Research and policy
Research and policy for education change
Our research and policy work contributes to change by carrying out high-quality, rigorous, and ethical research into refugee education in the UK and internationally. We work in partnership with young people and draw on lived experience to understand what helps, what gets in the way, and what needs to shift.
We use evidence to help change the landscape around refugee education: strengthening our own programmes, sharing practical learning with the sector, and making the case for improvements in policy and practice.
Through trusted partnerships, clear insights and focused influencing, we help create the conditions for refugee and displaced young people to thrive in education, in the UK and around the world.
UNU-Wider working paper: Afghan refugee youth
Unaccompanied minors face a considerable educational disadvantage in the UK. Our research found that where qualifications have been gained by Afghan UASC care leavers, the majority remain at the basic level, with entry-level (pre-GCSE) qualifications only, and very few have progressed beyond Level 1-2 (equivalent to GCSE). However, data collated on the entrance to higher education in the last three years shows a small but significant minority who excel academically despite substantial disadvantage.
Refugee access to higher education in low resource environments
The provision of higher education to refugees is a vital and rapidly developing area of work within the humanitarian sector. In partnership with Jigsaw Consult, the REUK team carried out a year-long study that contributes to forming a better understanding of how higher education can be provided effectively to refugees in low-resource environments.
After Return: documenting the experiences of young people forcibly removed to Afghanistan
After Return documents the experiences of former child asylum-seekers who have been forcibly removed to Afghanistan after turning 18, filling a vital evidence gap in their education, employment, health, and wellbeing outcomes.
Broken Futures: young Afghan asylum seekers in the UK and on return to Afghanistan
Broken Futures documents the experiences of young Afghans who become Appeal Rights Exhausted (ARE) and face the possibility of forced removal to Kabul. This report was originally published as part of UNHCR's New Issues in Refugee Research series.
I just want to study: access to higher education for young refugees and asylum seekers
In 2010 REUK (then known as Refugee Support Network) began a pilot programme providing advice, support and individual case work for young people who had the academic potential to access higher education, but who were facing significant barriers due to their immigration status. In 2011 this pilot was extended into a three year programme, funded by John Lyon’s Charity.