Schools offer 'good education' for asylum-seekers

Schools are providing a good education for asylum-seeker pupils, according to a report launched by Ofsted today.

Schools "very often embraced" the asylum-seeker pupils and their families, regarding them as an asset and used their inclusion as an opportunity to enrich the cultural life of the school, the report said.

One headteacher with few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds encapsulated the positive impact of the asylum-seeker pupils as "better than any training video on inclusion".

The education of asylum-seeker pupils looked at areas such as admissions and induction procedures, curriculum provision, teaching and pupils' progress, and contains some case studies. Ofsted inspectors visited 37 schools in 11 local education authorities (LEAs) between the summer term 2001 and the spring term 2003 to evaluate the impact of the arrival of pupils from asylum-seeker families.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, said: "Today's report shows just how well schools can perform and adapt to meeting the needs of all pupils, including asylum-seekers. I understand that for some schools this has been a difficult process.

"I would like to congratulate the schools for their hard work in creating a positive, welcoming environment for the newly arrived pupils."

Schools in inner-city areas serving diverse communities were "often more proficient in managing the admission of the asylum-seeker pupils". This was because they are more used to dealing with high levels of pupil mobility and had staff with experience and expertise in teaching pupils with English as an additional language, the report found.

The report also found that staff funded by the ethnic minority achievement grant (EMAG) generally made a vital contribution towards supporting the asylum-seeker pupils and their families. They also provided "valuable advice, training and teaching support" for class teachers.

(gmcg)