Refugee Education UK

Who we are

At Refugee Education UK (formerly Refugee Support Network), we are working towards a world where all refugee children and young people can access education, thrive in education, and use that education to create a hopeful, brighter future.

We aim to bring about change through a combination of direct education support programmes, capacity building and research for structural and systemic change. 

Our direct programmes support over 550 refugee children and young people each year, and encompass educational mentoring (our blend of community-based volunteer academic tutoring, confidence building and welcome); educational wellbeing (providing holistic casework support to those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET due to complex needs); educational progression (providing advice, guidance, advocacy and training to support young refugees to progress to further or higher education); and educational impact (helping young refugees use their education for good through leadership training and pathways to employment). 

Our capacity building programme encompasses in-person and online training programmes, equipping over 100 schools, further education colleges, universities and local authorities to better support young refugees in their education each year. Our research and advocacy, often conducted in partnership with leading universities or United Nations agencies, draws on our programmatic experience and expertise to facilitate broader policy, practice and systems change in refugee youth education.

Refugee Education UK (REUK) is led by our founder and Chief Executive, who, assisted by our senior leadership team, provides leadership and direction to our growing staff of 24. Our well-qualified, dynamic and thoughtful team has a wealth of experience in the refugee, education, youth, international development and humanitarian sectors, and is supported in the delivery of our programmes by over 150 volunteers.  Our work is overseen and scrutinised by an active and engaged board of trustees who meet on a quarterly basis. We receive regular additional input and expertise from our Youth Advisory Board, and, when we need specialist guidance, from our team of expert advisors.

REUK was founded in 2009 by members of a church in north west London with widespread experience working in the refugee and international development sectors as well as a desire to see the most vulnerable in their community cared for and supported. Since then, we have sought to outwork our Christian ethos at every level of RSN - in our governance, values, strategy, staff care and direct work with young people - and we continue,  nearly ten years on, to respect faith, culture and the role of these in our lives and the lives of the young people we work with and seek to serve.