For the last twelve years SIRIUS network has led or been involved in multiple projects in the area of educational inclusion of refugee and migrant students in Europe. Taking into consideration the recommendations in the outputs of key SIRIUS projects and the key findings from studies conducted by the network, this paper responds to calls for integrated approaches to inclusion (Pinson and Arnot, 2010) and brings forward a conceptual framework for a holistic understanding of the process of educational inclusion of Newly Arrived Migrant and Refugee Students (NAMRS). The development of this framework is grounded on the premise that the right to education is the right of individuals to appropriate support for the development of their own personal pathway to learning. The knowledge and skills that define this learning reflect the individuals’ interests and needs and enable their constructive, sustainable and justice-orientated participation in societies. From this angle, education is an empowering process in which citizens are supported, encouraged and motivated to engage in a constant dialogue with themselves and with the societies that shapes them both. Moreover, the inclusion in education Is not just the inclusion of all but it is also the inclusion of the whole person. Consequently, the learning needs that educational inclusion should be addressing are complex, personal and as such they are usually best (if not only) detectable by the learners themselves. The holistic framework for educational inclusion discussed in this paper integrates the key areas of the learning needs of NAMRS evidenced in SIRIUS studies and acknowledges that educational inclusion should involve learners’ constant evaluation of their own needs. The framework also acknowledges the significance of students’ experiences from outside education on their educational engagement and inclusion. The right to education as described above; the complex, personal and ongoing process of recognition of learning needs; the connection between education and social integration; and the impact of experiences outside education on students’ educational engagement are the four key dimensions of educational inclusion and the building blocks of this model and describes the holistic framework. The discussion explores some implications of the adoption of such framework for educational practice, research and policy making.

Pinson, H. & Arnot, M. (2010) Local conceptualisations of the education of asylum‐seeking and refugee students: from hostile to holistic models, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14:3, 247-267.