered.

To date 4 we have now supported 146 refugees into paid employment within schools and many more are now ready to apply for paid positions, and will hopefully secure roles over the next few months.

Since registering with us 66 people have been helped to access Initial Teacher Training and a further 30 have now successfully gained Qualified Teacher Status.

Importantly, we have now prepared 129 people to a point where they are ready to apply for Initial Teacher Training. This means we have supported them to gain the necessary qualifications, skills and experience deemed necessary before being considered by teacher training institutions. A further 189 registrants have also been supported to progress onto further and higher education as part of their route to access qualified teaching positions within schools. This has included securing degree top up courses. With RiT’s help, 115 clients are currently in volunteering positions within schools in order to gain the necessary awareness and experience of the English education system.

4 As previously noted, the statistics in this document cover the period up to the end of March 2011.

Achievements • Over1194teachersregisteredontherefugeeteachersdatabase• 2005adviceandguidancesessionsgiven• 503UKNARICassessmentsofoverseasqualificationscompleted• 1306teachershaveattendedaninformationeventorcourse• 113teachershaveundertakenafamiliarisationcourse• 111mentoringrelationshipshavebeenestablished• 308placementsand97observationshavebeensetupwithschools• 88paidsupportstaffpositions• 34paidsupplyteachingroles• 15paidunqualifiedteachingroles• 14paidqualifiedteachingpositions

16

Despite some real achievements to date there is still a lot of work to do. RiT continues to receive around 30 new registrations per month and many of the current registrants are on a path to achievement which requires ongoing support. Without this support their chance to continue their career is greatly diminished.

Based only on our current clients we estimate the following will need specific help if their dream of teaching here is to be realised:• 308willneedhelpfindingavoluntary school placement• 114willbereadytoapplyforITTfrrom September 2011 • 174couldbenefitfromamentorbefore and during their PGCE• 386willrequireequivalencyoftheir overseas qualifications• 843willneedtoreceiveongoing Information Advice and Guidance

We have been truly inspired by all of the teachers we have worked with, as well as the many organisations that have rightly seen the benefit in supporting a project such as ours. RiT services continue to be a lifeline for refugees hoping to rebuild their careers in the UK. We firmly believe that looking beyond a narrow definition of who a teacher can be has the potential to hugely enrich pupils’ learning across England. The UK has a long tradition of acceptance, integration and acknowledging the value of others’ experiences, and we hope this remains true no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in as a nation.

We encourage anyone involved in education to see teachers from a refugee background as potential colleagues and people worth investing in.

• 308willneedhelpfindingavoluntaryschoolplacement• 144willbereadytoapplyforITTinSeptember2011• 174couldbenefitfromamentorbeforeandduringtheirPGCE• 386willrequireequivalencyoftheiroverseasqualifications• 843willneedtoreceiveongoingInformationAdviceandGuidance

Further Needs

17

Appendix INational Refugee Database statistics

574 (48%) Female 620 (52%) Male

216 (17%)

Yorkshire and Humberside

44 (4

%) E

ast M

idla

nds

78 (7

%) E

ast o

f Eng

land

448 (37%) Greater London

54 (5

%) N

orth

Eas

t

119

(10%

) Nor

th W

est

57 (5

%) S

outh

Eas

t

11 (1

%) S

outh

Wes

t 167 (14%) West Midlands

Locations

Gender

Teaching Experience

Nationality

316

251

100

3951

113

Up toa year

1–5a year

5–10a year

10–15a year

15–20a year

20+a year

Notknown

96

Mat

hs

216La

ngua

ges

66

Sci

ence

61

Eng

lish

54 ICT

39

Des

ign

& T

hecn

olog

y

20

Bus

ines

s st

udie

s

19

Soc

ial S

cien

ces

19

His

tory

19

Geo

grap

hy

18

362

Zim

bab

we

110

Iraq

87S

omal

ia

68E

ritre

a

59Ir

an

47D

RC

42P

akis

tan

32S

udan

32C

amer

oon

29S

ri La

nka

26E

thio

pia

19A

fgha

nist

an

21N

iger

ia

16A

lban

ia

16U

gand

a

229

Oth

er

Top ten first choice specialism for Secondary Teachers

18

We have been extremely lucky to benefit from the support of a variety of organisations that have shown an interest in the work we do. We would like to thank them for their contribution and ongoing help.

We would also like to thank all the schools across England who have engaged with the project.

Barnardo’sB-NETTBradford CollegeCentral School of Speech and DramaCouncil for Assisting Refugee AcademicsEducation BradfordEducation LeedsEmployability ForumEmpowering LearningGlobal Careers GroupGoldsmith’s CollegeGreenwich UniversityGTCEHampshire CouncilHull CouncilInstitute of EducationJET NorthLeeds Metropolitan UniversityLiverpool City CouncilLiverpool John Moores UniversityLondon Borough of BarnetLoNoCoLuton CouncilManchester City CouncilManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester University MERITMiddlesex UniversityMigrants Resource CentreNASENNASUWTNational TheatreNCETMNewcastle UniversityNewman University CollegeNorthern Refugee CentreNottingham Trent UniversityNUTOpen University

PATH into Teaching (University of West of England)Portsmouth CouncilProtocol EducationRAGUReconnectRecruitment and Employment Confederation RETASRochdale Local AuthoritySheffield Hallam UniversitySouthend on Sea CouncilSouthend Teacher Training Partnership St Mary’s University College TwickenhamSTORMTeachers for the 21st Century (TC21)TimebankTrinity CollegeUK NARICUniversity of East LondonUniversity of HullUniversity of Sheffield University of StrathclydeUniversities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET)Wakefield CouncilWest London PartnershipYork University

This report was written by Juliette Stevenson, with help from the RiT team: Alison Briggs, Susan Bryan, Sheila Freeman, Isra Husain, Andrew Lawton, James Lee, Elina Makela, Eddie Ralston, Natja Thorbjornsen and Sara Wickert. We would also like to thank Refugee Council colleagues for their help and support throughout the project.

Design: www.bcmh.co.uk

Appendix IIList of organsiations RiT has worked with

19

“Many, many, many thanks for your support from the beginning of the application to the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) until now. I really appreciated it. You didn’t abandon me. On the contrary, I received massive encouragement, information on school jobs, initial teacher training opportunities and above all, you wore my shoes and walked with me. My victory is also yours.” Antonio, Teacher from Angola