Refugee Education UK

Refugee Education UK equips young refugees to build positive futures by thriving in education.

The project supports young people to improve their English language skills through engagement with REUK’s Educational Mentoring Programme.  

The Foundation is also working in partnership with REUK to conduct research into the educational experience of ‘late arrivals’ into the school system.

Project objectives

Educational Mentoring Programme project

• To establish a clear framework for assessing the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) impact of the Educational Mentoring Programme.
• To develop training for the volunteer mentors.
• To upskill volunteer mentors to support their mentees to achieve specific ESOL goals.
• To improve ESOL outcomes for young refugees on REUK’s Educational Mentoring Programme.
• To contribute to shared learning and building the evidence base about refugee ESOL learners’ language acquisition and educational progression.

Late arrivals research

• Conduct research to better understand the educational experience of refugee children and young people who arrive in the UK during secondary school or college education age (‘late arrivals’).
• Identify and promote good practice.
• Inform evidence-based policy influencing work and training for schools and colleges.

Project partners

REUK is working towards a world where all refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people (referred to henceforth as ‘young refugees’) can access education, thrive in education, and use that education to create a hopeful, brighter future.

REUK’s work is structured around three key goals:

• Facilitating access: all young refugees are able to access an appropriate level of education from primary through to tertiary education.
• Improving outcomes: That each one of these young people receives guidance in overcoming the significant barriers to accessing education which will support their achievement of significant education outcomes, and help them use their education to create meaningful futures in leadership and employment.
• Ensuring impact: all young refugees, and the communities they are part of benefit from the investment in education.

About the project

The Educational Mentoring Programme provides bespoke weekly educational mentoring (a unique blend of 1:1 ESOL tutoring with integrated wellbeing support) to refugees aged 16-25 years old. Support is delivered through local trained volunteers and seeks to enable learners to stay in and progress further in education, demonstrate improved wellbeing and become more integrated in their local communities. In 2022, this programme assisted 182 young people in hubs operating in London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge and Peterborough.

To keep up to date with the work of REUK, including upcoming campaigns, training sessions, and programmes, please visit the REUK website where you can sign up to their newsletter.