Refugee Week 2026
Tavistock College was proud to highlight Refugee Week through a series of whole-school events last week. All students took part in a Refugee Week personal development session during tutor time created by Ms Ruxton, where they explored the concept of what it means to be a refugee and engaged with a diverse range of fiction texts featuring refugee characters.
In addition, students in Years 7, 8, 9, and 10 attended assemblies delivered by Mrs Green, who outlined the current global situation and the reasons why a staggering 46.1 million people worldwide are currently displaced as refugees. As part of the assembly, students heard a powerful real-life account written by one of our own Post-16 Ukrainian refugee students. This was followed by an inspiring in-person presentation from our Ukrainian Refugee Teaching Assistant, Miss Laptieva, who shared her personal experiences, including photographs of her home before and after the devastation of war.
Throughout the week, students also took part in a range of subject-based activities that deepened their understanding of refugee experiences. These included preparing refugee-inspired recipes in Food Technology, celebrating refugee athletes in PE, exploring refugee geographers and significant historical figures in Humanities, and participating in a National Literacy Trust Refugee Week webinar in English.
Mrs Young also created a thoughtful and engaging library display to promote wider reading on the theme of refugees. This initiative has sparked meaningful discussions among students and encouraged many to borrow books to further expand their understanding.
The events delivered across the week were truly inspiring, and we hope they have helped our students develop empathy, awareness, and a stronger connection to those who have experienced refugee-related challenges—both within our school community and beyond.
