Imagine being in another country where you don’t understand the language, where you do not know the social rules and customs. You are far away from your home, family and friends…That is the moment when the school grows in importance, because at school you will find new friends, the best teachers in this world and useful help for your family.

In this case, one of the most important things teachers can do for a newly arrived pupil is to create a warm and welcoming classroom environment. For many children who arrive from other countries, coming to school in the UK can be very strange. The education system and schools may be organised differently. The subjects and curriculum may be very different and the style of teaching may be more (or less) formal. There could be other differences to do with culture, religious practice, society and, of course, language. As a qualified teacher, you have an important role in helping students to understand and respect differences and be able to get along with people who are not ‘just like them’. It is vital that you will reflect the newly arrived student's cultural and linguistic identity in the physical and learning environment. Prepare yourself with a great lecture, such as Hofstede's "Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind" (2010, third edition). 

With paired and group activities, consider where you will place a new arrival. Select some empathetic pupils but encourage an ethos where all students are supportive of each other’s learning. Consider how you group pupils for collaborative learning. Ensure that they have opportunities to work with different people.

, Students have different starting points and different skills in relation to a task and will learn in varied styles and at varied paces. They come to us with different life experiences,  language skills,  talents,  attitudes,  learning skills, confidence levels,  prior knowledge, commitment, ways of learning, degrees of home support,  social skills,  likes and dislikes.

Differentiation aims to take account of these differences and provide the best way forward for each child.