Education outside the mainstream : valuing cultural heritage through alternative resources for the integration of migrant children in the UK

Popan, Cosmin, Arun, Shoba ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2950-3157 and Bailey, Gavin (2020) Education outside the mainstream : valuing cultural heritage through alternative resources for the integration of migrant children in the UK. Annales: Anali za istrske in mediteranske studije - Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei - Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies. Series historia et sociologia, 30 (4). pp. 613-628. ISSN 1408-5348

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Abstract

The integration of children with migrant background in the UK schools and society is currently hindered by a mix of reasons. They include a ‘hostile environment’ and a regression of rights in recent years, a decade of austerity that has severely reduced the support schools and other educational players can offer and the lack of an explicit and overarching integration policy. This article draws on interviews undertaken with members of the educational community and fieldwork conducted in five UK primary and secondary schools, using the social anchoring approach to unpack the manifold ways in which different communities develop ‘anchors’ to mitigate the impact of these limitations. The alternative arrangements consist of parallel curricula offered by supplementary and faith schools, initiatives bridging inter-cultural gaps through music and poetry, charities producing guides and certifications reflecting the inclusiveness of schools, and educational tools within schools in the form of multilingual displays, online platforms for learning English and music, history and religious studies classes which are challenging the mainstream curriculum. The article concludes by discussing the extent to which such diversity of approaches values the cultural heritage of migrant children and successfully complements the existing curricula to work as effective social and emotional anchors for migrant children to improve their social, emotional, and behavioural wellbeing, and key for overall academic attainment and success