Refugee children, trust and inclusive school cultures

ABSTRACT

Drawing on the thinking of Knud Ejler Løgstrup (1905–1981), this article examines the place of mistrust and trust in the exclusion or inclusion of young refugees. Mistrust directed towards refugees takes an entirely depersonalised form when it results from exclusionary processes that situate unique persons within generalised categories. Refugees themselves can come to hold all authority figures, including educators, in suspicion. If schools are to counter this type of mistrust, they will need to become places that are worthy of the trust of young refugees. Paramount here is the creation of inclusive and trusting school cultures where all children are listened to and welcomed as distinct contributors to the life of their schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Refugees
• inclusive education
• trust
• school culture
• ethics

Notes on contributors

Wayne Veck is currently a Reader in Education at Winchester University. Wayne started his teaching career as a teacher of English to students from Afghanistan and Iraq seeking refuge in the UK. He has published widely about disability, forced migration and inclusion and exclusion in education.

Julie Wharton is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Winchester and works within the Institute of Education and the Department of Education Studies. She has been a Special Educational Needs and Disability Inspector in a Local Authority and the Virtual Head teacher for Children who are Looked After, supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Her research focuses on social justice and inclusion and she has published and disseminated research about disability, forced migration and inclusive schooling.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.