St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre has been selected as a Centre of Good Practice for New Arrivals to develop a programme of support for schools with children who are new to English and/or new to education. To download our prospectus please click HERE.
To read about the services we offer to our Central and Eastern European families, and what they tell us click HERE.
In December 2017 the British Academy published a report “If you could do one thing...” to showcase innovative local projects across the country which improve integration in local communities. The report includes case studies of projects working with recently arrived migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, one of which is about St Edmund’s and how we work with Roma and Central and Eastern European children and their parents. You can read our case study HERE.
To read the whole report, go to https://www.britac.ac.uk/publications/if-you-could-do-one-thing-local-actions-promote-social-integration
Working with and engaging families from Central and Eastern Europe: A training course for schools and early years settings
St Edmund’s Nursery School and Children’s Centre has been selected as a Centre of Good Practice for New Arrivals to provide a programme of support for schools with children who are new to English and/or new to education. Around 10% of the local community are from a Central or Eastern European background. These families are relatively transient with many families staying only a short time in the local area.
Join our workshop on how schools and settings can better engage with the Central and Eastern European community. Based on our experiences we have identified three key areas that present the main issues in supporting families new to the UK – attendance, communication and social integration. Getting it right in all three areas is vital in the ensuring that children settle into school and achieve their full potential.
Audience: Leaders, managers, teachers, practitioners, childminders.
Date: To be confirmed - call us for more information on 01274 543282.
Cost: The course is free.
Venue: St Edmund’s Nursery School & Children’s Centre Washington Street, Girlington Bradford BD8 9QW
Work development areas
The inner city area where St Edmund’s is located has seen considerable changes over the years in the structure of our community. Currently, around 10% of the local community are from a Central or Eastern European background. These families are relatively transient with many families staying only a short time in the local area. Around 10% of children (23) attending our nursery school are from a Central or Eastern European background, matching the local population.
Based on our experiences and communication with staff who originate from different countries, staff who work closely on a daily basis with the families and most importantly communication directly with our parents, we have identified three key areas that present the main issues in supporting communities new to the UK:
- Attendance
- Communication
- Social integration
Getting it right in all three areas is vital in the ensuring that children settle into school and achieve their full potential. As an Early Years setting and children’s centre cluster, we provide support for families so that their children are settled before they reach statutory school age.
Services on offer
We can support other schools in the following ways:
Attendance
Home visits: Opportunities to shadow practitioners visiting Eastern and Central European families in their own homes.
Relationship between practitioners and parents: Our visitor days allow early years practitioners, teachers, students and others to see an outstanding nursery in operation. We can provide a specific focus on families from Central and Eastern Europe.
Settling in process: We can provide information on our settling in process, and the special arrangements we have made for children from Central and Eastern European families.
Parent volunteers: Parents from Central and Eastern Europe who are now an established part of the St Edmund’s community can come to your school to talk to your families.
Communication
Home language speaker: One of our team can talk to parents at your school.
Communication friendly classrooms: Find out how we make sure the classroom environment is accessible to all children.
Alternative ways of communication: e.g. Makaton
Developing trust: How to and identify and train key people in your school to successfully build bridges with new communities.
Social Integration
Special events: How we use open days, parties and ‘Our community, Our World’ week to ensure that all families feel part of our community.
Classrooms and communities: Ensuring that the whole classroom reflects the children who are there, for example the home area, number area and snack area.
Parents as volunteers: How to involve parents in supporting other parents, including pathways to paid employment.
For more information, contact:
Ermina Kesedzic
ermina.kesedzic@stedmundsbradford.org.uk
01274 543282
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