Education
Welcome Page
Welcome! Click one of the buttons below to navigate to different parts of this page. For information specific to Ukraine, click here. For information specific to Afghanistan, click here.
Learning English at home
Here are some websites to help your children learn English at home. Always look at what your child is doing on the computer, to make sure they stay on the right website!
Websites for Primary Age Children
Games for maths and English. USA English. Free to play on a desktop computer but you have to register.
Games for English and maths. USA English.
Games and learning for all school subjects.
Learning activities and songs
Word games
Games for vocabulary.
Games, activities and jokes. US English.
Games and activities for learning English.
Games and activities for reading. US English.
Simple quizzes for learning vocabulary.
Simple games to practise English.
Games and books for English and maths. US English.
Spelling, grammar, reading and vocabulary. Also activities for Life in the UK test.
Story videos for children to watch with their parents.
Online story books to listen and read. Also has stories in Farsi (Persian.)
Grammar and vocabulary activities.
Online story books to listen and read in English (US) and Farsi.
Story books to read in English and Pashto.
Help with all secondary subjects.
Simple vocabulary quiz.
Learn English with popular songs.
Videos and activities for learning beginner English.
Apps for Children
Apps for Older Children (and adults)
Includes stories and listening for adults and children.
Classroom video
Categories
Online wellbeing resources
Here are some websites which might help you with your wellbeing. They include breathing and relaxation exercises, which are available in Pashto and Dari. If you need more help with your mental health, click here.
Off The Record
Policy
recommendations
This briefing, published by REUK in September 2021, highlights key urgent policy priorities for supporting the education and wellbeing of young Afghans in light on the ongoing resettlement of Afghan children and young people to the UK.
Policy recommendations are made for the Home Office, the Department for Education, education institutions, voluntary sector organisations and funders.
Supporting Afghan children in schools
This section is for education professionals in the UK who are supporting young Afghans. Read Azad's blog or listen to Salma's voice note to understand the important differences between education in Afghanistan and the UK.
A brief experience of the education system in Afghanistan.
By Azad.
I am writing as a young person who has the experience of going to school in Afghanistan and have also the experience of education in the UK.
Both these experiences have given me the ability to distinguish educational system both in the UK and Afghanistan. To give you a concise idea that how educational system works in Afghanistan. I will try to walk you through a day in the school back in Afghanistan.
Usually, the school day is short, and it is not more than four hours a day. A student starts their day by coming to school, most of the time not having a break, listen to the teacher for whole four hours.
There is less teamwork provided by teacher in the class. On the same time, you don’t have the opportunity to engage with opposite gender. You sit in single gender class where the method of teaching is more teacher centred. This means that you have less opportunity to engage with teacher or with other students. This method will not allow you to criticise or question what you have been told by your teacher.
Your class is not provided by any IT system and everything should be written by hand. So, students are less likely to engage with IT to support their studies. Also, the interaction and relationship between you and your teacher is quite strict, tough and closed. Teachers must respected and shouldn’t call by their name. Rather, you should use the title Mr, Ms, or the word Respected Teacher. You will leave the class and be told to memorise the lesson for tomorrow.
Whereas, in the UK, the method of teaching is student centred, class are mix gender, you have access to IT and you have the opportunity to easily engage with your teacher. Teachers here should remember that refugee students from Afghanistan are vulnerable and need more support in time to adapt to the new system. They need to be provided with IT knowledge, with the skill of teamworking and be supported in terms of engaging with other students. Teachers should be more approachable towards them. This will give them the opportunity to interact back with the teachers.
What are the differences between the education systems in the UK and Afghanistan? By Salma.
Websites for Primary Age Children
ABCYa - https://www.abcya.com/
Games for maths and English. USA English. Free to play on a desktop computer but you have to register.
Arcademics - https://www.arcademics.com/
Games for English and maths. USA English.
BBC Bitesize Primary - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/primary
Games and learning for all school subjects.
Cambridge English - https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/parents-and-children/activities-for-children/
Learning activities and songs.
Find Pairs matching games - https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/spiele.htm
Word games.
Fun Brain - https://www.funbrain.com/
Games and books for English and maths. US English.
Games to Learn English - https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/
Simple games to practise English.
Highlights Kids - https://www.highlightskids.com/
Games, activities and jokes. US English.
Learn English Kids (British Council) - https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/games
Games and activities for learning English.
Many Things - http://www.manythings.org/e/easy.html
Simple quizzes for learning vocabulary.
Memory Games - https://www.esolcourses.com/vocabulary/memory-games.html
Games for vocabulary.
Starfall - https://www.starfall.com/h/
Games and activities for reading. US English.
Websites with Online Books
BBC Learning English - children's stories - https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/childrens-stories
Story videos for children to watch with their parents.
Story Books UK - https://global-asp.github.io/storybooks-uk/
Online story books to listen and read. Also has stories in Farsi (Persian.)
Unite for Literacy - https://www.uniteforliteracy.com/
Online story books to listen and read in English (US) and Farsi.
World Stories - https://worldstories.org.uk/library
Story books to read in English and Pashto.
Websites for Secondary Age Children
Learn English with songs - https://www.esolcourses.com/topics/learn-english-with-songs.html
Learn English with popular songs.
English File - https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en
Grammar and vocabulary activities.
Free Rice - https://freerice.com/categories/english-vocabulary
Simple vocabulary quiz.
BBC Bitesize Secondary - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary
Help with all secondary subjects.
Websites for Adults
English My Way - https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/emw/unit-1/
Videos and activities for learning beginner English.
British Council ESOL Nexus - https://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners Spelling, grammar, reading and vocabulary. Also activities for Life in the UK test.
Apps
Learn to Read - Duo Lingo ABC - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/learn-to-read-duolingo-abc/id1440502568
Khan Academy Kids - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-kids/id1378467217
Monkey Puzzles - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/monkey-puzzles/id705145024
Apps For Older Children (and adults)
Learn English Podcast (British Council) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/learnenglish-podcast/id369851807
Johnny Grammar Word Challenge (British Council) - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/johnny-grammar-word-challenge/id432488501
BBC Learning English - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bbc-learning-english/id1416610731
Includes stories and listening for adults and children.
Learning English at home
Here are some websites to help your children learn English at home. Always look at what your child is doing on the computer, to make sure they stay on the right website!
Websites for Primary Age Children
Arcademics - Games for English and maths. USA English.
BBC Bitesize Primary - Games and learning for all school subjects.
Cambridge English - Learning activities and songs.
Find Pairs matching games - Word games.
Fun Brain - Games and books for English and maths. US English.
Games to Learn English - Simple games to practise English.
Highlights Kids - Games, activities and jokes. US English.
Learn English Kids (British Council) - Games and activities for learning English.
Many Things - Simple quizzes for learning vocabulary.
ABCYa - Games for maths and English. USA English. Free to play on a desktop computer but you have to register.
Memory Games - Games for vocabulary.
Starfall - Games and activities for reading. US English. Websites with Online Books
BBC Learning English - children's stories - Story videos for children to watch with their parents.
Story Books UK - Online story books to listen and read. Also has stories in Farsi (Persian).
Unite for Literacy - Online story books to listen and read in English (US) and Farsi.
World Stories - Story books to read in English and Pashto.
Websites for Secondary Age Children
Learn English with songs - Learn English with popular songs.
English File - Grammar and vocabulary activities.
Free Rice - Simple vocabulary quiz.
BBC Bitesize Secondary - Help with all secondary subjects.
Websites for Adults
English My Way - Videos and activities for learning beginner English.
British Council ESOL Nexus - Spelling, grammar, reading and vocabulary. Also activities for Life in the UK test.
Apps
Apps For Older Children (and adults)
Learn English Podcast (British Council) -
Johnny Grammar Word Challenge (British Council) -
BBC Learning English - Includes stories and listening for adults and children.