Working with local authorities to support asylum seekers into HE

Many adult refugees arrive in their new country of residence well qualified and experienced, with established careers they cannot continue there. Lack of recognised proof of the English language level required to study in the UK prevents young people pursuing higher education and building the careers they were destined for. As a result, many routinely find themselves unemployed or in precarious low-wage jobs and unable to use or develop the skills necessary to build secure lives.  

Access to higher education, which Unesco describes as “a passport to economic security and a stable future”, could provide the opportunity to change this. However, as the UNHCR and its partners recognise, there are multiple barriers in place. The organisation has pledged to increase progression to higher education for those from a forced migration background.

Universities are taking steps to improve access for refugees and asylum seekers, including making offers and providing financial support through scholarships. Also, more places on intensive pre-sessional English courses are becoming available. But could this support reach further out into the community and extend the pathway to higher education?

It often takes years for someone from a forced migration background to get to university, and a significant factor defining this is how long it takes to achieve the language level and qualification needed. Essential English language support is typically provided by further education colleges, but access to tuition needed for academic study and assessment is much less widely available. It often means piecing together provision via short online courses, private tutors, charity provision and independent study, normally while also managing heavy life loads. Unsurprisingly, this is unsustainable for many.

How universities can support with local provision

Universities could provide academic language support via established recognised partnerships between local councils and FE colleges offering vital ESOL classes. At Kingston University, we partnered with the Royal Borough of Kingston to provide suitable academic English tuition and academic mentoring by inviting the borough’s resettled residents who want to go to university to join our existing in-sessional English courses. This is envisaged as a route operating alongside and extending beyond ESOL provision, specifically focusing on supporting transitions to higher education. 

The benefits

• Classes are offered at a range of levels. This means students can start their higher education journey earlier and can be supported through to progression
• Support is cohesive and locally provided and so builds sustainable local networks and relationships for resettled residents
• Students become familiar with university life, develop key skills, forge new identities and envisage new futures.

Our experience has taught us a great deal. Some key advice is as follows:

Learn from others

Make connections and build networks with others who have been down similar paths to gain an understanding of the local and national landscape and learn from them. Make contact with appropriate local authority staff and local charity groups working with refugees and asylum seekers and connect with colleagues at other universities with pathway to higher education provision. This can help you identify what is needed in your area and build a compelling narrative for when you make your proposal.

• The role of complementary higher education pathways for refugees
• Increasing access to higher education for refugees through digital learning
• Practical ways to develop a comprehensive university ‘sanctuary’ programme

Start small

Our 10-week pilot project enabled us to gather data, assess the viability of the proposal and make necessary adjustments. It also significantly strengthened our subsequent proposal to the local authority.

Embed flexibility

The lives of refugees and asylum seekers can be complex and vulnerable to change. The local council’s duty of care is naturally focused on core needs, and it’s vital to recognise this. Ensure your course can accommodate life changes and doesn’t become an obstacle to taking up valuable opportunities. Our course offers classes and mentoring at times that are compatible with employment and provides independent study options that students can access according to their schedules. You can add additional flexibility through modes of delivery and course management. To encourage participation and uptake of language support, our existing classes are delivered online and students can join lessons for as much or as little time as they have.

Embed dedicated support

Academic mentoring has proven invaluable to the project’s students. Without established networks, working in a different language and with an unfamiliar and complex education system, they need guidance and support for their transition into higher education, to help develop study skills and navigate university systems. 

Beware of assumptions

As academic language specialists, what we may take as understood is not necessarily so for other organisations or even other departments within your university. Help colleagues see and understand key points such as how academic English provision differs from ESOL or why access to funded tuition and certification is necessary.

Funding

Much of what has been mentioned already is about building a robust proposal to attract funding. You also need to know how both your organisations allocate. What are the “pots” available? What are the processes and timelines? Who makes the decisions? They are unlikely to be the same in each organisation, so be ready to balance the requirements of each. 

Metrics of success

Your local council and those who have funded you within the university will be reporting back to their organisations and the information you provide needs to fit what they acknowledge as success. For our project, this included presenting levels of attendance, monitoring participation in online independent study tasks, collating results from end-of-block assessments and feedback from our university quality assurance processes. We also reported on progression outcomes for both level progression and progression to university. Do also highlight other relevant successes such as developing self-reliance and strengthening community connections because this contributes to the holistic picture of the project.

Pay it forward

Monitor, chart and share your experiences. By adding to the body of evidence, you contribute to creating a more powerful narrative. In turn, this can strengthen your continued partnership because it highlights the wider impacts of what may, on the surface, seem like a small local initiative.

Gabrielle Smallbone is senior lecturer in English for academic and professional development at Kingston University.

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Kingston University is shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Times Higher Education Awards 2024 #THEAwards. A full list of shortlisted candidates can be found here.