Refugee Welcome
By Berkan Ferit In Parents, Year 6Children in Year 6 had a highly anticipated visit today. When the children were in Year 5, 2017, they worked with artist Sion Ap Tomas and the House of Illustration over a period of 5 days. The work was to produce a book with the Home Office to help children to feel welcomed and safe when they arrive in the UK as refugees. The children were responsible for illustrating the book with a variety of pictures that celebrated life in the UK.
The children’s main focus was what life is like for children in the UK. A key question posed being: If we had to leave our home and friends and go somewhere different, what would we need to know about that new place?
On Tuesday (19-6-18) Sion Ap Thomas and Emily Jost (also one of our school governors) from House of Illustration and Charmaine Clarke and Ailish King-Fisher from the Home Office visited our school to thank the children for being the first illustrators of a children’s publication for the Home Office and to share the news that the book has finally been published and is on its way to Syrian refugee children and their families.
Ailish King-Fisher stated “I am really, really pleased that the children get to see the work in a published book as it was intended.”
Charmaine Clarke stated “We are really excited to be here today as it’s finally a chance for us to say thank you for all the hard work that you did making these fantastic drawings back in 2017 when you were in year 5. “
All children received a copy of the book with their illustrations in.
Tynniel Tomas Silva age 11 said “It’s so cool because I like the way our pictures have been put together and the children can see what our country is like.”
Mahfuz Ali age 11 said “The pictures are helpful because you don’t need English to understand it”.
Jannat Basith and Shayah Graver, both age 11, commented saying “I like that it shows how all the people in the UK are different and we celebrate different religions.”
The book is currently on its way to Syrian refugee children and their families and to some families already placed here in the UK. Randal Cremer Primary, Hackney, is a Refugees Welcome school.
