Better understanding of why Hong Kongers are coming to UK could help schools integrate new arrivals, finds new research
(press release, 24 April 2023) Schools in England could do more to help newly-arrived children from Hong Kong to settle and integrate – including by increasing understanding among staff and students of why Hong Kongers have come to the UK, and by employing Cantonese speakers – according to new research released today.
The new report ‘New in class: How schools can help children and families from Hong Kong to settle and integrate’ published today by the Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers, finds that schools in England have played a positive role in the integration of children from Hong Kong. While support varies from school to school, the research highlights examples of best practice to help schools welcome Hong Konger children.
More than 2 years after the BN(O) visa scheme was launched – allowing those with British National (Overseas) status and their eligible family members to live, study and work in the UK – more than 140,000 BN(O) visas have been granted since then. Most projections expect around 300,000 Hong Kongers will come to live in Britain over the next few years.
Researchers visited a series of schools in England that have welcomed new arrivals from Hong Kong. The report suggests that schools with a larger proportion of students from Hong Kong should consider hiring staff members from Hong Kong, or inviting parents to volunteer assistance.
Heather Rolfe, Research Director of thinktank British Future and co-author of the report, said:
“The story of tens of thousands Hong Kongers moving to the UK is still not widely known. It’s important that staff and students are aware of why Hong Kongers are moving to the UK – many families feel that the political situation meant they had little choice but to leave. Many parents have moved here to help ensure a better life for their children, but moving continents can be very difficult for children.
“Much of the good practice highlighted in this report applies to other migrant groups as well. Schools can play an important role, as centres of welcoming and support, helping both children and their parents to settle and build friendships and connections”
Support in Cantonese makes a big difference
The report finds evidence that there were benefits to Hong Kong pupils when children and their parents were able to communicate in Cantonese with staff members. Hong Kong students and parents feel much more comfortable discussing their feelings and problems at school with Cantonese-speaking staff members, while it is also easier for staff members to help them integrate.
Broadoak School in Partington, where one-sixth of the current student body is now from Hong Kong, also has Cantonese-speaking staff members and runs induction sessions to help students from Hong Kong adapt to changes in teaching styles. John Knowles, the Headteacher of the school says:
‘That member of staff was really important in terms of the liaison so that those language needs could be identified and met, but also to be that bridge and that link between school and home.’
Sophia, a 14-year-old student who has been in the UK for a year and half, shared how a Cantonese-speaking staff member at her Cambridgeshire school helps new arrivals to settle and integrate:
“When I was just coming to this school and I had so many things I was not sure about, I could chat to her and she would share ideas and information with me.”
Increase understanding of the reasons why Hong Kongers are moving to the UK
The research also found that some children would experience trauma as a result of having to leave their home, in many cases because of political repression. As one staff member from a school, himself a BN(O) Hong Konger, noted,
‘Hong Konger students may have some kind of stress because they didn’t intend to come to the UK. They may have been forced because of their political background.’
The research also recommends schools should be provided with information about why Hong Kongers are coming to the UK to help inform teachers’ awareness of some of the mental, social and other pressures faced by children and families from Hong Kong. Broadoak School, featured in the report, provides staff and students with context of why Hong Kong families, as well as other migrant groups such as Afghanistani families, were arriving in the UK. As the Headteacher of the school stated,
'...it is that understanding that people don't just choose to leave on a whim, there are reasons and we want to make sure pupils are aware of it.'
He also reported that since the arrival of Hong Kong students, academic attainment had risen for all students in the school.
The report also features a range of further recommendations, including increased engagement with Hong Konger parents, EAL provision and enhancing existing ‘buddying’ programmes that have proven successful in schools.
The Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers helps to coordinate the UK’s welcoming efforts across civil society, communities, business, education and government. It conducts research to inform policy and shares best practice around the integration of Hong Kongers. It also supports welcoming organisations working to help new arrivals from Hong Kong to settle and integrate in the UK.
The Welcoming Committee, housed at the charity British Future, is one of the national VCSE grant recipients for the Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme, administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.