IES offers a range of online resources to support schools in creating inclusive environments for Newcomer, Traveller, Roma, Asylum-Seeking, and Refugee pupils.
Resources & Guidance
IES School Resources
IES school resources have been transferred onto a new SharePoint site to support staff working in schools. All resources can be accessed through your Microsoft 365 Portal, searching “Intercultural Education Service”. If you encounter any issues please complete the online form and we will assist you.
IES Good Practice Advice & Guidance for Schools Receiving Newcomers Including Pupils Seeking Asylum
School Placement Process for Children seeking Asylum/Refuge
Information Sheet for School - Inclusion on Practices for children and young people from Muslim communities
Kitabna Resource
Bilingual Storybooks
The EA commissioned Kitabna to create ‘When the Lights Go Out’ in 2019 to help support the integration of Arabic-speaking refugees and asylum seekers into schools across Northern Ireland.
In 2021, EA STARS team worked with Kitabna again to create three new bilingual therapeutic stories designed for newcomer pupils who may be experiencing grief, separation and difficulties when trying new things. A therapeutic story uses metaphor to create a safe space in which distressing emotions can be explored and shared. The three new books are:
1. A First New Friend
2. The Mountains in our Hearts
3. Where Do You Come From?
All four of these stories can be accessed and downloaded from the Kitabna Online Library, along with other anthologies of stories Kitabna has made freely available in e-book format.
Reading Guides
Download the most appropriate version of the guides (Key Stage 1 /2 / 3) for your class and use the related curriculum resource pack to extend the children’s learning.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees Information Booklet
Asylum Seekers and Refugees Information Booklet
Parents' Guides to the Northern Ireland Curriculum
For a clear overview of what your child will learn, how learning happens in school, how you can support learning at home, and where to find further information, please visit CCEA’s Guide to the Curriculum.
Ways of Seeing I
This resource is designed to assist with the integration of newcomer students and ensure inclusive practice in schools, museums and other educational institutions. It outlines four cross-curricular projects that promote intercultural awareness, language learning, the use of home languages and bilingualism. The projects are presented in lesson plan format with aims, objectives, suggested resources, links and key language grids. Each project is linked to benchmarks from the Common European Framework of Reference and to the Framework for Intercultural Competencies. There is also a document outlining ideas for using the projects across different curriculum areas in the post-primary school.