Using the life stories of refugees who have become much loved and well known to children

Please note: this piece was written before Sir Mo Farah’s 2022 disclosure that he was trafficked to the UK as a child, so some of its content is no longer accurate.

An assembly could focus on the achievements of their lives, experiences as child refugees and migrants, and how they overcame their difficulties. Their stories can be compared and contrasted with other refugees, such as children from the Kindertransport and child refugees in Europe today.

It is important that children understand the term ‘refugee’ so defining the word refuge as ‘place of safety’ is a good start. A refugee is someone who seeks that place of safety because of war or conflict, persecution of some kind or natural disaster...