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Resources for Educators

We know schools, educators and staff want the best outcomes for all their students.

The nature of the refugee experience and the impact of refugee-related trauma can mean that schools and educators supporting students from refugee backgrounds require some additional support, resources and professional development to ensure they can support students to learn and thrive.

Below are some helpful resources and links to support anyone working with young students with a refugee experience.

QPASTT's free training for schools

School plays an integral role in the lives of children, young people and their families.

QPASTT prioritises offering free training to schools to develop their understanding of:

  • the refugee journey and it’s impacts
  • trauma presentations in the classroom and campus
  • ways that educators, wellbeing and other school staff can respond
  • how to engage with families of refugee backgrounds

We are eager to tailor training for your school and staff team. Please contact our Training Coordinator via email or phone 07 3391 6677.

QPASTT Video Series for Schools

A free set of video resources covering the following topics:

Impacts of overseas conflict

Guide for schools and community members:  Young people’s exposure to war and conflict in the media

Understanding stressors on students from refugee backgrounds

Refugee children and young people who experience forced migration are at a critical age of development and are juggling a number of pressures, worries and stressors on top of what they have experienced prior to arriving in Australia (their refugee journey).

These stressors are in addition to what many mainstream students commonly have to manage. They are largely invisible, but can become a significant challenge in adjusting to a new community, school and culture.  They also can pose significant barriers to their learning.

Educators and school staff understanding these potential stressors and their impacts on children and young people can be helpful identifying useful support for these students to thrive.

While these stressors can be common, each student is unique and their needs must be explored through respectful and non-judgmental communication.

 

Resources for educators and schools

Teachers and schools supporting refugee student populations require some essential skills, including:

  • How to access and use interpreters
  • Understanding the refugee journey and the refugee student experience
  • Scaffolding language and cultural support to classroom plans
  • Welcoming and including diverse families in the school community

QPASTT’s sister agencies in Victoria and NSW have excellent, free professional learning suite for educators and school staff covering these topics and more.

Schools in for Refugees – a suite of professional development resources from the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House) for schools and educators supporting students from refugee backgrounds.
Hints for Healing – dedicated to supporting school staff who work with learners with refugee experience/background by sharing resources, professional learning and STARTTS programs.

Responding to racism

The overwhelming majority of young people we work with report that they have experienced racism at school. They tell us that often when they do speak up about racism at school it is not taken seriously or they are punished for their actions.  This is also reported in national literature. 
The 2017 Speaking Out Against Racism (SOAR) survey of Victorian and New South Wales students found that overseas born students are 2 times more likely to experience racism. 31% of students had experienced racism from peers, 12% from teachers and 27% in society. A shocking 43% of students had witnessed teachers racially discriminating against students, 60% witnessed racism towards other students from peers.
The 2022 Ubuntu Project conducted a national survey of African Australian students, finding that 87% of respondents experienced discrimination at school due to race, ethnicity or religion. For young women, this figure was 95% of respondents.
A 2024 research project conducted by the Queensland African Communities Council found that 100% of the 170 students and parents that participated in the study reported experiencing racism at school. Participants said that racism was the primary negative impact on their mental health. QACC recommend a suite of 14 actions to address racism in schools.
The Australian Human Rights Commission says “people are not born with racist attitudes or beliefs, but rather learn them from the people around them, including parents, peers, and the media. Addressing racism in schools is crucial to ensure that victims do not leave education facing lifelong disadvantage, and perpetrators do not enter adulthood believing racist behaviours are acceptable and do not attract accountability.”
 

Resources

Four ways for schools to address racism – article in The Conversation (16 October 2024)
Schools Standing Up to Racism – Centre for Multicultural Youth
Teaching resources for classrooms from K to Year 12 – Racism. No Way: Anti-racism education for Australian schools
Bystander Action – Australian Human Rights Commission

Reporting racism to the Queensland Department of Education

The Queensland Department of Education Complaints, enquiries and feedback webpage explains the complaints process. The Department’s customer complaints management framework explains what is considered a complaint (and what isn’t). Complaints may be about a proposal, a recommendation, a decision or an action by a public service employee of the department – or their failure to act. Complaints are best made by the person who is directly affected by the service or action.
The three-step process is:
Step 1:
Make an appointment, call or email the school to raise your concern. The schools directory contains contact information. Alternatively, students can use a child and student complaint form or complaints can be made by contacting Queensland Government on 13 74 68 or via the online form.
Step 2:

Ask the regional office to conduct an internal review if you are unhappy about how your complaint was dealt with or the outcome.

Step 3:

If you are still unhappy after the internal review, you can ask for an independent, external review from the Queensland Ombudsman or Queensland Human Rights Commission.
In order to respond, a school, regional office or review authority will need specific details about what happened, when, who was involved and perhaps what action has been taken to date. Advice on how to make a complaint about a non-state school is also available on the Complaints, enquiries and feedback webpage.
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