Integrating Immigrant Children into Schools in Europe

Chapter 4 – Measures for the Integration of Immigrant Children at School4.5. Staff Responsible for Implementing Support MeasuresThe various support measures are implemented by teachers responsible for the class with help from anauxiliary teacher or staff member (see Figure 2.3 in annexe 2). It is unusual for teachers of a particular classto hold additional qualifications enabling them to supervise or cater for immigrant pupils unassisted. InGermany, Greece, Slovenia and Slovakia, teachers are specially trained at the outset to tackle the linguisticand educational problems of pupils of immigrant origin. In these four countries, teachers work withinorganisational arrangements corresponding to the ‘separate model’ described above (groups in thekindergarten and special classes to encourage familiarity with the language of instruction in compulsoryeducation in Germany, special learning groups in Greece, or centres for asylum seekers in Slovenia andSlovakia).In general, support teachers are concerned with putting the different measures for assisting immigrantpupils into practice. Their training enables them to help with teaching the language of instruction, as wellas basic subjects such as reading, writing and mathematics. Depending on the country concerned, thiskind of teacher is employed to work both with pupils integrated into mainstream classes and those whohave been allocated to separate classes or special groups. All possible forms of arrangement exist inpractice.Assistance may also mobilise other players who act as mediators between the culture of origin ofimmigrant pupils and the culture of the host country. Pupils in the case of Cyprus and teachers in Austriawho are familiar with the mother tongue of immigrant pupils may provide support of this kind. Someschools in England have set up mentoring programmes; these programmes may provide peer mentoring,whereby an older pupil helps a younger pupil with academic and social concerns, mentoring by teachers,or mentoring by adults from the wider community, often from the same cultural and ethnic backgroundas the pupil.Training teachers to work with immigrants is a priority aspect of in-service training. Institutions of teachereducation often offer a variety of courses on different aspects of the integration of immigrant children atschool. By means of seminars, special modules or Master’s level courses, teachers who work – or wish towork – with this category of pupils may acquire greater familiarity with languages or cultures of originand learn how to manage mixed group classes, communicate better with parents, or teach pupils ofdiffering ability, etc. Often, training of this kind involves courses on teaching the language of instructionas a ‘second/additional language’, as in Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia or Finland.In general, teachers responsible for working with immigrant pupils receive no special remunerative orfringe benefits. However, a handful of countries are exceptions to this rule. In the Czech Republic,teachers with full tenure may be paid more if they work in schools attended by asylum seekers. In Cyprus,teachers with immigrant pupils in their classes are entitled to a reduction in their teaching or overallworking time.49