Family Early Help
Are Afghan Refugee Children Entitled to A School Place?
Yes they are. Local authorities have a duty under s14 of the Education Act 1996 to provide full-time education for all children of compulsory school age resident in their geographical area. Refugee and asylum seeker children aged 5-16 have the same entitlement to full-time education as other children in the UK.
Some children in the bridging hotels will feel ready for a formal education, some will not, and it will be something to explore with parents and with the children and young people themselves. There may be other options available for example ESOL Family Learning.
What Else Should I Hold In Mind?
Families may be moved from bridging hotels at very short notice, and may not be staying in Camden for very long. There are significant benefits for children to be in school. Equally there is insecurity for the family of not knowing how long they will be resident in the borough and what it means for a child to be uprooted from school at short notice.
You should make sure the family know what their entitlements to education are, and talk through the opportunities and challenges of taking up a school place in their circumstances.
If a child is going to start attending school, you might want to explore how the school will support the child so you can explain it to the parent. This guide will help you think about what to ask
You can also have a conversation with the educational pyschologist attached to the school, or have a chat to our EP friends attached to our teams. Remember that occupational therapists are also incredibly helpful in supporting children who have experienced trauma, and you can find a list of all OTs and their schools here
If a Child Would Like a School Place in Camden
Contact Sandra Lawal or Nick Smith (on Outlook) to find out which schools have vacancies in the year group the family needs. Some schools will have vacancies in limited age groups, so it may not be possible for all the children to attend the same school.
You can find links to all Camden schools here:
Find out from the school which in-year enrolment form they use. It is likely to be something like this https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/edith-neville/UploadedDocument/176c308a-02a4-4f2b-9b10-c8fe259c2e04/new-in-year-app-form-v5.pdf
Support the family to complete and submit the in-year enrolment form.
If parents want to visit the school to look around first, please contact the school reception who can help with this.
If a Child Would Like to Explore Other Education Options
- Family Learning - contact Perin Sarosh in Adult and Community Learning (on Outlook) to discuss options. Some family learning already takes place in Camden primary schools.
- ESOL - contact the ESOL Advice Service here https://www.camden.gov.uk/camden-esol-advice-service
- Play - there are of course rich opportunities to learn through play, and it is worth exploring what options you might have with Camden's play providers. Call Tara Curtis (on Outlook) for a conversation.
- Informal education offer - more to come on this soon
Transport to School
As ever, make sure parents are supported to access Zip Oyster Cards for their children so they benefit from TFLs free or discounted travel offers for children. Information on how to do this is here:
There have been some challenges getting Zip Oyster cards for bridging hotel families (for example if their child doesn't have a passport or ID card to verify their age, access to a computer to do the online application, or with having the money to pay for the card application fee). Here are some things to try:
- If the family don't yet have access to their ASPEN card (or Allpay card from Camden) and don't have the money to pay for the Zip Oyster, or if they haven't got money to pay for their own Oyster card, contact the temporary accommodation teams onsite - contact details here
- If the family don't have access to a laptop, mobile or tablet to do the Zip Oyster application online, try Holborn Library who can offer use of computers free of charge. Holborn Library contact details here
- London Councils are working with TFL on a solution for the problem around verifying age/identity for children applying for Oyster cards. Contact Becca for an update if this is a problem for a family you're working with.
Travel Training
Using London public transport for the first time can be a daunting experience for anyone! If you're working with a family from the bridging hotels who might like some travel training, contact Sam Pandya in Transport (on Outlook).
Before/After School/School Holiday Support
Remember that there are a wide range of before school, after school and holiday clubs available. More information here Before and After School Clubs | Family Early Help (camden.gov.uk)
Claiming Back Cost of Childcare
You may be able to claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit.
You (and your partner if you live with them) will usually need to either:
- be working - it does not matter how many hours you or your partner work
- have a job offer
You apply for this through your Universal Credit account.
There is also an online calculator to work out how much you can claim Check what help you could get with childcare costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Other Education Support for Refugee Children
Refugee Education UK
provide a range of supports for refugee children and young people, including education mentoring and support with education progression. You can find more information here
https://www.reuk.org/what-we-do
Refugee Support Network
Helps 15-25 year-old asylum seekers and refugees get into and stay in education, providing mentoring, educational support, training and access to higher education.
https://www.refugeesupportnetwork.org/
Hope for the Young
Mentoring and advocacy for young refugees aged 16-25 providing weekly one-to-one support and advice to young refugees and asylum-seekers in line with their goals and aspirations. 2-3 hours of mentoring a week for 6 months in a local cafe or library.
RefuAid
Increases access to English language tuition, re-qualification and IELTS exams by sponsoring places at private language colleges for refugees and asylum seekers who wish to enter further education or British Universities. They also help with access grants, scholarships, student loans and interest-free finance for education and family reunification.