Inclusive education for refugee and asylum seeking children: an evaluation of the guidelines used by primary schools to support the inclusion of refugee and asylum seeking children in Scotland

Abstract

As the number of refugee and asylum seekers continues to grow, it is critical that schools pay recognition to how they can be inclusive for refugee and asylum seeking children. However, schools may not be aware of the areas of support that these children may require. In contrast, there may be too much attention paid to ‘fixing’ children from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds such as focusing on learning English (Taylor and Sidhu, 2012) rather than providing holistic support. It is important that each child is supported in unique manner that supports their inclusion into their new community and school life. To do so, teaching staff must be aware of the potential barriers to learning and inclusion (Block et al., 2014).
This paper will present the findings from global academic literature on inclusion in schools for refugee and asylum seeking children. The key aspects of inclusion raised by this literature review will form the headings of a framework. This framework that I have created will then be used to compare and contrast the contents of three guidelines available in Scotland. Through this process, recommendations will be made to improve the inclusion of refugee and asylum seeking children and their families in schools across Scotland.