Supporting Newcomer Pupils

As part of DE’s policy ‘Every School A Good School’, all schools are to provide equity of access and provision.  The ‘Supporting Newcomers Pupils Policy’ was published in April 2009.  The aim of the policy is to support schools in welcoming Newcomer pupils into their school communities, so that they are assisted in their acquisition of the language of instruction, whether it is English or Irish, in an inclusive manner, to enable them to access the curriculum in particular, and participate in every aspect of school life.

DE commenced a policy review towards the end of 2017 and has worked with a range of schools; statutory, community and voluntary sector stakeholders; and with a broad selection of Newcomer pupils and their parents, to gather evidence of the effectiveness of current support arrangements.  This evidence has informed the development of this consultation paper exploring potential options for change.

We encourage you to respond using the online questionnaire found using the link below.

Online questionnaire - In English
Online questionnaire - English easy read version

The Consultation and Questionnaire is available in the following languages;

Arabic ( العربية)
Bulgarian (български)
Hungarian (Magyar) 
Latvian (Latviešu )
Lithuanian (Lietuvių)
Polish (Polski)
Portuguese (Português)
Romanian (Română)
Slovak (Slovensky)
Tetum (Tetun)

Your views are sought on a range of questions set out in the online questionnaire. An easy read version of the questionnaire is also available.

Alternatively, responses can also be submitted in writing or by email to:

Email:  NewcomerConsultation@education-ni.gov.uk

The consultation document can be translated on request. Please contact us on the email address above if you wish to request translated copies.