Schools play a key role in the lives of young refugees and asylum seekers, yet it is unclear to what extent educators are prepared to effectively teach this population. In this study, we examined how educators acquire knowledge relevant to teaching refugee pupils through a survey (n = 295) and nestled case studies of 17 teachers at two schools in England. Educators reported learning mainly through experience-both personal and professional-and they emphasised informal, ad hoc support from colleagues over formal training courses. English as an Additional Language leaders at the two case study schools were particularly relied upon to pass on relevant knowledge they had acquired across their careers. These findings have implications for school staffing and professional development in English schools, as well as contributing to broader discussions about the decentralisation of some education systems and the efficacy of different types of professional development for educators.

Extensive evidence indicates that education is an integral part of the settling in process for refugee and asylum-seeking children. Furthermore, it has been suggested that positive teaching practice with refugee pupils should be asset-based and holistic in nature. The present study examines educators' positive practices with refugee pupils and explores factors that shape these practices. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 17 class teachers, specialist teachers and teaching assistants at two schools in England. Numerous examples of positive practices were identified, from creating welcoming environments to promoting social-emotional well-being to supporting English language learning. Factors that shaped these practices were identified using an ecological model of educator development. Such factors included educators' individual pedagogical knowledge about teaching refugee pupils and collective schoollevel knowledge and practices. Some aspects of the national education system, such as rigid exam-based curricula, were also cited as influential. Overall, this study offers examples of how individual educators and schools managed to enact positive practices with refugee pupils despite an unsupportive national context.