Access to education for

refugee and
asylum seeking children

by

Michael Richmond-Coggan
Pilot project worker – The Children‘s Society LEAP project
Contents Page
Introduction to Report on Pilot Project 3

Summary of findings during the pilot project 3-4

Recommendations based on the project work 5

Data produced by Andy Humphreys, Research and 6

Information Officer

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 – Graphs showing average contact time, 7

number of pupils for January 2005 – April 2006

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 – Graphs showing average contact time, 8

number of pupils for January 2006 – January 2007

Data produced by Michael Richmond-Coggan (Pilot 9

project worker)

Referrals to the pilot project - families contacted / supported 9

Fig. 5 – Table showing a summary of the support provided. 10

Number of families contacted or supported 10

Evaluation of the pilot project in terms of the year of 11

birth and location of the family.

Referrals from the Home Office 12

Referrals from other organisations and CART 13-4

Asylum seeking families with specific needs 14

who require little support

Asylum seeking families with multiple needs who 15

require significant support

Supporting contact between the school and the 15

family.

Supporting the family to get access to their 16

financial entitlements.

Supporting the family to get access to legal 16

representation

1
Supporting the family in accessing free bus passes 17

Supporting a CYP to use the MyBus Service 17

Supporting families in accessing free English classes 17-18

(for the parents)

Making links with the community 18

Registering CYPs and families with a GP or 18

referral to the Health Access Team

Un-accompanied Asylum-Seeking Children 19

(UASC) in the care of social services

Supporting Education Leeds to locate UASC 19

who have been moved by CART

The impact of age disputes on the admissions process 19

Supporting a UASC to access a place in school or 20

college

Assist UASC accessing health care provision 20

Fast Track admissions to City of Leeds High School 21

Other issues surrounding the accommodation of UASC 21

into mainstream schools

Suggestions for the development of further support 23

Additional information 24

The Community Cohesion Project and the Wedge 24

Programme

Ethnicity distribution and implications for New Arrivals 25-26

The role of the housing provider 26

Appendix
1) Examples of good practice in Manchester 26-27

2) Referrals made to the LEAP project by schools in South 28

3) List of schools contacted by the LEAP project 29

4) List of individuals consulted during the pilot project 30

2
Introduction

The need for this project was identified by the Children’s Society’s LEAP
Project , in conjunction with Education Leeds Admissions team, in response to
the high numbers of refugee and asylum seeking families that require support
accessing a school place.

The Admissions team and the project workers at the LEAP Project observed
that some of the children and their families require practical and emotional
support in order to access education. Education Leeds has one worker who is
responsible for co-ordinating Admissions and Transport for refugee and
asylum seeking children. Given the high numbers of children without school
places, it is apparent that this post alone does not have the scope or capacity
to address the scale and complexity of the problem. It has also been
suggested by Education Leeds that this need for extra support has affected
the efficiency of the Admissions team and its ability to place children quickly.

This pilot project has set out to explore the impact of having a worker working
alongside Education Leeds Admissions team to provide this additional
support. In addition, the project has explored any additional barriers to
children gaining access to education in Leeds through consultation with
education providers.

The LEAP project already works with Education Leeds to provide some of the
support needed:
• Early Years funded work to support refugee and asylum seeking
children, aged 4 to 13 years old
• A Connexions programme to support young refugees and asylum
seeking people (aged 13 to 19) into education, employment and
training.

The pilot project gave LEAP the opportunity to work closely alongside
Education Leeds to support children aged 4-18 years old with the exclusive
focus on accessing school places or appropriate education.

Summary of findings

• The pilot project worker considered 69 individuals for additional support

and provided additional support to 58% of those referred. 20% have
needed support beyond school admission.

• Most families requiring support had limited English and required the
involvement of interpreters in order to understand UK systems.

• Support was provided to children and their families in the following

areas:

Assistance with negotiating transport, bus routes and bus passes.

3
 Access to financial entitlements

Access to legal representation

Enrolment for adults in ESOL courses.

Making social links within the community.

Enabling access to health care.

Assisting with disputes relating to education applications.

• There is evidence that the involvement of the pilot project worker in

providing support to children and families and the wider involvement of
the LEAP team has had a positive impact on Education Leeds
Admissions team’s ability to deal efficiently with applications.

• It seems that there is a particular difficulty for Unaccompanied Asylum

Seeking Children in gaining access to education. This may be due to
age disputes and also difficulties schools have in catering for young
people aged 15 and 16, with limited English and differing cultural
experiences and expectations.

• In some cases, it seems that families had not received sufficient

orientation support into their local area – something that is the clear
responsibility of housing providers.

• Secondary schools contacted highlighted needs for ongoing one to one

support for some refugee and asylum seeking young people in school.
Need was also identified in relation to tensions between new arrivals
and existing students at some schools. There was some interest in
group work to promote understanding of cultural diversity between
pupils. (LEAP already offers this work in primary schools and feedback
about this was positive).

• Schools who take smaller numbers of new arrivals were finding it

particularly difficult to accommodate these children and young people.
This was felt to be due to a lack of experience and structures within the
school to meet the needs of this group.

• There was a high level of need for ESOL amongst adults within families
– particularly in East Leeds. It is hoped this will be addressed through
the development of ESOL centres for parents through the Community
Cohesion project if sufficient resources are available.

4
Recommendations

• The ISCB consider continued funding for this post to enable ongoing
support for children aged 4-18 years old in order to improve access to
appropriate education. This would include offering one to one support
work for children and families. This could also include funding for pilot
work to promote understanding of cultural differences and diversity
within secondary schools.

• Education Leeds to work with the Children Asylum Refugee Team,

schools and FE colleges to consider further strategies for meeting the
educational needs of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children –
particularly those aged 15 and over and those involved in age disputes.

• Further research into the role of housing providers in orientation and

induction. Liaison with the Home Office, through the Children’s Society
Policy team, in relation to concerns about levels of service provided.

• Support by Education Leeds of the Community Cohesion Project to

continue and consider a particular focus on East Leeds.

5
Detailed Report

Impact of the Pilot Project and support of LEAP project on admissions

The statistics team at Education Leeds have provided detailed information on

the contact time (i.e. the time between referral to the admissions team and
removal from the admissions list) for the last 2 years (January 2005 to
January 2007). Some clear trends that can be observed.

The length of contact has clearly decreased over 2 years. In January 2005 the
average contact time was more than 400 days. (fig. 1) The current contact
time is around 20 days. (fig. 3) This is mainly due to a change in the way that
contact time is measured and the amount of support that is provided by the
admissions team. In more recent months contact has been reduced to a
minimum with any extra support being provided by referrals to other agencies.

Two project workers from The Children’s Society LEAP project provided
support to the Admissions team from September 2006. This involved
contacting families, after referrals from the Admissions team, and supporting
them with their particular needs. In November of 2006 the extra support
provided by the pilot project was introduced to directly work alongside the
Admissions team and provide brief intervention work.

The increase in the number of pupils in September (fig 1 + 3) can be seen

clearly in 2005 and 2006. However the contact time shown for 2006 continues
to decline. This indicates that the support provided by the LEAP project
enabled the Admissions team to maintain a high turnover of contact.

The number of pupils peaks at 28 pupils in September 2006 and remains

relatively high compared to January 2005. (fig 4) However the contact time
has stabilised, from September to January, at between 20 and 40 days. (fig 3)
This suggests that the support work has enabled the Admissions team to
maintain a low contact time whilst placing a high number of pupils into school.

Between September and January 2006/7 the contact time was between 20
and 40 days.

The number of pupils contacting the admissions team has grown over the
year but the contact time has gradually reduced and seems stable. (fig 3 + 4)

The number of pupils contacting Education Leeds was higher in 2006 than in
2005 in the month of December. The number of students peaks in January
and is due to a backlog of applications during the Christmas holiday. In
January 2006 the contact time doubles (fig 1) and remains high for three
months. The continuing fall in January 2007 suggests that the support
provided has prevented an increase in contact time created by high numbers
of students requiring support. (fig 3) It will be important to examine the contact
time for February and March to establish if this is a continuing trend. (These
figures are not available at the time of writing, March 2007)

6
Fig. 1 Graph showing the average length of contact time in relation to
time.
January 2005 – April 2006. (Provided by Andy Humphreys, Research and
Information Officer, Performance Management and Information Team)

Fig. 2 Graph showing the number of pupils making contact per month.
January 2005 – April 2006. (Provided by Andy Humphreys, Research and
Information Officer, Performance Management and Information Team)

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Fig. 3 Graph showing the average length of contact time in relation to
time.
January 2006 – January 2007 (Provided by Andy Humphreys, Research and
Information Officer, Performance Management and Information Team)

Pupils making contact

Fig.4 Graph showing the number of pupils making contact per month.
January 2006 – January 2007. (Provided by Andy Humphreys, Research and
Information Officer, Performance Management and Information Team)

8
Referrals to the Pilot Project
It has been important to keep accurate records of the number of pupils that I
have had contact with. As a result a basic spreadsheet detailing key data
about children and young people was developed. The following data was
recorded:
• Name
• Type of client (Unaccompanied Minor, Accompanied child or young
person)
• Was support required?
• Date of birth
• Postcode
• Address
• What is the outcome?
• What month was referral?

A total of sixty-nine individuals have been discussed during referral meetings

with Abdul Jalloh in the period of November 2006 to March 2007.
• 48 individual referrals came through the Home Office directly to the
Admissions Team.
• 3 individuals were referred from another organisation to the LEAP
project
• 17 Unaccompanied Minor referrals were made to the Admissions team
from CART.
• 1 individual referral for support came from City of Leeds High School
but was not related to admissions.

Of the 69 referrals, 56.5% (39) are in school. 5.8%(4) are at college,

14.6%,(10 are on a waiting list (they are all Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking
Children)) 13%(9) are currently unknown and have been registered with the
Children Missing Education Committee. 10.1%(7) referrals are yet to be
contacted at the time of writing.

9
 Number of CYP in school / college / other

45

40

35

30
No. of CYPs

25

20

15

10

0
CYP Status

In school CME In college On waiting list Not visited

Fig. 5: Table showing a summary of the support provided by the pilot project.
Data provided by Michael Richmond-Coggan (Pilot Project Worker, LEAP)

Number of families contacted or supported.

It is necessary to consider the number of contacts made in terms of the
number of families that were supported as this gives a better indication of the
amount of support provided.

For example, of the 69 referrals, 17 were unaccompanied minors. The

remaining 52 children belonged to 30 families.

The pilot project worker worked with 14 families – 12 from the Home Office
and 2 from other sources. This is just under 50% of the total client group.

When the 6 Children Missing Education families are considered there are 24
families remaining.

Therefore 58.3% of possible cases received some support from the pilot
project. This suggests that there is a large need for support.

20% of families that were contacted by the pilot project worker have required
ongoing support.

10
Average ages of young people supported

An average was taken for the year of birth for all children and young people
that were referred to the Admissions team between November 2006 and
March 2007. The average was found to 1995 (which translates to an age of
between 12 and 13 years old. When considering the average, and not
including the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, the average drops to
1996 i.e. an 11 or 12 year old. This suggests that secondary schools may
need more support than primary schools.

Location of families and young people supported

The postcode area with the highest number of pupils was LS9 (12 families)
followed by LS11 (6 families), LS7 (4 families) and LS8 (3 families). A
shortage of schools with available places, in the LS9 area has resulted in a
number of pupils having to travel to City of Leeds High School. The extra cost
of bus passes for families has been a major problem and two families have
been supported by the LEAP project with bus vouchers. There is some
concern that of the 6 families that live in LS11, four have become CME cases.
More research is needed to see if there is any correlation between the area in
which a family is housed and the likelihood of them going missing.

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Referrals from the Home Office
The Home Office referred 34 families to the Admissions team during the
period between November 2006 and December 2007. Within these families
there were 48 children of school age that required a school place.

6 of these families (8 children) did not require any support (from the pilot
project worker) getting a school place. They may have received help from
Education Leeds.

Of these 6 families at least one adult family member could speak good
English.

7 children from 4 families have yet to be located and / or visited.

6 families (with 9 children) have been reported to the CME board. (Children
Missing Education) They may have moved to a different city, been deported
or gone into hiding.

12 families needed some kind of support. This included supporting Abdul

Jalloh in trying to contact families and clarify their educational status:

• Going to a house to visit to a family (with a colleague) to establish their

children’s current educational status with a family member. 5 families
with 6 children.
• Contacting a family or school via telephone and confirming the child’s
educational status.2 families with 9 children
• Making a referral to a colleague who was situated in the school. This
allowed us to monitor a child who was of particular concern. 1 family
with 1 child
• Helping a family to access a school place and then continuing to
support the family – see case studies below. 4 families with 8 children

See table 1 below for a breakdown of support in terms of families and

children.
Referrals to Requiring Visited at Contacted Ongoing
Admissions no home by (telephone) support from
from Home support Pilot Project by Pilot Pilot Project
Office Project
Number 20 6 5 2 4
of
Families
Number 36 8 6 9 8
of
children

Table 1: Table showing a summary of the support provided by the Pilot

Project.
Data provided by Michael Richmond-Coggan (Pilot Project Worker, LEAP)

12
Referrals from another organisation
1 referral (3 children in the same family) was made to CHIVA (Children in
Vulnerable Accommodation) from TEASE (Temporary Emergency
Accommodation) who then referred it on to LEAP. The close partnership
relationship between CHIVA and LEAP facilitated this transfer. The family
involved had been brought into the country as part of the reunification
programme, as relatives of a refugee who had recently gained status. This is
why they had not been picked up through the Home Office referral system.
There may also be more children and young people who are in European and
economic migrant families that may require support.

One family was referred from City of Leeds High School. They already had a
place in school but needed support accessing benefits.

Referrals by CART
There were 17 referrals made by Children Asylum Refugee Team to the
Admissions team. These were sent by email and copied to the pilot project
worker at LEAP. This method of communication created a fast track route that
responded to the needs of the unaccompanied minor client group. A strong
communication channel was established through the LEAP worker and the
English as an Additional Language team at City of Leeds. Knowledge of
admissions protocols and testing days enabled the swift placement of some
young people.

There are concerns about placing young people that appear to be older than
their official age assessment. Further research is required to establish how to
accommodate these young people into college or alternative provision.

The number of places available to these young people is limited and there
have been a number of concerns regarding the existing placements that have
been made. These are highlighted in the case studies presented in this report.

Table 2, below, shows the percentage of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking

Children accessing some form of education. The figure of 47.1% that are
currently waiting for a place signifies the difficulties in placing this particular
group of pupils and is not comparable to accompanied minors, where there
are currently no pupils waiting for school places.

In school In college Waiting Waiting (not

(visited) visited) Total
4 3 8 2 17
23.50% 17.60% 47.10% 11.80%
Table 2: Table showing the percentage of UASC in school, college or yet
to receive a place.

13
In order to provide focussed support to the Admissions and Transport team, it
was important to gain a clear understanding of the current situation. The result
of this was that a large number of meetings were arranged with schools,
academics and other professionals, who were working with refugee and
asylum seeking children. The research and statistics have identified three
distinct groups of people with different needs.
• Asylum seeking families with specific needs who require little support
• Asylum seeking families with multiple needs who require significant
support
• Un-accompanied Asylum-Seeking Children in the care of social
services.

Asylum seeking families with specific needs who require little

support

These families are often able to make applications to Education Leeds for a
school place due to a competency in English or support from their community
or friends. They are able to access information about the schools that are in
their neighbourhood and they are able to ask for information if they are not
sure what to do. They can understand the correspondence that is sent to
them, i.e. offering a school place. At the interview the family can support the
child and facilitate the enrolment process. Once the child has gained a place
they are more likely to be able to establish the bus routes and gain access to
any support regarding school uniforms, bus passes and free school meals.
The children are more likely to settle into the school environment and are less
likely to be considered ‘different’ by the other children, and teachers, as they
can communicate in English.

Ultimately the children and their families will have a certain degree of
autonomy and will be able to exercise that through their ability to
communicate with the Admissions system.

The families may also be in a better position to deal with problems within their
personal life and issues surrounding their asylum claims. Due to their
knowledge of the language or access to support, these families may be able
to manage issues surrounding housing, orientation in a new city, income
support, solicitors, access to education – for the adults in the family,
registering with a GP and other services that offer support and guidance.
These factors all affect the well-being of the child and are directly linked to the
individuals’ ability to deal with their new environment.

Of the 69 referrals made, 8 individuals, from 6 families did not require any
support in terms of accessing school places. Of these, at least one parent
(from each family) was able to speak English. Due to their language skills, this
parent was able to contact their local school independently or with the help of
a family friend.

14
Asylum seeking families with multiple needs who require
significant support

There are many reasons that a family may require support. The pilot project
was involved in supporting 17 individuals from families. The support supplied
has been varied but has always had a focus on the needs of the children
involved – with a priority of helping the children to access a school place. The
following section gives details of the variety of support given to the children
and their families.

Supporting contact between the school and the family.

With all of the five families it has been necessary to approach them to make
them aware of an opportunity to start at school. This was often related to an
inability to understand the letter they had received offering them a place at
school.

Example
A support worker and the pilot project worker met the family at their house to
confirm that they are still living there. Once the family was offered a school
place, a second visit with an interpreter was arranged and the needs of the
child were clarified to see if they needed support in accessing their place. If
they expressed a need, the project worker escorted them to the school (with
parents if applicable) and explained the bus routes and tickets on the way.
There is usually a need to arrange for an interpreter to facilitate the interview,
so that was arranged in advance. The child is given a start date once they
have completed the enrolment. The project worker supported the child in
attending on their first day at school and then maintained contact with the
school to ensure that the child is settling in.

15
Access to financial entitlement.

This included ensuring families are registered with the Immigration Nationality
Directorate and also ensuring families are aware of their benefits entitlements.

Example
Registration proved to be a lengthy process in one case because it involved
travelling across the city on a very limited bus route. The person concerned
was a single mother with two children under six, with no English or knowledge
of public transport or the layout of the city. The woman was unaware of the
need to register in order to obtain to benefits and when contact was made,
she informed that project worker that she had no money at all. The project
worker accompanied the family, showed them the bus route and supported
them through the registration process.

Example
The uncle of a child seeking admission to school had been acting as his
guardian for a number of months. The uncle was illiterate in his native
language and English. He was unaware of his eligibility to access additional
financial support for looking after a child. The project worker took the uncle to
the Job Centre with an interpreter and managed to ascertain that he was able
to access additional support. The support was back-dated to when the uncle
became guardian.

Access to legal representation

Although most families were able to arrange their own solicitor there were
occasions where it was necessary to support a family to obtain legal
representation. This involved contacting legal firms with offices in Leeds who
receive legal aid, making appointments and accompanying the family
member, with an interpreter, to the solicitor’s office.

Example
There was one occasion where a family had two separate asylum claims –
one for the father (and two sons) and one for the mother, (and two younger
children) who was separated from her husband during the journey to the UK.
She had legal representation but was informed, by the solicitor that they were
no longer willing to represent her as the husbands case had already failed.
This happened one week before her court case and left her feeling very
distressed. She was already suffering from mental health problems due to her
experiences of displacement and became very disturbed by the prospect of
going to court without a solicitor. The project worker established that it would
be possible to ask for an adjournment on the basis of legal representation
being withdrawn. Contact was then made with a number of solicitors in the
locality that could provide support. It was then necessary to take the mother to
the solicitors and arrange an interpreter.

16
Accessing free bus passes

If a family is living more than 3 miles away from the school that they are
attending, they are entitled to a free bus pass. The family, or support worker,
must contact Education Leeds to request a bus pass. The family need to
provide a passport photo for the application. This simple task is very difficult
for a family that does not know the city, or where and how to get a passport
photo. Where language is a barrier, additional help is needed with filling in
forms,

Support with using My Bus Transport

This was particularly important for young people who had been placed in
schools outside their immediate locality. Lack of familiarity with using public
transport, limited language skills and unfamiliarity with the new area all make
this a challenging task where initial support is needed.

Example
A 13 year old girl was supported in getting to school and introduced to the bus
route. Before she returned home, the driver of the bus was asked by someone
from school to drop her off at a particular stop. The driver somehow managed
to drop her off two stops later. Fortunately, she managed to find her way
home. Her father, who was waiting at the bus stop, was very upset when she
didn’t appear. On her second day at school, a driver once again dropped her
off at the wrong stop and this time she got lost. She was eventually found
wandering the streets in deep distress. Her father was not willing to send his
daughter to school again until the problem was resolved. The project worker
spent some more time coaching her on the bus route and she has been going
to and from school for nearly one month at the time of writing.

Accessing English classes (for the parents)

Five families with ongoing support needs have also required ESOL classes for
the parents. The project worker attempted to enrol the parents at colleges but
found that all the colleges in their area are full. With the introduction of new
changes to the funding for Asylum Seekers (19+) in September 2007, these
individuals will be expected to pay for their own classes.

The pilot project worker also contacted an organisation called L.A.S.S.N,

(Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network) who provide one-to-one home
tutoring and befriending schemes. They are unable to provide any support at
the moment due to a shortage in volunteers joining the scheme.

The communication skills of the parents will have a big effect on the family’s
ability to access the support services that are available to them. The shortage
of ESOL classes, particularly in East Leeds, has a direct impact on a family’s
ability to improve their language skills and become an active member of their
community.

17
Plans to provide ESOL within schools is a promising solution that would help
schools develop close, supportive relationships with families. These classes
have been introduced in South Leeds with some success, although
attendance has been lower than expected.

Making links within the community

When a new family arrives in Leeds they can feel very isolated and lonely.
There is a high risk of dependency on project workers to solve any problems
that arise and therefore there is a lack of empowerment. Making links with
others in the community is particularly significant.

Example
A Somali mother who was new to the country did not know anyone in the area
and was a single parent with young children. She was introduced to a local
Somali women’s group. She was happy to have met some other women who
were in the same situation as her. She also has one friend from the group
who now acts as an unofficial interpreter for her when she needs to ask for
help or information.

Registering CYPs and families with a GP or referral to the

Health Access Team

Access to health care is one of the most important aspects of a new arrival
asylum seeker or refugee. It is fundamental that they are registered with a
doctor as soon as is possible and that they have their health checked.

Housing Providers are supposed to inform new tenants of the location of their
nearest GP and to tell them to register there. This does not always happen
and as a result it has been necessary to support a families with registration
with the GP.

In order to complete the initial assessment form correctly it is necessary to

collect a form from the doctors, complete it with the client and an interpreter –
to ensure that all the necessary information is provided – and to then escort
the client and an interpreter to the GP appointment.

On a number of occasions the project worker has also made referrals to the
Health Access Team who can do a limited number of house visits.

18
Un-accompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) in the care
of social services

There are approximately 160 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children living

in Leeds. This may increase with the introduction of the proposed reforms,
where more unaccompanied minors would be placed out of London in cities
such as Leeds. The Children Asylum Refugee Team, (CART) provides these
children and young people with support. However, there is a lack of funding
and there are a number of concerns regarding the way in which
unaccompanied minors are disadvantaged. This has become apparent
through working with the CART and providing pastoral support to 17 young
people. Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children are housed in shared
hostels, placed in foster care or housed in the community.

Supporting Education Leeds to locate Unaccompanied

Asylum Seeking Children who have been moved by CART

Unaccompanied minors are often moved from one property to another, which
can make their whereabouts difficult to establish. This has caused
considerable problems when trying to contact these young people when they
are offered a place in school. A system of checking the details with CART,
before undertaking a house visit, has helped to reduce the amount of time
wasted visiting empty properties.

Once the unaccompanied minor has been contacted they may require a lot of
support that cannot be provided by CART or the Admissions team at
Education Leeds. Details of the variety of support are given below.

The impact of age disputes on the admissions process

Many unaccompanied minors are refused a place in school while an age

assessment is carried out. Understandably the schools are reluctant to take
children that may be too old for mainstream schooling. Many unaccompanied
minors are claiming to be aged between 13 and 16 years old. If this is the
case they must be accommodated in a school. However if they are found to
be above this age then they could pose a risk to younger children with whom
they would share a classroom.

The alternative for them is to access a Further Education College and attend
ESOL classes. This involves a meeting with the admissions tutor at the
college. Unfortunately the current demand is much greater than the provision
and as a result it is becoming very difficult to find appropriate courses for this
particular group.

The current provision of one day a week is far from satisfactory when these
young people should be entitled to full-time education or the equivalent of
such training, as are all other Looked After Children.

19
Supporting an Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children to
access a place in school or college

The project worker has worked with 17 unaccompanied minors during the
period of the project.

Three were accompanied to an interview at a school in order to obtain a

school place. The school refused to accept them due to age disputes. Two of
these young people are on ESOL courses – one day a week – and spend the
rest of their time at home watching television and wondering why they cannot
go to school. The third young person, who has a good level of spoken
English, is currently attending 2 classes provided by the community. (St.
George’s Crypt and Archway.) He has been registered at Archway, the local
library, Yes Cyber (an Internet café on Chapeltown Road, LS7) and the
project worker has also supported him with his English in one-to-one
sessions.

Three young people obtained school placements with support from the
project. One of these young people had to wait six months to obtain his
placement pending an age assessment. A further young person obtained a
placement without support.

8 UASC are currently waiting to be offered a place in a school.

The remaining two UASC are currently awaiting transfer from City of Leeds to
Carr Manor High School. There have been unusually long delays in
processing these transfers. At the time of writing it has taken 2 months and
transfer confirmation from Carr Manor is still awaited.

Assist UASC accessing health care provision

One young person has been assisted with accessing a GP and getting a pair
of prescription glasses from a local optician.

20
Fast Track admissions to City of Leeds High School
The pilot project has established strong links with City of Leeds High School
and the EMAG team, led by Beth Greenwood. A fast track system has been
developed, in which Education Leeds, The Children’s Society and the school
have co-ordinated a strategy which has been used for 2 UASC. This has
reduced the waiting time for UASC, with an approved age assessment, to 2
weeks. This is comparable to the target time scale for other new arrivals.

Other issues surrounding the accommodation of

unaccompanied minors into mainstream schools
There have been a number of incidents recently at a Leeds school that have
involved these young people. These incidents have originated from
allegations of inappropriate behaviour between male unaccompanied minors
and younger, Asian, female students. This behaviour has caused a reaction
from their elder, male siblings and the result has been a number of fights
between unaccompanied minors and students at the school.

The implications of these incidents are that there is a need for appropriate
intervention. This could take the form of workshops with the young people
involved to discuss appropriate behaviour in school and behaviour with
children of the opposite sex. It may also be necessary to raise the awareness
of the impact that their current behaviour is having within the school and the
stereotyping that this creates as a result.

Generally speaking schools also struggle to accommodate the

unaccompanied minors as they are entering the school with very large
knowledge gaps, when compared to children who have been educated in the
UK. They often speak no English and may have never been to school in their
home countries, particularly Afghanistan. Although schools are doing
everything they can to accommodate these young people there is a great
concern that the needs of the individuals are not being met.

Possibly as a result of these difficulties, I have experienced long delays in

processing applications for unaccompanied minors in particular. Abdul Jalloh
of the Admissions team confirmed that he had similar problems when working
with this group. Anne James of CART also confirmed that she felt that this
group were treated very differently due to their physical and educational
status.

21
Suggestions for supporting the needs found during the pilot
project

The pilot project has assisted the Admissions team at Education Leeds by
providing support to families who have expressed a need during consultation
with the pilot project worker. This work has resulted in fourteen refugee and
asylum-seeking families (44 children) gaining support. After each family was
contacted Abdul visited the house to complete the application forms. I then
visited the family to complete an assessment of their needs related to
education. This monitoring process could be improved to include language
ability through simple assessments. If this work was carried out by an
EAL/ESOL professional then it could be given to the school at the initial
interview and help to inform the school of the child’s abilities.

CHIVA (Children in Vulnerable Accommodation) go to Hillside Induction

Centre on Leeds and Bradford Road on a Wednesday and undertake
assessments on asylum seeker children of school age. This model could be
used to inform the assessment process to be undertaken at specific drop-ins
or in families’ houses. There is a need for joint partnership work to co-ordinate
existing services. This would allow practitioners with experience of working
with asylum seekers and refugees to share their existing practices and
develop new strategies.

There are a number of concerns surrounding the group of unaccompanied

minors and how they could be supported. Group work sessions based on the
needs of the young people could help to improve their understanding of some
of the common problems they face.

A dedicated worker who supports Abdul Jalloh would ensure that the
Admissions team is able to maintain the high turnover of children and young
people accessing school places and would result in shorter waiting times for
new applicants.

There may be some benefit in examining working practices and record

keeping to establish if the system could be improved to provide more accurate
records with a greater depth of information. The Pilot Project Worker would be
interested in developing this with Education Leeds.

A clear set of guidelines that explains the admissions process to schools

would facilitate the process of allocating places. There are a number of pupils
that have waited long periods of time because schools have not agreed to
admit them. A clear policy across the city should be made to help support the
work of the Admissions team.

Further research could be commissioned to investigate the Children Missing

Education cases and to improve the process of reporting such cases to the
correct organisation.

22
The Community Cohesion Project
The Community Cohesion Project is a city wide strategy to support the
integration of new arrivals. The project is not just for asylum seekers and
refugees but also for all new arrivals, especially those who don’t speak
English very well. 5 schools in the city will be given specialist status, one in
each ‘wedge’ of the city. They will support induction, assessment and
provision of effective teaching and learning, and will be centres of good
practice for the schools in each particular wedge.

There will be training centres for school staff on all aspects. The Centres are
also going to be ESOL centres for parents, not just in those centres but we
will organise other cluster groups of ESOL classes in other schools. Centres
will also be Parent Information Centres so parents can find out how the
education system works, and the centres will also provide community meeting
rooms. Every school has community rooms and it is free of charge for any
community type activities, please approach schools, the rooms are eager to
be used. The centres will have excellent ICT facilities, each centre will be
video conferenced to benefit from economies of scale. Groups can host
videoconferences with other centres as there are a number of issues related
to travel between centres. Centres are getting set up this term and we are
hoping to get the first of the ESOL class after half term.

The wedge based programme in Leeds

Education Leeds has developed a ‘Wedge-based programme’, in which
individual schools have been selected to work as specialist EAL (English as
an Additional Language) providers. They will then provide this specialist
knowledge to their neighbours, within their wedge.

Education Leeds publishes a document each term that lists any training dates
for the forthcoming term and also provides booking forms. (Faxable copies)
Education Leeds has also developed a large amount of materials to use when
working with EAL students. The ‘oracy project’ documents are full of
information and ideas for teachers working with EAL and New Arrivals. These
extra documents will give the teachers some extra support when working with
EAL students.

The wedge programme has had a big impact on the provision of EAL to New
Arrivals and has given schools an opportunity to work together and promote
good practice. There are an increasing number of schools, in the South
Wedge, who are working together to develop their understanding of the needs
of this group and to share their good practice. Ingram Road, Hugh Gaitskell
and Halton Moor are working in partnership to develop their departments.

Schools are also developing in-house mentoring programmes to provide

support for students who are under-achieving. These mentors are given
training and support and help new students to develop their learning.

23
Ethnicity distribution and implications for New Arrivals in
terms of accessing schools

In Leeds, there are 224 State Primary Schools and 43 Secondary Schools.
(www.educationleeds.co.uk)

In order to establish which schools in Leeds that would be likely to take high
numbers of New Arrivals, a map of the City of Leeds showing ethnic
distribution (published by the Leeds Initiative) was compared with a map
showing secondary schools (Education Leeds). The area within the outer ring
road (A6120) was selected due to the nature of dispersal of ethnicity
suggested on the map. Data showing the population by ethnicity in all
secondary schools in Leeds also highlights certain schools. These schools
are located in ethnically diverse, inner city regions.

Each wedge has a very varied ethnicity population.

• Near to the city centre, the ethnic density is a clear majority in some
cases. (70% Primrose High School)
• In the outer suburbs of Leeds the number of ethnic minority students
attending schools drops to less than 5%. (Rodillian School)

The result of this is that some schools are experienced in dealing with new
arrivals and have:

• Strategies – communication links with Education Leeds

• Departments – EMAG, EAL, SEN
• Materials – documents for working with EAL students
• Procedures – enrolment and support
• Mentoring programmes that support new arrivals.
• Most schools were interested in working with TCS to develop extra
support programmes that would facilitate their work. This would involve
establishing a referral system that would allow schools to contact the
LEAP project regarding children or young people that needed support.

Other schools that do not take large numbers of new arrivals are struggling to
accommodate these children or young people. This is due to:

• Tensions between the new arrivals and the existing students at the
school.
• Schools not being aware of the support available.
• A lack of experience working with new arrivals.

Of these schools, Hugh Gaitskell, Hunslet Moor, Ingram Road, Windmill

Primary, Roundhay Technology College, Parklands Girls High School City of
Leeds, The David Young Academy, Primrose High School, South Leeds and
Carr Manor were contacted and visits were arranged with inclusion officers or
EAL staff. The pilot project worker was unable to arrange an appointment with
Carr Manor.

24
The consultations with schools highlighted a number of needs that schools
have regarding support and development of their refugee and asylum-seeking
children. The schools did not comment on the work done by the Admissions
team and did not have an understanding of the process that involves these
children and young people. The schools will contact the Admissions team if a
refugee or asylum-seeking child attempts to apply directly to a school.

The schools in the South of Leeds that were interviewed for the project,
expressed concern over the relationship of the host community with the new
international arrivals. D. Whitely (EAL Coordinator, South Leeds High School)
and C. Nix (Windmill Primary) said that many families were moved out of
South Leeds to East Leeds after complaints of racism and threatening
behaviour. They also said that there were some problems caused by
combining two very different secondary schools to create South Leeds High
School. The schools also expressed a need to develop ways of improving
relationships between new arrivals and existing students.

The role of the housing provider

Housing providers providing housing to Asylum Seekers through the Home

Office scheme have key responsibilities which include giving the new tenant
an orientation of the local area, highlighting the location of the nearest post
office, the nearest place of worship and the nearest health centre, GP and
dentist.

Five families that have required support and all the unaccompanied minors
have not received an orientation of their local area from the housing providers
and did not know the location of their local place of worship. They were not
aware of the nearest GP, dentist or health centre. There is a need to establish
why this support is not being provided and to develop strategies that will
support the families and individuals concerned.

25
Appendix 1

Examples of good practice in Manchester

A number of projects have produced a multi-agency approach in Manchester.
On the 21st February 2007 the pilot project worker visited the Diversity and
Inclusion Team of Manchester City Council. A meeting was held, with Jenny
Patterson, and discussed the way in which the council had responded to the
needs of the community. The DIT is based in the East area of Manchester
where there is a high ethnic minority population. It was a milling and industrial
area in the past and has many hard to let properties. In the last five years the
council has had to respond to an influx of new arrivals. These have consisted
of asylum seeking families, refugees, Gypsy and Rroma families, Eastern
European families and other international migrants. Each year the council
places around 1000 children into school. The council has responded to the
needs of the community through a number of multi-agency projects that have
supported the work of the council.

The city is split into 6 districts, similar to the 5 wedges of Leeds, which have
varying ethnic minority populations. As in Leeds, certain areas have much
higher ethnic minority populations and consequently have schools that have
experience of working with these families. In particular the East area of
Manchester has a very mixed ethnicity population. A number of agencies
have been established to meet the needs of the local community.

EDNAST (East District New Arrivals Support Team) works to enable refugee
and asylum seeking children and their families to fully access services that will
support their successful transition and allow them to take up opportunities that
will assist them building a positive new life.

Routes – a voluntary organisation that provides support for international new

arrivals in Manchester. It is funded by the Black Health Agency. The project
provides initial support to newly arrived families with children aged between 5
and 13, linking them with the support services they need. They provide these
families with help in the following areas: practical and emotional support,
education, benefits, housing, health, and asylum issues.

First Base – this project has been running for 5 years and was originally set
up to address the needs of 12 primary schools who work with asylum and
refugee children, particularly Somali children. The project provides an out of
school programme all year and also runs summer schools.

Emotional and Trauma Support (ETS) – The council was aware of a large
number of asylum and refugee children showing signs of stress and trauma.
Over the last 5 years the ETS team has developed a range of creative
therapies with support from qualified staff. ETS has strong links with Routes
and First Base as well as EDNAST, with members of the teams working in
partnership.

26
MARIM (Multi Agency for Refugee Integration in Manchester) – MARIM is the
lead agency on the Multi Agency forum which arose in recognition of the need
to develop a coordinated response to the dispersal of asylum seekers into
Manchester following the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Many of the approaches observed in Manchester responded to the needs of

the community. In Leeds the South of the city is seeing an increase in the
number of international new arrivals including many economic migrants from
Europe. In Manchester the North West district is seeing a similar
development.

27
Appendix 2

Referrals made to the LEAP project by schools in South

Leeds.

5 referrals were to colleagues, at the LEAP project, that where highlighted to

the pilot project worker through relationships that were developed with Ingram
Road Primary and Hugh Gaitskell Primary – through participating in the South
Leeds Wedge training day and meeting the representatives from different
primary schools.

Having a professional relationship with teachers allows good communication

to be established and pathways for support to be requested and structured.
More opportunities for the LEAP project to promote its work to schools will
help to facilitate the referrals procedure. The use of e-mail facilitated
arranging appropriate support. Communicating directly with the head of year
or the EAL tutor helped the project workers to gain an understanding of the
child’s needs and if they could offer support.

28
Appendix 3

Diary of meetings 2006 / 2007

Friday 1st December 2006

Myfanwy Franks – The Children’s Society (Researcher)

Abdul Jalloh – Education Leeds (Admissions and Transport – New

Arrivals)

Tuesday 5th December 2006

Dr James Simpson (University of Leeds)

Wednesday 21st February 2007

Jennie Patterson (Diversity and Inclusion, Manchester)

Monday 5th March 2007

CHIVA team

Tuesday 6th March 2007

Harjit Sandal and Hazel Williams – One Stop Refugee Council

Friday 16th March 2007

Jane Sinson and Alison McCoy – Educational Psychologists

Friday 22nd March

Gill Hall (Children’s Panel Refugee Council)

29
Appendix 4

Contact with schools

Wednesday 22nd November 09:00

@ Derek Fatchett Centre (NE CLC) with Andrew McGlen

Monday 27th November 10:00

@ City of Leeds High School with Chris Cowley

Wednesday 29th November 11:00

@ David Young Community Academy with Alan Bolton

Monday 4th December @ 11:00

@ South Leeds High School with Denise Whitely

Monday 11th December @ 08:30

@ Windmill Primary with Mrs C.Nix

Monday 11th December @ 11:00

@ Primrose High School with Asif Ali

Thursday 18th January @ 14:15

@ Parklands Girls’ High School with Mrs Newton Appleby

Tuesday 6th February @ 14:30

@ New Bewerley Primary School with Kae Sinclaire and Jenny Millington
(Ingram Road Primary)

Tuesday 27th February @ 10:00

@ Roundhay Technology College with Gene Clennell

30