Education and English Language

All children and young people arriving under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme (Ukraine Sponsorship) and Ukrainian Family schemes have the right to access education and childcare whilst in the UK. Find out what school year your child will be in – This may differ from schools in Ukraine.

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) can advise parents on the school application process, where vacancies exist and how to apply. Visit the OCC website for more information or contact admissions.schools@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Please note the statutory turn-around time limit for applications is 15 working days.

Parents are encouraged to:

  • register on the Continued Interest List for their preferred school and
  • appeal against the decision made.

For advice on accessing education and childcare see the Welcome Guide  under ‘Childcare and Education Services’.

Each Ukrainian child is entitled to free school meals, headteachers have been informed that these children may not have all the paperwork usually required at the point of starting at the school.

They vary depending on your local area. However, they tend to follow this pattern:

  • Summer Term: March/April – July
  • Autumn Term: September – December
  • Winter Term: Jan – March/April

All Oxfordshire County Council-maintained nurseries (community and voluntary controlled) must follow the relevant admissions policy. Click here for more information about nursery and pre-school.

For children and young people (age 0-25) with Special Education Needs and/or Disability (SEND), Oxfordshire has developed a Local Area SEND Strategy. Please see here for more general information and guidance.

Visit IPSEA and SENDIASS to find independent organisations offering advice on SEND

Applications to Sixth Form Colleges need to be submitted to the relevant school or college directly.

Information about further education to 19-years-old can be found in section 2.6 Childcare and Education Services of the Welcome guide.

Applications to universities need to be submitted to the relevant University directly.

Some universities offer Scholarships and can be found on the Student Action for Refugees (STAR) website or you can contact the universities directly to find out if your application will be considered.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities, and they have set up support for students from Ukraine. STAR explains about student finance and fees.

More information on education can be found in section 2.6 of the Welcome guide.

UK refugee charities have got together to launch the Displaced Students Portal which is a website through which universities and further education colleges are encouraged to advertise the bursaries, scholarships and special courses available particularly for refugees https://www.displacedstudent.org.uk/
Potential students in the UK under the “Ukraine schemes” can search for courses available to them. It’s particularly useful for students that need a foundation course to prepare themselves for university.

ESOL AT RUSKIN COLLEGE HEADINGTON – courses are starting in September 2023.  They are pre-entry level, entry level, Level 1 and Level 2.  They also offer Conversational English, Creative Writing and more!  Please clink the link for all the courses https://www.ruskin.ac.uk/whats-on.

Abingdon & Witney College are running ESOL courses for age 19+.  These courses are certified. Complete and return an enquiry form if you are interested.

City of Oxford College is offering free drop-in face-to-face English lessons in Oxford.

Intermediate and Advanced Levels;

Tuesday 12 to 2pm, City of Oxford college, Blackbird Leys Campus, Cuddesdon Way, Oxford OX4 6HN, Room T103

Beginners;

Tuesday 9.30 to 11.30, Blackbird Leys Library, Oxford, Blackbird Leys Rd, Oxford OX4 6HT

Intermediate level;

Monday 9.30 to 11.15, Rose Hill Community centre, Carole’s Way, Oxford OX4 4HF

Beginners; 

Monday 11.30 to 1.30pm, Rose Hill Community centre, Carole’s Way, Oxford OX4 4HF

Oxford Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) list opportunities in and around Oxford to learn English at all levels. The two main providers of ESOL are Activate Learning and Abingdon and Witney College, both are listed on the OCVA site above.

International Rescue Committee are offering free online Cultural Orientation sessions.   The Community and Outreach officers are all native Ukrainian/Russian speakers.  They are also able to provide Chromebooks if people do not have access to a laptop/iPad/Chromebook etc already.

Курс «Орієнтація для новоприбулих» дозволить учасникам:

  • дізнатися більше про Велику Британію та місцеву громаду
  • отримати точну інформацію про такі важливі питання як житло, податки тощо (ми розробляємо поглиблений модуль щодо оренди житла та заявок для бездомних у Великій Британії, оскільки ми отримали багато запитів з цих питань)
  • зрозуміти їхні права та пільги, та як ними користуватися
  • зустрітися з місцевими експертами в кожній із сфер і поставити їм запитання.

Цей курс триває 20 годин протягом 10 тижнів (кожна сесія по 2 години). У разі зацікавленості, пишіть на ukraine@asylum-welcome.org або звертайтеся до Анни за телефоном +44 (0) 738 7261106 (WhatsAPP) українською/російською мовами.

Orientation for Newcomers course enables attendees to:

  • learn more about the UK and their local community
  • get accurate information on the issues important to them like housing, tax, etc. (we are developing an in-depth module on renting and homelessness applications in the UK as we have received a lot of inquiries about it)
  • understand their rights and entitlements and how to exercise these
  • meet local experts in each of the areas and ask them questions.

This course is 20 Hours over 10 weeks (2 hour/ session).

If you are interested, contact ukraine@asylum-welcome.org or WhatsAPP, text, or call Anna for Ukrainian/Russian + 44 (0) 738 7261106