“We are a very diverse school with a number of pupils coming from a range of ethnic and religious backgrounds, including refugee backgrounds. During February, as a school we have a “Celebration of Cultural Heritage Week”. This is an opportunity for all pupils from S1-6 to join in celebrating their own culture and the culture of others. We have lessons in BGE classes that celebrate culture from a subject specific perspective. The week culminates in a ‘Celebration of Culture’ evening that parents and carers are invited to – they share food from their cultures, then have an evening of music and dance that celebrates their cultures. The following day, pupils and staff are then invited to wear clothing that represents their culture with some pupils talking to others about how their clothes represent their cultural heritage and why this is important to who they are. The week is well received by pupils, parents and staff.”
“Recently I attended a course on understanding asylum seekers and the journey to becoming a refugee, and it’s had a meaningful impact on my practice as a lecturer. Working closely with ESOL students, many of whom have direct or indirect experience of displacement, the course helped me gain a deeper insight into the emotional, legal and practical challenges they may be navigating. For example, I now make a more conscious effort to create a safe and inclusive classroom environment where students feel seen and heard, regardless of their background or current circumstances. One small but powerful change I’ve made is being more flexible with deadlines when students are dealing with appointments related to their asylum claims, or simply needing space on difficult days. It’s helped build trust and shows that I’m not just teaching language, but also supporting their wider journey of resettlement and belonging.
I also shared key takeaways from the course with my colleagues during our staff development day, highlighting practical ways we can collectively create a more trauma-informed and empathetic approach across our ESOL provision. This sparked some thoughtful discussions within the team and opened up ideas for how we can better support our learners as a whole.”
“All our students, at all levels of ESOL, have the opportunity to contribute to our annual magazine.”
“Our anti-racism club for P6 and P7 shows support and that refugees are welcome in Scotland. It is also a space to share experiences.”
“Learners are all adults, all from other countries, about half are refugee/ asylum seekers. Part of their College course is Living in Scotland, so we study all the cultural events around us: Christmas, Valentines Day, Halloween -but we also note the cultural events that come from other countries or cultures: Ramadan, Eid, Nowruz, the various Hindu festivals etc. The aim is to show that our learners each have a rich heritage of cultural traditions and that they have brought these to Scotland and they are part of our multicultural society. Sometimes students who have been exiled from their country because of, for example, war do not realise that this experience is common to many people in many different countries, but they meet others who are also refugees in Scotland in our classes and there is a chance for greater understanding of others’ lives to develop.
The students are encouraged to give a short presentation to the class about aspects of their culture and everyone can ask questions. This breaks down barriers and fosters inclusivity -and is fascinating! We have class parties and a big whole-department party where we share food from different countries and students often wear traditional clothes from their countries and share music and dance. We often have writing tasks and discussions comparing people’s experience of study, work, marriage etc in their own countries. One year my class ( with students from Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Bangladesh, Colombia, North Korea and others ) was given an Award by College in recognition of the integration and mutual support that they developed over the academic year through sharing of cultural images, stories and life skills.”
“Something that I was able to do previously when I was in full time support for refugee EAL children was to have Eid parties, with our Syrian, Afghani Muslim children from all stages coming together to celebrate which was very special.”
There are many ways schools and colleges can welcome refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to Scotland. Every year, the EIS distributes hundreds of free welcome packs to newly arrived young people and their families with information about school and life in Scotland.