Teacher Packs
Teaching refugee and asylum issues – Amnesty International
A Safe Place to Call Home– Ideas for assemblies, classroom activities and downloadable resources – Christian Aid
Education in a Diverse UK- Education pack, awarded ACT Quality Mark for Citizenship Teaching Resources – Migrant Help
Also see the Ireland Refugee Education Pack
UNHCR Teaching about refugees guide- short animations and teacher-led discussion notes
Forced to Flee: Children on the move- Education pack – UNICEF
In Search of Safety- Teaching about the refugee crisis. UNICEF
Guardian Guide to Teaching Resources- Ideas for primary and secondary and links to other helpful organisations.
Lessons of Hope- Classroom resource pack available to purchase (income used to support refugees in Yorkshire). My Bright Kite
Refugee Week resources- for Refugee Week in June, or to adapt for any time of year
Against All Odds- UNHCR’s refugee experience game.
Not just numbers- educational toolkit (ignore sections referring to DVD) – UNHCR
Zimbabwe Association Twelve Years Project- Teacher packs and resources for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4
Platforma- Get inspired by examples of art projects
36,000 Humans- Activity ideas from a campaign group. Action for Refugees
Visit City of Sanctuary Arts pages for links to artists and art works around refugees
Website about refugee-inspired art
Traces Project- The first digital timeline to tell the untold history of arts and cultural contributions by people who have sought safety in the UK. CounterPoint Arts, supported by UNHCR.
Two Billion Miles– Interactive video, sharing stories of refugee and migrant journeys with teaching resources. Channel 4 News
Many Rivers Crossed: Britain’s attitudes to race and immigration 50 years since ‘Rivers of Blood’- Report by British Future. A Wolverhampton School of Sanctuary is featured.
Contact your local Development Education Centre for resources, workshops and training on a range of topics including climate change, fair trade and human rights
Play and Learn Arabic- Free resource from eduTechnoz focusing on learning Arabic in a fun way.
Family Learning in ESOL free website resources- For more information on what Family Learning in ESOL is and a contact for support please click here.
Partner with a school abroad through the British Council
Pullitzer Center- Searchable resources with a focus on journalism
Global Dimension- Resources can be searched for by topic and by age.
Asylum Seekers and Refugee Quiz from Refugee Week
Simple Acts- Suggested activities. Refugee Week
NaTaKallam (‘we speak’) is an award-winning, woman-founded social enterprise delivering cultural exchange services by vetted and highly-skilled refugees and displaced persons worldwide. For more information contact: [email protected]
- Kazzum Arts Migration Pack – Differentiated teaching packs and associated resources aimed at primary and secondary levels.
- The Walk: Education and Activity Pack – A pack full of teaching and learning activities divided by age-range and theme to accompany the Little Amal’s walk across Europe in 2021.
- Schools of Sanctuary– resources. With partner, OXFAM
- Lost Wor(l)ds – A collection of varied activities for embracing multilingualism in the classroom across different subjects.
- The Belonging Toolkit – co-produced with Coram Life Education and Coram’s Young Citizens (funded as part of the HALO programme by The Queen’s Trust) — gives invaluable insight into the issues facing migrant children and young people today. It is free to download and includes lesson plans, teachers’ guidance, films and activities for KS2 and KS3, all clearly linked to Learning Opportunities in the PSHE Association programme of Study.
An article from the Big Issue about using Paddington to teach about refugees
UNHCR have produced a cartoon Carly, A Refugee’s Story
UNHCR teaching materials: socio-emotional skills, peer relationships, diversity, welcome. Age 6-9 Age 9-12
Learning about Refugee Rights – Explore the story of Ali Özdemir, a young Syrian refugee blinded crossing the border between Syria and Turkey. Age 7-11, Amnesty International
Football Welcomes – Refugee rights and the contribution of people from refugee backgrounds to the UK. Age 7-14, Amnesty International
You Me and Those Who Came Before – Focuses on history of migration and building empathy with those starting new lives. Age 7-14, Red Cross
Stand With Refugees – Creative activity ideas. Age 7-14, OXFAM
Rohingya Crisis – Learn about OXFAM’s emergency response, age 7-14.
Peacemakers – A book and online resources for schools wanting to bring fresh approaches to pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development.
- TheirWorld education pack with three different activities/lessons with associated resources to explore refugee/sanctuary issues.
- The Holocaust and Wales: Lessons 1 to 4 – Kindertransport – In this collection of resources, the stories of child refugees who came on Kindertransport to Wales are explored. These resources are suitable for teaching Key Stage 3 learners
Football Welcomes- Refugee rights and the contribution of people from refugee backgrounds to the UK. Age 7-14, Amnesty International
A Time to Flee- explores a family wrestling with this question, Amnesty International
You Me and Those Who Came Before- Focuses on history of migration and building empathy with those starting new lives. Age 7-14, Red Cross
Stand With Refugees- Creative activity ideas. Age 7-14, OXFAM
Rohingya Crisis- Learn about OXFAM’s emergency response, age 7-14.
UNHCR Teaching Materials 12-15- focusing on empathy and contextualisation
Article discussing ways to tackle the refugee crisis. British Council
Three School Lesson plans from Manchester with PowerPoint resources – thanks to David Few:
Debates_-_slides_-_quick_starters (Open Document Presentation)
Asylum_Seekers_Lesson_1_ (PowerPoint Presentation)
Asylum_Seekers_Lesson_2 (PowerPoint Presentation)
Asylum_Seekers_Lesson_3 (PowerPoint Presentation)
Geography
Push and pull factors behind migration
Country research BBC
2 Billion Miles- A Channel 4 interactive activity
OCR’s Geography GCSE about geographical themes covers various aspects of migration
Atlas of Migration- A useful research tool
History
AQA’s History GCSE offers the option of a unit on Britain: Migration, empires and the people: c790 to the present day
BBC Briefing Migration- UK Migration in its historical perspective
English & Drama
- School of Sanctuary Resources: A selection of free resources on TES website including 4 lessons, board games, role plays, documentaries, collated from City of Sanctuary, Amnesty International, Oxfam and online reports.
Afghanistan by Choice is a set of activities analysing the film-making process. Pullitzer Center
Blue Moment is a 45-minute play available to stream devised with the Refugee Therapy Centre in London, in consultation with Refugee Action in York and Solace in Leeds. Suitable for a discussion of issues raised in the film, including safeguarding, rape, homelessness, race relations, and mental health. Age 15+
The Passages Game is a 3-4 hour simulation of journeys to sanctuary. UNHCR
- TheirWorld education pack with three activities/lessons for learning about refugee/sanctuary issues with associated resources.
A full list of books can be found here
An article from the Big Issue- about using Paddington as part of a lesson plan on refugees – with a link to the lesson plan
Alpha- Teacher’s notes on this graphic novel. Amnesty International (14+)
The Bone Sparrow- Amnesty International (11+)
Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah (teacher notes and activities from Amnesty International for older students)
See also Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem, We Refugees
A downloadable book list to encourage younger readers
Have a look at this list of books and novels on refugee and asylum seeker issues (from Refugee Council Australia). Scroll down for children’s books.
World Book Day ideas. OXFAM
- Boy, Everywhere by A.M.Dassu with a teaching pack and resources from the publisher, Lee & Low Books.
Into Film– Teacher pack for exploring refugee themes through film. Organise a screening – see the Moving Worlds
The Doc Society Forced Migration Toolkit- Clips and activities for schools
7 Videos guaranteed to change the way you see refugees. UNHCR
The Right to Safety is a Human Right- Researched, scripted and presented by children from Hearts and Hopes social action project
Finding a Voice Created by Samia Malik’s Heritage Lottery funded multimedia project working with young arrivals to Norfolk. Film 1,Film 2, Film 3, Film 4, Film 5
Blue Moment- Film and training notes.A 45-minute refugee film drama about a young African Muslim woman seeking asylum in the UK today. Based on real case studies. Age 15+
Guardian newspaper review of Ms Kiet’s Children- A documentary about migrant children nursing trauma and forging friendships under the guidance of a kindly teacher
Seeking Refuge- Animated stories from refugee children, with useful Teachers Notes. BBC
I am just like you- A 3 minute film for 2016 Refugee Week dedicated to the many children and young people fleeing their homes in search of safety. Ideal for secondary schools.
Refugee Council’s Children’s Section- three short animations featuring child refugees sharing their stories in their own words (not all of these animations are suitable for younger children).
One World to Share- For primary school children for Refugee Week and beyond. Watch the video here.
Singing Out! is a collection of 12 uplifting pop songs to encourage children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural learning (SMSC), PSHE and RE.
As Free As a Bird musical and One World to Share song- Resources to stage a musical about refugees or perform a relevant song.
Short film about how the power of singing together enables children of all cultures and faiths to come together to celebrate key life affirming values.
- NaTakallam (‘We speak’ in Arabic) is a social enterprise that provides income to refugees and displaced people through opportunities in the language sector (language lessons, cultural exchange and translation services). While originally born to support Syrians teaching Arabic, NaTakallam‘s language sessions are now also offered in French (with refugees from the DRC, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire), Persian (with Iranians + Afghans) and Spanish (with Venezuelans + Central Americans). Their schools’ programme includes scholarships
for classrooms the UK and US who want to practice Arabic or host a cultural exchange session about the Middle East. You can watch a quick two-minute video about our summer partnership with Teens of Color Abroad, a fully virtual two-week program for high school students of colour across the US. Students from California to Kentucky to Pennsylvania have met Conversation Partners from Syria, Iraq, Venezuela and more, creating lasting connections and combating stereotypes in the process. Interested schools can sign up here.
All ages mentioned are suggestions. Judgement on age suitability is of course best left to teachers and schools.