Pupils with immigrant background are a common reality in European societies. However, European educational systems do not respond in the same way to the educational needs of immigrant pupils. The Greek State in order to address the constantly increasing cultural and ethnic diversity within schools as well as to meet the educational needs of both immigrants and repatriated students, established in 1996 the Intercultural Education Schools (IES). There are currently 13 primary and 13 secondary IES located in various regions of Greece. Since their establishment, almost ten years ago, IES have been strongly criticized as a strategy that may increase the danger of marginalizing foreign students (Damanakis, 2005). Considering also the fact that cultural diversity is now met within a constantly increasing number of schools in Europe, while most of the European school systems remain monocultural in structure and content (Gogolin, 2002), it is important to know more about the impact of this strategy, namely the establishment of IES, in promoting specific educational goals with respect to cultural differences and therefore informing intercultural education practices. This central question was subdivided into the following research questions: • What is the definition of the term IES according to relative documents? • How do IES administrators define the term IES? • How do IES administrators describe their school’s aims? • How do IES administrators promote their school’s aims? • What similarities and differences can be drawn between IES regarding their aims and implemented practices? • How do IES administrators perceive IES future role? The study draws on the idea that the learners’ backgrounds (i.e. ethnic, racial, cultural) is not perceived as obstacles but as necessary catalysts for learning (Mushi, 2004); ethnic identity must be acknowledged and become the basis for the learning activities in the classroom (Banks, 1989). These ideas emphasize the widely recognized importance of giving intercultural orientation throughout the curriculum (Bennett, 1995). So, we addressed our research questions following the view that intercultural education is not a compensative practice towards differences but a new pedagogy for native pupils also, aiming at cultural enrichment through celebration of diversity, and self-image improvement through pride in cultural heritage (Fleras & Elliott, 1992). Therefore, our focus was on practices that do not aim at reducing differences, but rather promoting them as a source of knowledge towards cultural awareness and intercultural communication (Batelaan, 2001).

In the present study we were particularly interested in IES with immigrant and repatriated pupils unlike those IES with muslims or Roma pupils. So, we focused on 2 primary and 6 elementary IES which are located in Athens and Thessaloniki. The data used are: • Greek educational laws • Semi-structured interviews carried out with IES administrators • Field notes collected during school visits and meetings with IES administrators • IES administrators’ school reports • An open-ended questionnaire distributed to all SIE’ administrators concerning their comments and suggestions on curriculum, reception classes, educational material, school organization, school activities and teacher training In the above data, information is also included concerning the number of immigrant, repatriated and native pupils enrolled in IES during the last ten years. Still, we adopt a qualitative approach following a discourse analytic practice in our attempt to gain understanding of the aims and the role of IES.

The study revealed that due to the lack of explicit guidelines that the Ministry should have provided, IES mission seems to be mostly a matter of how the school administrator interprets its role. Common point in these personal interpretations is that IES schools provide intensive courses on Greek language as well as psychological support aiming at immigrant and repatriated pupils’ integration. Still, we traced two competing approaches with respect to pupils’ educational choices: first, IES serve as an initial step towards pupils’ enrollment in the mainstream schools of their neighbourhood, and second IES are a permanent educational place for immigrant and repatriated pupils who do not feel comfortable with the mainstream educational system. So, we conclude by delineating the conditions under which IES could serve as a catalyst for intercultural educational policy instead of being simply the “politically correct” term to refer to schools with pupils of immigrant background.