Migrant children receive varying levels of support, or none at all, from schools to integrate and new, pan-European research will look at developing better ways for schools to help them. The UK coordinator will be University of Northampton’s Dr Federico Farini, with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia’s Professor Claudio Baraldi as the main research lead.
The research, funded by the European Commission, will last for three years and involves:
- A review of existing, national integration policies and legislation across all partner countries
- A survey of migrant children and their parents to gauge their experiences of schools, teachers and fellow schoolchildren
- Interviews with parents and teachers about how they perceive the educational relationship
- Practice observation, which will look at teaching styles, and programmes of activities to support migrant children’s integration in schools
- Final report to be authored by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (expected in 2021).
The final report will also include recommendations for future work streams to develop examples of best practices that are working for other schools in the UK and Europe to implement, which will be delivered by Dr Farini and Dr Jane Murray, Senior Lecturer in Education at University of Northampton.
These are expected to include training guides for teachers and social workers to promote the integration of migrant children, and a handbook with guidelines for teachers to become trainers that will be adapted into videos and online training.
For more information about the entire CHILD UP, please contact: claudio.baraldi@unimore.it
