Access to and continuation of schooling for people living in precarious housing conditions

In France, despite a school enrolment rate of between 98% and 100% for children and young people aged between 6 and 16, thousands of children are still not attending school because of their administrative situation (refugee and migrant children, children living in precarious housing or shanty towns, children with itinerant lifestyles, undocumented migrants, etc.), despite the fact that French law guarantees access to education for all children without conditions (neither nationality nor residence). And yet, even today, these "invisible" children are often subjected to racism and stigmatisation, and their only contacts are the associations working in the places where they live.

The national education system's reception facilities, designed to give them easier access to education, are struggling to reach them. The remoteness of the education system, administrative violence and the insecurity suffered by families and children are all obstacles that reinforce their marginalisation and vulnerability.. And yet, These children have a pressing need for support in their education and schooling. Action Education has chosen to adopt a global approach to help them learn. While it is necessary to strengthen their ability to read and write in French, it is also important to give them the recognition they deserve and, to improve their follow-up, to support institutional and community players in addressing the problems encountered by these children. 

In 2019, Action Education, in collaboration with its associative partners, organised a workshop on school mediation needs for people living in precarious housing, with a view to considering the creation of school mediator posts. The aim was to demonstrate to the public authorities the importance of this type of mediation as part of the process of reducing the number of squats and shanty towns. Following the launch of the Dihal's school mediation programme in November 2020, the Délégation interministérielle à l'hébergement et à l'accès au logement (Dihal), which was invited to take part in this event and in the discussions that surrounded it, decided to finance the first 30 school mediation posts for associations throughout mainland France in 2020.

Following this first major success, the association partners organised a day in 2021 where all these mediators and other school mediation professionals were invited to discuss and strengthen their methods of action and intervention. An initial reflection was carried out on the profession, its levers and its limits, and the aim of these days is to share best practices, work on the engineering of the profession of school mediator and provide training.

Work has also begun on structuring a national network of school mediation (RNMS), reflecting on its desires, expectations, training needs and collective voice. An inter-associative dynamic has now been set up with and around these school mediation professionals, and national meetings are organised to complement the DIHAL training days. To date, one of the main issues on which Action Education is focusing in this dynamic is the definition and recognition of the profession of school mediator by the other players. 

Since 2021, Action Education invests in Val-de-Marne where the issues surrounding the education of children in precarious housing situations are significant. Through an exploratory study, we wanted to refine our understanding of educational issues with the stakeholders involved. After producing a report, a summary and two presentations to stakeholders, we want to continue this process of consultation and collective action on targeted issues, and involve those directly concerned. This involves in fine improve the way in which educational issues are dealt with for families who are furthest from school, particularly those living in precarious housing.

To raise awareness of the discrimination suffered by children and young people living in precarious housing, Action Education and the théâtre de la Fugue are working with volunteer actors and young people affected by precarious housing to create forum theatre sketches. 

Action Education also gives a voice to the children and young people first affected by precarious housing via MAG Junior. The magazine features children's and young people's work produced during artistic expression workshops in Bulgaria, France and Romania.