What is it like for the refugee children who have just arrived at ICS?
Refugee children are not set aside. Of course there are kids who come to the school speaking little or no English, so we have a quite intensive English for Speakers of Other Languages programme. All other classes are taken with the rest of their schoolmates because we want them to be a part of the community and interact constantly with the other kids. We acknowledge that refugee children, because of the trauma they may have experienced, need some special attention. So, for instance, if they need additional mental health support, we have a counsellor who takes care of that. We also have a family outreach person who will go into homes of refugee families and address cultural issues. What qualities do you look for in your teachers? We hire people who have a strong commitment to the place . . . The teachers must have, in one form or another, international experience. The diversity of the student body is reflected in the diversity of the staff. We have people from many different countries,
