Moskal (2010) Polish migrant children's experiences of schooling and home-school relations in Scotland
This briefing paper by Moskal (2010) discusses the integration of Polish migrant children through the examination of the role of Scottish schools in the integration process. The focus of the study accounts for the significance the school experience for children and, the links between success at school and home environment. After English, Polish is now the most common language in Scottish schools, consequently this creates a resource issue in terms of English language tuition. This paper also draws attention to the difficulties faced in trying to accurately establish an appropriate learning level for each new arrival. This is particularly the case when children arrive at their new school without information on their previous school work or achievements. This matter is compounded further in a system of formative assessment which focuses predominantly on language ability. In addition, the study identifies communication problems which can emerge between the family/ parents and the school. In such cases, children themselves can play a key role in bridging the gap. Also see Moskal (2014) and Dillon (2013) for studies exploring some of the issues discussed in this paper.
Moskal, M. (2010) Polish Migrant Children's Experiences of Schooling and Home-School Relations in Scotland. CES Briefing No. 54, Edinburgh: Centre for Educational Sociology, University of Edinburgh.