130 pages
228 x 145mm
ISBN-10: 1 85856 089 6
ISBN-13: 978 1 85856 089 2

An estimated 60,000 Somalis live in Britain and many have only lately fled the strife in Somalia. The instability in their homeland means that many of the children have no experience of formal schooling and all will need special provision for learning English.

Mohamed Kahin has prepared this handbook to assist headteachers and teachers to respond to the Somali children in their schools. He provides a vivid picture of the land, and the political struggles that have driven people to leave it. He describes the asylum procedures in the UK and the difficulties of settling, when families are fragmented.

The author offers insight into the Somali language and its rich oral culture. He shares his inside knowledge and offers valuable guidance on the spiritual and emotional needs of Somali pupils, even on sensitive issues such as ritual infibulation of girls. Personal testimonies and brief case studies bring Somali children's immigration experience to life in a way that is relevant to all educators and carers working with these and other refugees. This book can greatly enhance professional practice.

Mohamed Kahin is a teacher in the Language Service of the London Borough of Hounslow.

...the most noticeable feature of this book which makes it particularly readable, is the author's combination of sympathy and objectivity, born, doubtless, from his understanding, not only of Somali children and their parents in this country, but also of the difficulties their teachers experience. - Language Issues