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The importance of school as an effective means to quickly settle children with refugee and asylum-seeking status is widely agreed (McIntyre & Neuhaus, 2021). However, what is less cited is why this is important from the viewpoints of the parents, especially for those parents who have children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) who may not have a steady support network (Hasson et al., 2022).

This blog post is based on qualitative research conducted as part of a doctoral thesis. It explores how three parents referred to throughout as, Fatima, Barbara and Iris (pseudonyms used to protect anonymity) experienced the immersion into the education and SEND systems here in England as newly arrived families.

The need for reliable support

With the lack of available social workers due to high caseloads and local government financial pressures, there is often limited consistent support given to families outside of school resulting in isolation and systemic marginalisation. This in turn positions schools as the default point of contact for many. Fatima was clear in how important the school was as a reliable source of support, highlighting the lack of support outside of the school.

Outside of school I get no support. No social worker, social services. I had a social worker once, but she did nothing. I don’t have any type of help other than the school. (Fatima)

However, despite the value placed on the school as a means of support, there is often a wariness in sharing information about the family situation and, as such, the building up of trust is essential. For Barbara, trust in the system was broken early on and due to her initial immigration status, which at that time was uncertain, Barbara felt restricted as to how much she was prepared to complain (in her words she did not want to be noticed).

Her first school was because where we live, they do nothing, they just put her in the back of the room, they put an iPad in her hand, they treat her like a baby for two or three months. (Barbara)

‘Behaviours such as tacitly accepting the status quo … reinforce a narrative of gratitude where sanctuary seekers are expected to be thankful even when their needs are unmet.’

Iqbal et al. (2021) suggest that behaviours such as tacitly accepting the status quo reflect an underlying obligation felt by sanctuary seekers not to display discontent and to conceal disappointment. Paradoxically, while this behaviour may appear positive on the surface, it reinforces a narrative of gratitude where sanctuary seekers are expected to be thankful even when their needs are unmet.

Linguistic capital

For Iris, her level of English language meant that any discussions around the support given to her child were limited. The differing discussions around support and needs were often complicated by the language used by professionals, which was inaccessible and limited Iris’s ability to gain knowledge.

When I came here, I spoke no English, but the professionals they use special words, you know, techniques that they use sometimes and I didn’t know, and I just get confused. (Iris)

Due to her unacquired linguistic capital, a barrier emerged between Iris and the education and social care professionals. The technical and localised language left Iris feeling disempowered and marginalised affecting their ability to self-advocate.

For families new to a country, navigating unfamiliar systems is complex (Lloyd, 2017), especially for those with children who have SEND needs. These parents face additional challenges, as accessing the right information often depends on the building of local knowledge and understanding. In this research, the parents identified schools as a crucial resource; however, the support provided was often generic, and lacking in sensitivity to family circumstances and cultural differences. The professionals sometimes misinterpreted compliance as understanding or agreement when, in reality, the parents often lacked the capital to question decisions.

Moving forwards

As researchers and practitioners, we have a responsibility to explore those voices which live on the periphery of social spaces and challenge the normative-based assumptions that exist within current discourse. The voices of participants illustrate the need for practitioners to gain a greater understanding of the barriers and enablers for parents with refugee and asylum status entering the field of education and SEND for the first time. A potential way to address this gap in the knowledge base is by emphasising coproduced support at a local level whereby the stories of lived experience take centre stage in both policy and practice. Central to the success of this approach, however, is the need for practitioners to take a reflexive stance, one that questions assumptions, recognises cultural diversity and actively seeks to build trust.

References

Hasson, L., Keville, S., Gallagher, J., Onagbesan, D., & Ludlow, A. K. (2022). Inclusivity in education for autism spectrum disorders: Experiences of support from the perspective of parent/carers, school teaching staff and young people on the autism spectrum. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 70(2), 201–212.

Iqbal, M., Omar, L., & Maghbouleh, N. (2021). The fragile obligation: Gratitude, discontent, and dissent with Syrian refugees in Canada. Mashriq and Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies, 8(2), 1–30.

Lloyd, A. (2017). Researching fractured (information) landscapes: Implications for library and information science researchers undertaking research with refugees and forced migration studies. Journal of Documentation, 73(1), 35–47.

McIntyre, J., & Neuhaus, S. (2021). Theorising policy and practice in refugee education: Conceptualising ‘safety’, ‘belonging’, ‘success’ and ‘participatory parity’ in England and Sweden. British Educational Research Journal, 47(4), 796–816.