Find out more
Wellington College has been shortlisted for an award by the Boarding Schools Association (BSA) in recognition of our activities in support of refugees and asylum seekers.
Research estimates that refugee and asylum seeking children in England are 15.5 months behind non-migrant children in English and Maths GCSEs, and 17.3 months behind across all GCSE subjects. This will severely curtail their options and future livelihoods. The College’s response is to provide academic support as well as to help ameliorate some of the contextual problems that negatively affect refugee children’s ability to remain and thrive in education.
One of our 110% fee-assisted places at the College educates a pupil whose family sought refuge in the UK following conflict. This pupil is thriving academically and is in an excellent position to progress to higher education. We also have a weekly programme to supplement the education and experiences of the children of local refugee families. College teachers and pupils provide academic tutoring, information on the UK education and careers systems and – most importantly – fun and friendship. This supports the refugee children’s attainment, integration, mental health and ability to make plans for the future.
We have set up a £40,000 fund managed by our local education authority. This helps to pay for items that are otherwise unaffordable for refugee children in Bracknell Forest, such as educational resources and uniform, participation in school trips and holiday clubs, travel to and from school.
In addition, and perhaps the most impactful of all our activities in the longer term, is the education we provide to Wellington pupils on the drivers of migration, legal obligations, and the challenges of seeking refuge. This includes three days volunteering in Northern France, working directly with stranded refugees. It is our hope that Wellington pupils will carry forward their empathy and help bring about change in how society views and educates asylum seekers.
Kerry Symeonidis, Head of Social Impact at Wellington College said: “The outstanding feature of Wellington’s support, and perhaps the reason why we were shortlisted for the award, is how our diverse activities reinforce each other in pursuit of a single ambition: to help improve the educational outcomes of refugee and asylum-seeking children. We are coming at it from all angles with Wellingtonian vigour, which is the only way to approach society’s most intractable problems”.
The winner will be announced at this year’s BSA Annual Conference for Heads at Bristol City Centre Marriott on the evening of Tuesday 2 May.
