Will Irish schools cope with an influx of Ukraine’s refugee children?

Schools are an escape for children from all sorts of circumstances, not least now for the Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.

After getting a roof over their heads, the priority for incoming families is to find school places for children, "to give them a bit of normality and structure", says Katie Prendergast of the Scoop Foundation, which works with young refugees.

Getting a welcome in schools makes such a big difference to these families, says Tiffy Allen, national co-ordinator of Places of Sanctuary Ireland. Schools have reported how Russian children have been central to this welcome, helping Ukrainian peers through a shared language.

“It has been so lovely to see how easy peace is for children who are in the right environment,” she says.

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Before the war in Ukraine, Places of Sanctuary was in contact with about 50 primary and secondary schools in Ireland through its Schools of Sanctuary programme. But it had an "overwhelming response" to a recent webinar it hosted with DCU on how to welcome refugee children, with 500 teachers attending and hundreds more looking for a recording.

Individual schools with spaces have been quick to open their doors and heart-warming stories abound about staff, pupils and parents rallying to support the newcomers. There has been no question of schools waiting for directives in the early days of meeting the urgent human need on their doorsteps.

For Pelletstown Educate Together National School in Dublin 15, which had taken in seven children at the time of writing, it was all done through personal approaches.

A refugee who arrived to stay with an aunt nearby was the first. Soon – through word of mouth – there was a list of 18 other children looking for places.

“We’re slowly getting through them,” says the principal, Caitríona Ní Cheallaigh, who is collaborating with other schools in the area on available places.

At Pelletstown school, everything initially is about trying to ensure they feel safe and welcome and have a sense of belonging.

First there are the practicalities. “They have come with no school bags, no lunch boxes, no pencil cases, no books obviously. We are providing all of that for them,” says Ní Cheallaigh.

They have also supplied families with scooters to make the school run from their hotel, 3½km away, a little easier.

Then there is the need for English language support. With a diverse pupil community, the school already has seven teachers working on English as an additional language (EAL). They are well positioned in that respect, she says, while other schools “are crying out for additional EAL support”, which is part of the special education teachers’ brief.

Staff are also very mindful of the Russian children in the school, who are very upset about the war in Ukraine. “They don’t want to be seen as being at fault for what’s happening or being responsible for these children who are coming into their class. They nearly have a sense of guilt, which is awful.”

Nobody knows how long these Ukrainian children might be with them and Ní Cheallaigh is concerned that those staying in the hotel could be sent elsewhere. “That’s the real worry: they just settle into a place and we work so hard to make them feel welcome and safe, and then they could be moved on again.”

It is a time of learning and very much a time of open door and open mind

Minister for Education Norma Foley, who expects the number of Ukrainian children coming in to increase "exponentially" over coming weeks, has acknowledged that school spaces have to be matched with accommodation needs. A network of "one-stop" education shops is being set up through the 16 Education and Training Boards.

Diversity in the classroom is something that St Joseph’s, an all-girls Catholic national school in Tipperary town, has experienced only in the past couple of years. It is now enrolling Ukrainians who are adding to the multicultural mix.

"It is a time of learning and very much a time of open door and open mind," says principal Louise Tobin.

The school has already taken in war refugees from Syria but they had intercultural workers who were "key to their arrival and settling in". She hopes the Department of Education will "step up" and support schools taking in Ukrainians with more than just the signposting to sources of information.

St Joseph’s has one EAL teacher “but the caseload is huge. When we applied for that teacher, 36 per cent of our pupils were non-Irish nationals.” That’s up to about 46 per cent now.

“To enable these children to access their education, they are going to need supports and the supports are diluted enough,” she says.

St Brigid's National School in Ballysax, Co Kildare, had no pupil without English as their first language before the arrival of two Ukrainian children, Enei (8) and Odarka (13) Hetman, in early March.

Charts depicting the Ukrainian alphabet hang on the walls and all Enei's classmates are learning one Ukrainian word a day. Being under 12, Enei will have no exemption from studying Irish, unlike his sister, but "we'll cross that bridge in a little while", says principal Esther Reddy.

She hopes EAL support will be provided for all schools taking in Ukrainians and also monetary aid. While the school’s parents are prepared to help with pupils’ material needs, that might not be possible in other areas.

There are exam considerations for refugees of secondary school age and some are doing remote learning with teachers back in Ukraine. With a two-hour time difference, they have to be ready at 6.30am for what’s a 8.30am start to the school day over there.

Our school is definitely richer for the diversity of the students. It's about not seeing it as a problem but as an opportunity

Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School in Dublin 18 has taken in two Ukrainian pupils and is preparing for more. Schools are a distraction for these children, says Sallie Ennis, a teacher there and chairwoman of Schools of Sanctuary. She is in awe of the "can-do" attitude of the families, with "no wallowing in hopelessness".

The school is trying to create a nice, safe environment in which these refugees “can just get on with normal teenage angst”. She urges other schools not to worry about the impact of taking in Ukrainian pupils.

“Our school is definitely richer for the diversity of the students. It’s about not seeing it as a problem but as an opportunity.”

Prendergast of Scoop also believes Ireland will benefit. She is helping refugees get into the same schools as their host families’ children where possible.

“This is working out really well because I think they are bonding a bit better. All the schools I have spoken to have been very welcoming.

“I have kids start in a private school; no fees, they have just waived everything. It’s just overwhelming how generous people are being.”

How schools can best prepare for refugee children
It takes a whole school community – staff, pupils and parents – to support incoming refugee children.

There is a fine balance between welcoming Ukrainian children living through tragically abnormal times and maintaining a sense of normality, that “we’re all the same”. Over-curiosity has to be guarded against, warns Tiffy Allen of Places of Sanctuary Ireland; she offers three essential points of advice:

1. Whole-school response: Involve the whole school community in making it a place of welcome and inclusion. In designated schools of sanctuary, every class, from junior infants up, is represented on the sanctuary committee.

2. Include parents: In helping the refugees fit in, make sure you include their parents. It's disempowering for those with no English if they feel that they can't help, so show parents they can help. Have ways of valuing their culture. For example, one of the first things a school did was to invite mothers to come in and cook Ukrainian dishes for a celebration.

3. Harness the potential: Recognise that the newcomers are bringing in skills and talents that are going to enrich the school – and indeed the country. The message from incoming refugees is very clear: "Please do not see us as a problem and please do not see us as different."