Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme

The scheme involves taking particularly vulnerable refugees straight from the Middle East and resettling them in the UK.

In 2015 the government announced that the SVPRS would be expanded so that 20,000 people will be assisted under the scheme by 2020. The scheme is currently voluntary and dependent on local authorities agreeing to take part. Kent is prepared to accept about 130 families under the scheme by 2020.

Support available to schools welcoming children resettled under the scheme

Education funding for school age children

Funding has been made available to compensate for the fact that school funding is operated as a lagged system, based on the pupil count recorded in the preceding October Census.

The funding will be allocated to the LA School or Academy at the rate of £375 per month. As we no longer receive the additional money automatically for SEN the extra £83 per month for SEN will no longer be paid from September 2017 for children who start school after this date.

The funding will be allocated for a maximum of 12 months from the admission date or until the normal funding reflects the additional child, whichever is soonest.

There is a possibility that additional funds may be claimed from the Home Office if needed.

Further information regarding funding is given in the SVPRS Education Briefing (DOCX, 25.5 KB).

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Funding

Schools will also be able to receive EAL funding for children resettled under the scheme. The EAL funding available to schools is as follows:

• Secondary - £1,386 per year for 3 years
• Primary - £515 per year for 3 years.

For more information on how to receive EAL funding refer to the SVPRS Education Briefing (DOCX, 25.5 KB).

Inclusion Support Service in Kent

The Inclusion Support Service in Kent supports schools to raise the achievement and inclusion of minority ethnic communities.

Further information on the services they provide is available from:

Gillie Heath
Telephone: 03000 41 70 93
Email: Gillie.Heath@kent.gov.uk

Support from Educational Psychology

Families coming to the UK under this scheme have often experienced traumatic events associated with the conflict. Relevant information of this sort will be shared with the school.

Extra help in assessing and dealing with the impact of traumatic events can be provided by the Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS) within KCC. More information on the services provided by KEPS can be found in the SVPRS Education Briefing (DOCX, 25.5 KB).

Contact Details

For further information please contact:

Christine Grosskopf, KCC SVPRS Overall Coordination
Telephone: 03000 41 61 81
Email: Chris.Grosskopf@kent.gov.uk

or

Katherine Barry, KCC SVPRS Coordination Support
Telephone: 03000 41 05 11
Email: Katherine.Barry@kent.gov.uk