The European Migration Network (EMN) has published a new Summary titled “Access to education for migrant children.” Prepared on the basis of contributions from 25 EMN National Contact Points, it provides an overview of national-level measures supporting legally staying third-country national children aged 6–18 in primary and secondary education, covering the situation up to March 2025.
The Summary notes that most EMN Member Countries and Serbia provide national support measures to help migrant children adapt to the cultural environment in schools, although not all offers are designed exclusively for migrant children. Support to learn the local language(s) is the most common measure, offered by 23 EMN Member Countries and Serbia, with the aim of enabling migrant children to follow the full curriculum.
In addition, preparatory, bridging or transition classes are provided by 11 countries. Thirteen responding countries provide psychosocial support to help migrant children adjust to a different educational environment, and mentors can also be assigned. Twelve EMN Member Countries involve migrant parents as key reference persons to support children’s adaptation to the host-country school system, including through activities and mediation to strengthen communication between schools and families.
The Summary also examines support for teachers. The majority of responding EMN Member Countries and Serbia have implemented targeted measures to enhance teachers’ intercultural and psychosocial competencies. The most frequent intervention is teacher training (reported by 19 countries), while another common approach is providing specific educational materials (reported by 17 countries). Three countries have also launched networks to promote exchanges between teachers and other education professionals.
Only three countries monitor the level of academic performance of migrant children compared to local children at national level. Challenges reported include language barriers, differences in education systems, a lack of teachers qualified for bilingual or multilingual classrooms, insufficient consideration of migrant children’s specific needs, a growing trend of marginalisation in some countries, and administrative barriers, with consequences such as poor attendance and higher dropout rates.
Good practices identified relate to language training, teacher training, active involvement of parents and caregivers in children’s education, and the appointment of legally staying third-country nationals as teachers or support staff, including examples linked to beneficiaries of temporary protection in the context of displaced persons from Ukraine.
The full EMN Summary “Access to education for migrant children” is available via the EMN website.