OUP donates English language teaching resources to the Ukrainian Welcome Centre

In May, Laura Armitt, ELT Consultant at OUP, visited students and teachers at the London Ukrainian Welcome Centre to donate English File 4e Student Books, Teacher Guides, and Graded Readers. The OUP Ukrainian refugee gratis policy includes up to 100 print items and student access to the Oxford Graded Reader eBook Collections.

Laura shared her experience:

‘My visit was lovely—I was welcomed with tea and biscuits after a hectic six-hour drive, and several tube trips! I met two of the students who were very grateful for the books and Online Practice—they really enjoy watching the videos from the student books. One of the students is a vet and learning English from scratch so that she can continue to practice veterinary medicine in the UK.

‘The Online Practice component of the English File student books has been an integral part of the success of the donation. For example, one of the students that I met is very quiet and doesn’t talk as much as her friend in class and yet scores very highly on the Online Practice homework activities. This shows the teachers that she is lacking in confidence rather than ability.

‘What I took away from the visit is that OUP has made a real difference in the lives of these displaced students and given them a head start as they resettle in the UK.’

The Ukrainian Welcome Centre is a single point of contact for arrival, settling, and long-term living in the UK. It is a partnership initiative between the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family in London and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB).

Paul Dyer, teacher and volunteer at the Ukrainian Welcome Centre, had this to say:

‘OUP’s very generous donation of English File student books and teacher guides has made an enormous difference to both students and teachers at the Ukrainian Welcome Centre. Having stimulating materials of the very highest quality at our disposal has enabled us to deliver dynamic and fast-paced lessons which are then supported with online practice materials. We are so grateful to OUP for helping us to give members of the displaced Ukrainian community in London a positive and enjoyable experience in the classroom during their time here.’

You can find more information about ELT support for learners and teachers of English from Ukraine here.