Northern Ireland has undergone rapid demographic change as a result of migration in the past decade. In 2004, eight countries from central and eastern Europe, the ‘A81’, joined the European Union (EU). As new European citizens, nationals from the A8 were free to travel and reside in any other EU member state. The arrival of large numbers of migrant workers as well as smaller numbers of refugees and asylum seekers has resulted in more diversity in culture, religion and language than Northern Ireland has experienced before. As a consequence, schools in NI have also seen a rise in admissions of children with little or no English language.
Although the Black and minority ethnic (BME) population has been steadily growing, minimal research has been conducted in NI about the educational needs and policy implications for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). This is also an area of particular interest for Barnardo’s NI as we increasingly work with newcomer families and children across our service base and work in schools.
This research highlights key findings from the experiences of school staff and newcomer pupils in primary schools as well as recommendations for policy and practice.