In pictures: Romola Garai visits Chichester secondary school supporting refugees

The visit was designed to showcase the school’s successful implementation of the IRC’s training and resources in order to develop an inclusive, nurturing environment designed to give refugee and asylum-seeking pupils the chance to reach their full potential.

During her visit, Romola toured classrooms and discussed the school’s various initiatives, including its buddy system, international club, and cooking club, all of which, staff say, are designed to help students integrate into the local community.

Having met with several Ukrainian students who arrived earlier this year, Garai, who is famous for her role in period dramas like Atonement and the BBC adaptation of Emma, said she was “honoured” by the experience and praised the “inspiring” resilience of young refugees all over the world: “Having grown up with stories of my own family's refugee experience, I am particularly drawn to working with organisations like the IRC that help displaced people to rebuild their lives.

“The visit shone a light on the profound impact that trauma-informed training and inclusivity initiatives can have, and highlighted that when given the right support, refugee students are able to thrive and truly enrich the wider school community. Hearing the stories first-hand from the pupils and staff reinforced just how vital an inclusive, compassionate school environment is in restoring joy and normalcy after experiencing a hardship few of us can imagine. It was brilliant to see how staff and leadership have embraced the Healing Classrooms approach to nurture that environment, and build a model of refugee inclusion that sees each child for their humanity and promise first, and displacement status second.”

Austen Hindman, head teacher at Bishop Luffa, added: “We were very lucky to have Romola and the team from the IRC visit us and meet some of our incredible students. Romola’s understanding and empathy shone through, and her interest in the project allowed the students' voices to be heard. I hope that hearing from the children themselves will show others how important it is to be properly trained, and that there is help out there.”