Building inclusive school climates: Strategies for supporting migrant children’s sense of belonging

Abstract

Children with a migration background often encounter distinct challenges within education systems, including language barriers, marginalisation, discrimination and difficulty adapting to new cultural expectations. These challenges are compounded in contexts marked by anti-immigration and exclusionary rhetoric, which is becoming more pronounced across various parts of the world, including Europe. Against this backdrop, this paper presents findings from an ethnographic study exploring migrant pupils’ perceptions of their school climate within a multi-ethnic English educational institution in the post-Brexit context, a place many children recognise as an oasis of inclusion and support. Through the accounts of 15 migrant-background children, this study identifies school-level strategies that foster a strong sense of belonging, enabling students from diverse backgrounds to thrive. Findings contribute to discussions on migrant and intercultural education across Europe, offering practical recommendations for building supportive climates and highlighting how schools can serve as critical spaces of acceptance and community for children of migrants.