Country information

Pathways to learning for new arrivals

Country information

'When I first came to England I felt really lonely. Nobody knew about my home country or even where it was. I felt I was really different from the other children in my class. Then I got a new teacher. She really made an effort to find out about Romania. She came to see me dance. That teacher tried to understand what I had been through and she helped me come through a bad time. I think she really made a difference.'

Pupils arriving into English schools from overseas come from many different countries. Even pupils from the same country may have diverse ethnic, religious, political or social class backgrounds.

Pupils' prior experiences impact on how they will settle and learn in a new school. It is important that you are aware of their background experiences, including their previous schooling, as this may influence how you plan for inclusion.

The Home Office produces reports on the countries that generate the largest number of asylum applications in the UK. For each country we provide a snapshot of information under the following headings: