Schools that have developed clear admission procedures for new arrivals who arrive at different times of the year are well placed to identify their needs and ensure that they receive appropriate support to access the curriculum. 

The key challenge for schools is to provide a welcome for all new arrivals that:

• forges good communication with parents and carers
• addresses immediate needs efficiently
• identifies the pastoral and educational needs of individual pupils
• promotes genuine inclusion
• contributes to success in learning.

The pathway to learning for new arrivals starts with the admission process.

DCSF and Ofsted guidance recommends that schools:

• do not delay in admitting pupils to school
• provide a welcoming environment and are positive about the arrival of asylum-seeking pupils
• have good background information on the linguistic, educational and cultural needs of new arrivals
• communicate with parents as an integral part of welcome and induction
• inform new arrivals and their families about the education system and entitlements such as free school meals
• use staff effectively, including staff funded by the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, mentors, assistants and home/school liaison staff, in the admission process
• provide peer support. The 'Peer support' area of this site has guidance on this
• provide extra educational and family learning opportunities. The 'Family learning' area of this site has further guidance on this.

Creating a welcoming environment

From the first point of contact it is important that pupils and families are made to feel welcome. Schools and teachers can alleviate the anxieties of new pupils and their families by:

• making reception areas comfortable and welcoming
• providing information about the school and the curriculum in different languages. The 'Interpreting and translation' area of this site provides further guidance on this
• explaining to parents and carers the school’s commitment both to partnership and communication and to the well-being and success of all pupils. The 'Effective home-school liasion' area of the site gives some guidance on improving communication with parents
• involving other pupils in their welcome. The 'Peer support' area of this site gives guidance on this.

Gathering and recording information

Schools are rarely able to collect information from the previous schools of newly arrived pupils from overseas. This makes good communication with parents and carers very important.  

Pupils from overseas may have had a range of educational experiences including formal education in their home country, a disrupted education or no previous school experience at all. Some children may have missed immunisation programmes or may have had no access to proper healthcare for long periods. 

With a good understanding of a pupil's background and current family situation and their educational and developmental history, schools are better placed to plan for and meet their individual needs. 

Establishing clear admission procedures

Effective induction into the curriculum that ensures progression and engagement begins at the start of the admission process. 

 Schools might want to ensure that:

• they collect appropriate information, including information needed to plan each pupil’s access to the curriculum. This will include information about a pupil’s country of origin, previous educational experience, language, experiences of interrupted education, religious practices, medical history, other agency involvement and parental levels of literacy
• information is disseminated to appropriate staff, including the school nurse
• parental, pupil and school expectations are properly shared and discussed
• key staff are available to parents and carers on days that admission interviews take place, and proper information sharing takes place
• families are helped to apply for free school meals, uniform and travel grants if appropriate, and are informed about agencies and community networks in the area
• teachers have time to plan for the welcome and integration of each new pupil before they arrive in class
• extra support is given across the curriculum to the settling in of pupils causing concern.

Admission procedures in the classroom will support rapid access to the curriculum and build on whole-school practice. This might include teachers:

• becoming familiar with the pronunciation of the pupil's name, the pupil's first language and cultural background and identifying other pupils in the class who share this
• preparing equipment and learning groups to ensure welcome, support and inclusion in learning activities
• involving teaching assistants and other support staff as appropriate in the planning for the new pupil’s inclusion
• informing pupils and identifying peers to befriend and help the new pupil
• providing explicit and consistent routines
• making sure each new arrival has access to different social groupings, feels safe, and that there are clear and enforced procedures against bullying and racism
• regularly checking on the pupil’s well-being after break and lunch times
• gaining good knowledge about what new arrivals know, and any gaps they have in their learning. The 'Initial assessment' and 'Assessment for learning' areas of this site have guidance on this
• accessing information gained at interview and at any initial assessment activity and modifying teaching to meet the pupil’s needs. 'Modifying and adapting the curriculum' gives guidance on this
• obtaining resources to support access and welcome. A variety of strategies to support the access of new arrivals who are new to English are suggested in the 'English as an additional language' area of this site
• establishing a role as listener, with opportunities for autobiographical talk, drawing and writing
• having high expectations of pupils, and clear systems of targeting, tracking and monitoring progress of individual pupils
• setting short-term targets for settling in and achievement
• monitoring attendance and referring any concerns promptly
• reviewing progress with the pupil, key staff and parents or carers after the first few weeks
• constructing learning environments with a wide range of activities that complement a variety of learning styles. The 'Planning for inclusion' area of this site has guidance on this
• developing the curriculum to acknowledge and enhance awareness about diversity. The 'Culturally diverse and inclusive curriculum' area of this site has guidance on this.

Case studies

Effective admission and induction procedures: primary

Effective admission and induction procedures: secondary

These case studies demonstrate how two schools have developed procedures to ensure good communication with new arrivals and their carers, and effective interventions by staff to support the settling in of more vulnerable pupils.