It’s not all about academic achievement: supporting the social and emotional needs of migrant worker children

Abstract

This article arises out of a 3-year qualitative-interpretive study (January 2008–January 2011) which focused on identifying the experiences of children and parents of Eastern European heritage and their teachers, where migrant children enter primary schools which have previously had limited exposure to cultural and linguistic diversity. This paper examines some of the factors which may impact upon migrant children’s social and emotional well-being, and thus their learning. The study reveals how children, when entering unfamiliar school settings, identify their main anxieties to be establishing positive peer and teacher relations. Thus, this paper pays particular attention to these issues, together with initial adjustment and changing family structures. Despite increased emphasis on inclusive thinking and personalised learning in the UK, the study suggests that in a climate preoccupied with raising academic attainment and in communities where there has been rapid and significant cultural change, the holistic needs of individual migrant learners may not be fully recognised. Although many migrant children settle successfully within UK primary schools, there is a pressing need for continuous commitment to research, policy, teacher education and training, to ensure that this group of learners is appropriately supported. Whilst focusing on developing the children’s command of the English language, in order that they access the curriculum, it is equally as important to attend to their socio-emotional well-being, in order to create an optimal state for learning.

Keywords:

• schools
• migrant worker pupils
• social and emotional well-being