About
About the RefugEAP Network
Purpose
The RefugEAP Network’s overarching objective is to facilitate the development and implementation of ‘pathway to Higher Education’ English language provision for refugee-background students (RBS), with a particular focus on English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
Why is this work needed?
In marked contrast to the ESOL classroom, the EAP classroom has not traditionally been a space which is open and accessible to refugee-background students (RBSs). This is due to the presence of a variety of systemic barriers, reflecting those associated with difficulties that refugees face in accessing HE in general, which includes that of the prohibitive cost of programmes of study. While ESOL provision is widely and freely available for these students, EAP provision is typically not, and the importance of EAP has been outlined by Jacqueline Stevenson and Sally Baker in their book Refugees in Higher Education: Debates, Discourse and Practice as follows:
“What those seeking access to HE need is English for Academic Purposes which enables learners to develop those sorts of English language skills needed for higher level academic and vocational courses”
Although free places on the latter have gradually been growing across the sector, the need still by far outstrips demand, and there is still much work to be done to increase the numbers of EAP opportunities open to refugee background students wishing to access HE.
RefugEAP Network Working Group
The RefugEAP Network Working Group is working to redress this situation. It consists of a small group of EAP practitioners, researchers and managers from across the UK HE sector working together to develop and run the RefugEAP Network. This working group, which is a branch of the BALEAP EAP for Social Justice Special Interest Group, was established in April 2022.
Our Aims
1
Connect and support individuals and institutions from across the UK HE sector who are keen to take this work forward
2
Gather and share examples of good practice and impact in order to:
a. provide evidence of successful sanctuary initiatives related to facilitating access to EAP to allow individuals / organisations to build strong cases for the development of similar initiatives within their institutions
b. provide ideas, strategies and resources to those developing and engaging in sanctuary initiatives
3
Advocate for increased opportunities across the HE sector for RBSs to access pre-sessional EAP provision (or similar) and successfully move onto degree programmes
4
Create new sector-wide systems, where necessary, to optimise communication flow between all stakeholders (including universities, RBSs, potential partner organisations) in order to match opportunities to needs
Meet the working group
The RefugEAP Network Working Group is part of the BALEAP EAP for Social Justice SIG, and consists of a small group of EAP practitioners, researchers and managers from across the UK HE sector working together to develop and run the RefugEAP Network. Meet the members below …
Aleks Palanac
RefugEAP Network Convenor
Aleks is Head of Sanctuary at the University of Leicester and has been working to develop its University of Sanctuary initiatives, particularly by widening participation to HE for refugee-background students through trauma-informed English language provision (ESOL and EAP). She was a founding member and Convenor of the EAP for Social Justice SIG, and the RefugEAP Network grew out of this work. More information about her sanctuary and social justice work in EAP and ESOL is available here. Contact: ap417@le.ac.uk @AleksPalanac
Dr Tomasz John
RefugEAP Network WG Member
Tomasz (he/him) is a Teaching Fellow in TESOL and Intercultural Communication at University of Strathclyde (Glasgow). Tomasz worked as an EAP practitioner and Head of EAP for over 10 years. He’s a Co-convener and Comms Officer of the BALEAP EAP4SJ SIG. Tomasz is passionate about ethical and comprehensive internationalisation of HE, decolonisation of curriculum and representation in ELT . Find out more about his work here . Contact: tomasz.john@strath.ac.uk @tomaszjohn84
Iwona Winiarska-Pringle
RefugEAP Network WG Member
Iwona is an English for Academic Purposes Lecturer at the University of Glasgow with an additional role of overseeing refugee-background students support provision within English for Academic Study. Iwona volunteers with RefugEAP and BALEAP EAP for Social Justice SIG. Her professional interests are educational dialogue, ethical internationalisation, teacher development and relational pedagogies. Contact: iwona.winiarska-pringle@glasgow.ac.uk Twitter: @IwonaPringle
Amelia Harker
RefugEAP Network WG Member
Amelia is the English Language for Widening Participation Coordinator at the University of Edinburgh and an English Language Education Teaching Fellow. She has taught English for Academic Purposes for 15 years but still identifies as a Sociologist whose research interests include: Widening Participation, Internationalisation, Student Voice, Criticality in Higher Education, Critical Pedagogy, and EAP for Social Justice. Her emerging expertise is in Refugee and Asylum Seeker support and Trauma Informed Practice. Amelia.Harker@ed.ac.uk
Dr Paul Breen
RefugEAP Network WG Member
Paul is a Senior Digital Learning Developer and Senior Lecturer in EAP with UCL’s Academic Communication Centre. He gained his Masters and PhD qualifications at The University of Manchester in the field of Education, with a particular focus on English Language Teaching, English for Academic Purposes and Educational Technology. He has worked in academic and media contexts in Britain, Ireland and overseas. His publications include both academic and non-academic output, ranging from textbooks to the 2018 book version of his PhD, entitled Developing Educators for the Digital Age. Contact paul.breen@ucl.ac.uk Twitter: @charltonmen
Eva Hanna
RefugEAP Network WG Member
Eva is a researcher in the areas of language and migration, as well as a former EAP tutor. She is currently finishing her ESRC-funded PhD project at the University of Glasgow on digital advocacy for forced migrants facing English-language barriers to higher education. She has been ethnographically observing and actively participating in the RefugEAP Network Working Group’s ongoing work to lower barriers to EAP and other-English language provision for sanctuary students across the UK. Contact: e.hanna.1@research.gla.ac.uk Twitter: @MsEvaHanna
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The RefugEAP Network is a project of the BALEAP EAP for Social Justice SIG and the University of Leicester
RefugEAP Network 