Family Early Help
Are Ukrainian 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 arriving from Ukraine 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 have arrived in Camden under incredibly difficult circumstances. 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 (e.g. beyond the 12 month hosting arrangement) and what it means for a child to be uprooted from school at short notice.
Families may also be looking to return to Ukraine. Some children may be doing online learning with their school in Ukraine. You can read more about Ukraine online school here VSHO (e-school.net.ua)
Children in Ukraine attend school from aged 7 to 15. Options after this compulsory period are upper secondary school or vocational education. English compulsory schooling starts much earlier. You can read more about education in Ukraine here EDUCATION SYSTEM IN UKRAINE (euroeducation.net)
Helping a Child and Family Prepare for School
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.
This guide to preparing for school might be helpful to give to the family to help their child to get ready for school in Camden (it is translated into Ukrainian)
STUFF I CAN USE | Phoenix Education (phoenixgrouphq.com)
Here is a guide from the Bell Foundation for parents translated into Ukrainian on helping children to learn in UK and getting involved in school life Guidance-for-Parents-Ukrainian_UA.pdf (bell-foundation.org.uk)
and here is the same guide in English Layout 1 (bell-foundation.org.uk)
You can also have a conversation with the educational psychologist 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
The British Council has also produced a website to help children learn some basic English words through songs and games. You can find it here British Council LearnEnglish Kids | Free online games, songs, stories and activities for children
and finally, this website from Refugee Education has a wide range of resources and supports to help children to feel ready for school in the UK, including English language online learning, a day in the classroom, and relaxation techniques
Refugee Education UK | Welcome to the UK! (reuk.org)
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
School will help the family 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.
There is a guide to applying for school in England translated into Ukrainian here which you can share with parents How do families arriving from Ukraine apply for a school place and childcare? / Як родинам, що приїжджають з України, подавати заяви на отримання місць у школі та допомоги з оплати послуг з догляду за дитиною? - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)
you could also give parents this link which shows the nearest schools and their Ofsted result
If a Young Person Would Like Information About Post-16 Options
For young people aged 16+, contact Miriam Hatter (on Outlook) to talk through Connexions options.
Camden Connexions has a drop in the Crowndale Centre for young people every Friday. You can come along and get advice about short courses and about the Summer University programme.
The Crowndale Centre address is 218 Eversholt St, London NW1 1BD. Link to google map here https://goo.gl/maps/a38VKsLa4MSvgqU5A
The nearest tube stations to the Crowndale Centre are Camden Town (Northern Line), Mornington Crescent (Northern Line) and Euston (Northern Line and Victoria Line). Journey planner for families is here Plan a journey - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)
University Education
Ukrainian refugees can apply to attend university in the UK and will have the same fee status as domestic students. Ukrainian undergraduates studying at English institutions will not be charged more than £9,250 a year – instead of international fees, which can be much higher – and will have access to student support such as loans.
More information here Ukrainian refugees get English home fee status | Times Higher Education (THE)
If a Child is Participating in Online Education in Ukraine
Some children are still taking part in online school in Ukraine. Contact Ed Magee (Camden Learning, on Outlook) if this is the case so they can be temporarily registered as 'home learning'.
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.
Transport to School
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 children (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).
If the family don't have access to a laptop, mobile or tablet to do the Zip Oyster application online, Camden libraries offer use of computers free of charge. Library contact details here
Internet access (UA) - Camden Council
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)
and a range of school holiday activities here Holiday Activities - Things to Do | Family Early Help (camden.gov.uk)
Claiming Back Cost of Afterschool 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)
and more information about claiming back childcare costs here Understanding Universal Credit - Children and childcare
Travel Training
Using London public transport for the first time can be a daunting experience for anyone! If you're working with a family who might like some travel training, contact Sam Pandya in Transport (on Outlook).
Ukraine Community School
St. Mary’s Ukrainian school is a Saturday supplementary community school, located at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Holland Park. They are very keen to welcome children who have recently arrived in London. You can find more information here
Other Education Support for Refugee Children
Tutoring without Borders
offering free tuition to Ukrainian children in maths, physics, chemistry, biology, programming and English (we have not been able to verify the quality of this tuition and it is an independent company so please make sure guests are made aware of this if you pass them this information)
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.
Free Ukrainian ebooks and audiobooks
Available across Europe, multimedia content provider Odilo launched a free app for both Android and iOS with thousands of eBooks and audiobooks to support Ukrainians with a range of free reading, listening, learning and entertainment opportunities.
There is material for both children and adults.
Links to the app: