New Twinkl resources for teachers during Refugee Week

From the 20th to 26th of June, Refugee Week will celebrate the contributions and resilience of International New Arrivals. 

Global educational publisher, Twinkl, has created a range of learning materials to support International New Arrivals ahead of Refugee Week. 

These teacher-made resources are designed to help educators welcome refugee children into their classrooms. The organisation has also created dual-language materials for children to learn alongside a more familiar language. In order for these resources to be as accessible as possible, Twinkl has ensured many are free to download. 

Refugee Week has been operating since 1998 and has a vision for “refugees and asylum seekers to be able to live safely within inclusive and resilient communities”***. This year, their theme is ‘healing’. To support this, Twinkl’s resources are intended to help children who may have experienced traumatic events and are now navigating a new education system. 

Some of the free resources Twinkl has made include a Webinar to welcome refugees into the classroom, hosted by Twinkl’s English as a second language manager. There is also Equality and Diversity CPD training for teachers with a refugee focus. Resources are designed for different primary school levels, and there are also whole school learning materials. 

In 2021 there were 89.3 million displaced people around the world*. There were also 135,000 refugees in the UK, alongside 80,000 claiming asylum**. Many of these will be families with children, discovering a new language and curriculum. 

Due to geopolitical situations, teachers always need to be prepared to welcome refugee children into their classrooms. Schools are vital in helping children integrate with society and continue their development, especially when they have faced substantial disruption.

Despite often receiving discrimination and persecution, refugees have made notable contributions throughout history. Examples include Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, to modern celebrities like Mo Farrah and Rita Ora. As a result, Twinkl also intends to celebrate their diversity throughout the week.

Jonathan Seaton, Twinkl’s CEO, said “Refugee Week is a wonderful opportunity to support International New Arrivals and celebrate their contributions throughout history. While Refugee Week lasts for seven days, we will always strive to build upon our selection of resources to ensure we can continue to support INAs as best we can.” 

“We believe every child deserves quality education, and we hope these learning materials can be used to help those who have undergone so much.”