Supporting Ukraine families in Northumberland schools

Supporting Ukrainian Families in Northumberland Schools

Teaching Resources/Support:

A webinar delivered by the Sanctuary Foundation aimed at supporting schools who are welcoming Ukrainian refugees into their communities is available here.

The Sanctuary Foundation has also produced a book to welcome Ukrainian children and families to life in the UK. The Nice to meet you / Дуже приємно books include messages of welcome from British celebrities such as Bear Grylls, Mel Giedroyc and Gemma Hunt, and from Ukrainian celebrities Andrei Pietov (goalkeeper) and Igor Kuzmenko (Dancing with the Stars).Complimentary copies of the book can be pre-ordered here. Please note there are limited copies available and requests will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis.

There may also be the opportunity to order copies of Ukranian and Russian scriptures from the Bible Society. Please click here for further details.

DfE guidance for appointing Teachers from Ukraine:

Teachers from Ukraine can gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England by completing an accredited course of teacher training in England.

Teachers can also work without QTS in some types of schools known as academies and free schools. Overseas teachers, including those who qualified in Ukraine, can also work in maintained schools without QTS for up to 4 years. Once working in this way, teachers can complete the assessment-only route in order to gain QTS.

Teaching Vacancies is the official job-listing service from the Department for Education and used by over 17,000 schools to post their teaching roles. You can search for a job at a school or trust in England, save jobs and set up job alerts.

School funding:

The below information was circulated on the E-Courier (14 June 2022)

There have been a number of enquiries from Schools in relation to what financial support is available to them to support students from the Ukraine to access education. Specific Information from the Department of Education has limited to this point, but the following annual funding rates have been notified to provide education services:

Early years (ages 2 to 4) – £3,000
Primary (ages 5 -11) – £6,580
Secondary (ages 11-18) – £8,755

Information will be updated as and when further information is received from the DfE, but it is suggested that the above annual rates will be divided and paid to schools in 3 equal amounts for each term during which a student attends a school.

It should be noted that the above amounts are fully inclusive and no additional funding is anticipated in respect of FSM, SEN etc. This will be kept under review as further information is received from the DfE. It is appreciated that support will be required during early stages so payments will be made as soon as possible. Only where a student attends more than one school during a term should the payment be split and made pro-rata to attendance to the schools concerned.
Schools are reminded of the other resources available such as access to the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Team funded via the de-delegated funding agreed by Schools Forum in February 2022.

School Admissions:

Applications for Early Years and School places

Currently we believe that Ukrainian families with nursery and school age children moving to Northumberland will be arriving at individual households across the County over an unspecified period of time. We do not currently expect vast numbers to arrive in one location at one time, but should that change, we will ensure we maintain our service to all applicants.

School Places

The advice for Ukrainian families who need school places is to apply in the usual manner for in-year transfers.

Families can apply online here.

Applications will be considered alongside all other mainstream applications and places will be offered in accordance with each school’s published admissions rules. However, in exceptional circumstances if an area emerges where it is difficult to offer children places due to a lack of available space, we will refer such cases to our Fair Access Panel or liaise with schools directly to see if additional places can be made available.

For any school application queries, the School Admissions Team can be contacted on 01670624889 or by email at schooladmissions@northumberland.gov.uk

Early Years

The advice for Ukrainian families who need Early Years places is to approach local providers directly if they are aware of them, consult the Family Information Directory at Families information to find local providers or to contact schooladmissions@northumberland.gov.uk for help locating a place.

Further updates will be issued as and when the overall demand for places becomes clearer.

Information, advice and guidance can also be accessed using the links below.

DfE -How do families arriving from Ukraine apply for a school place and childcare?
Gov.UK - School applications for foreign national children and children resident outside England
UK Government - Guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK

Please do contact us if you have any further queries

If you have any questions related to transition support or if you think a family would benefit from assistance with the application process you can also contact Ian Luke, our, Traveller, Refugee and Asylum Education Lead Practitioner Ian.Luke@northumberland.gov.uk

Many thanks for your support and help for children and their families in these challenging times. It is very much appreciated.

School Transport:

Link to the school transport webpage: Northumberland County Council - School transport