English schools previously steered displaced students toward Russian qualifications because an alternative in their own language was unavailable. In response, schools minister Georgia Gould announced that the government is backing a native-language exam to support the thousands of refugee pupils who arrived after the 2022 invasion. Exam board AQA is creating the new qualification backed by £340,000 from the Department for Education, with rollout set for 2028. Ukrainian officials welcomed the move, though British ministers have declined to expand the initiative to A-levels for now.
Key points
Schools minister Georgia Gould issued an apology to Ukrainian children pushed to take Rus…: Schools minister Georgia Gould issued an apology to Ukrainian children pushed to take Russian qualifications.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian refugee children currently residing in the UK will gain access…: More than 30,000 Ukrainian refugee children currently residing in the UK will gain access to native-language accreditation.
The UK government is currently focusing solely on the GCSE rather than developing an A-le…: The UK government is currently focusing solely on the GCSE rather than developing an A-level qualification.
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The UK has apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were told to study Russian in English schools, as it launched funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian.
Ukrainian children who were forced to seek refuge in the UK after Vladimir Putin’s invasion in 2022 say it was “insulting” that their teachers suggested they study Russian in the absence of a GCSE in Ukrainian.
Announcing the new qualification, the schools minister, Georgia Gould, said: “So many students were pushed into having to do Russian. I’m really sorry that they were put in that position. It’s really important that they will have access to a Ukrainian GCSE.”
The new qualification, which will be ready in England in 2028, is being developed by the AQA exam board, with the help of a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education.
It comes after years of lobbying from the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian community groups on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the UK. In a letter to the DfE in 2024, the education ministry in Kyiv said: “We are…
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