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Refugee Children and School Education Northumbria University Newcastle upon Tyne Wednesday 18th January 2006 9.15am — 5pm Aims of the seminar The aim of the seminar is to consider the range of support available to asylum seeker and refugee children within the education system and to explore a number of related issues with the participants. Feedback from the preliminary findings of the two projects will also be presented. The seminar will: • Provide opportunities for discussion and dissemination of issues amongst policy makers, practitioners, researchers, asylum seekers and refugees • Provide an opportunity for DDC and NFER to present research findings to date and for others to comment and provide feedback Who should attend: The seminar is targeting groups who provide a service directly or indirectly to asylum seekers and refugees. The following groups will be invited to attend: • Voluntary Sector Service Organisations - Refugee Community Organisation representatives and Refugee Council • Statutory Service Organisations – LEAs, Home Office, OFSTED, DfES ethnic minority achievement team to include policy makers/gatekeepers • Researchers / other interested groups • Other practitioners Northumbria University’s Disaster and Development Centre (DDC) and the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) have, since April 2005, been running two projects supported by CfBT which aim to explore educational support for asylum seeker and refugee children in England. The SPARC Project (Supporting Asylum Seeker and Refugee Children within the education system in England ) working in partnership with the North of England Refugee Service (NERS) focuses on the North East of England. Using an ethnographic approach, the study explores the support being used by asylum seeker and refugee children in their integration into the education system with a view to providing policy options to local, regional and national levels. CfBT is an education trust. Their purpose is to provide education for the public benefit and they are worldwide leaders in this field. Their work is concerned with efficiently run schools, effective teaching, raising standards as well as reform and implementation of education policy at government level. CfBT is a registered charity, and surpluses from operational activities is placed in trust to fund educational research and development work. NFER is providing an overview of educational support for asylum seeker and refugee children in England. The study has two phases: a survey and a case study of six LEAs. The survey focuses on the range of support provided by LEAs for asylum seeker and refugee pupils and their families. The case-study phase will focus on the implementation of support in practice. The North of England Refugee Service (NERS) was established in 1989 as an independent and charitable organisation which exists to meet the needs and promote the interests of asylum seekers and refugees who have arrived or have settled in the North of England. NERS acts as an agent of positive change in order to improve the everyday life conditions of asylum seekers and refugees, and to promote social inclusion by facilitating their integration and equal participation within British society. How to Book You may book by phone, by post, by fax or by e-mail but in all cases, we need you to complete the details on the booking form below. All communications should be addressed to: Julie Blakey (Sustainable Cities Research Institute), conference administrator, who will confirm the booking. By Post: Disaster and Development Centre, Northumbria University, 6 North Street East, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST By Fax: 0191 227 3066 By Phone: 0191 227 3500 By Email: [log in to unmask] Please print clearly Name____________________________________________________ Position___________________________________________________ Organisation______________________________________________ Contact Address__________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ _____________________________________Postcode____________ Tel/Fax_______________________________________________ E-mail________________________________________________ Do you have any special requirements or additional needs*? Y/N Please indicate below: __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ *Venue is fully accessible ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Note: The material contained in this communication comes to you from the Forced Migration Discussion List which is moderated by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the RSC or the University. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this message please retain this disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. List archives are available at: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/forced-migration.html