Guidelines

Immigrant students can feel lost or isolated in their new class and may require particular attention to gain confidence.

1. Foster young people’s participation and speech and listen to them. They must feel listened to, have their interests respected, and be the focus of any approach that concerns them.
2. Value the students’ skills rather than expecting success in all subjects and showing disappointment when they the students fail. Many students in difficulty feel that their flaws are emphasised and this may have a big influence on the decisions that concern them. It would be fairer that decisions concerning them be based on their positive development at school. Education based on solidarity and success rather than on competition and failure seem indispensable to keep students at school.
3. Optimise support and create trust relations with immigrant students. Students need trustful, respectful and stable relations with adults; they need them to be present and to be supportive.
4. Give students individualised help for their specific learning difficulties.
5. Know when it is not your role anymore to support a student. Some external services are better equipped to deal with certain issues and can do so more efficiently than schools or individual teachers in the classroom. Your role is to cooperate with them unconditionally.