All Bristol schools and settings admitting pupils arriving to the UK under the Homes for the Ukraine Scheme, are entitled to funding of £4500 per pupil per year, plus a £50 uniform allowance.
Payments will be made at rate of £750 per term, with the uniform payment issued in the first instalment (total of £800 paid during the first term the pupil is on roll).
The level of funding has been set at the same level as for qualifying refugees from other countries, such as those from Afghanistan, to ensure we have a fair and equitable system.
Each term, schools will be asked to confirm how many ‘Homes for Ukraine’ pupils they have on roll, and a transfer of funds will be arranged.
Schools will receive a reminder email each month to confirm their on roll numbers.
For pupils arriving through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we are asking schools to contact the Bristol Attendance and Belonging team (email below) to confirm their enrolment date. This will allow us to finalise your funding arrangements.
Unfortunately, pupils who arrive via the Family Visa Scheme do not qualify for additional funds at the moment.
Please can we remind you to complete the Bristol School's Ukrainian Refugee Admissions Form to notify us of all new Ukrainian refugee pupil admissions. If you are unable to offer a school place, please notify us by completing a CME form, as per usual.
Bristol City Council are currently setting up a separate scheme to support the SEND needs of the Ukrainian pupils attending Bristol schools/settings.
We are top slicing the funding allocation to support the pupils with SEND needs, and we will advise colleagues as soon as this arrangement for fund allocation has been determined.
British Homes and Schools for Ukrainians (BHSU) has provided details of the interpreter and translation services they can provide, please see here.
Please note, this is not an organisation that the LA is endorsing as it has not been through a commissioning process. However, you may wish to commission them directly to support the work in your school/setting.
We would ask you to conduct your own safeguarding arrangements including safer working practices in line with your safeguarding policy, as you would with any third party organisations.
To support Ukrainian refugees and those children displaced by the conflict, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) has published the Ukrainian curriculum.
Whilst schools should continue to prioritise delivering their usual curriculum, they may also wish to share these Ukrainian educational materials with incoming Ukrainian pupils and families.
These resources can be used to complement pupils’ education, for example, for use at home or in supplementary schools. However, they should not be used to substitute a schools’ usual curriculum.
Where Ukrainian children and young people may be attending supplementary schools in the evenings or at weekends, schools may wish to signpost parents and carers to the guidance on keeping children safe in out-of-school settings. As supplementary schools are not regulated, this guidance provides helpful information to parents on how to check if a setting is safe.
Applications for Ukrainian pupil's Free School Meals are made in the usual way.
Successful applications require a parent's National Insurance number, or evidence that they have no recourse to public funds.
For further information, please email freeschoolmeals@bristol.gov.uk
Many thanks to those schools who have already warmly welcomed new pupils from Ukraine.
Feedback from families and sponsors of children now attending school has been overwhelmingly positive. Here is one example:
‘I would just like to say that P’s short time at school has seen a huge improvement in her happiness and general well-being, which is in stark contrast to her arrival in the UK just over 3 weeks ago. She is so keen in her studies and we are amazed at her growing confidence in her use of English. She is naturally friendly but shy and is naturally smiling now! Having not been in a school for over 2 years it is clearly visible how much enjoyment she is gaining’
If you have any questions or queries, please contact the Bristol Attendance and Belonging Team at attendanceandbelongingteam@bristol.gov.uk