Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Barry, and I'm going to be your citizenship teacher today.

We've got a really interesting lesson to look at together about identity.

Some of this learning might be new to you, but that's okay because I'm here to work through it with you.

And by the end of the lesson, we'll have achieved our outcome.

So when you are ready, let's make a start.

Today's lesson comes from the unit how does identity affect rights? Today's lesson is called migrants.

Who are they? Our outcome for today is to explain the term migrant correctly and describe the different experience of migrants in the UK.

So let's get started.

During today's lesson, it's important that we remember some ground rules.

So Laura reminds us to listen to others.

It is okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person.

Jacob remind us, no judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

Andeep reminds us to respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves.

And Izzy reminds us to choose level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot.

During today's lesson, there'll be a range of keywords that we use as we go through.

So let's have a look at these together now.

Firstly, migration, the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another.

Migrant, which is a person who moves from one place to another.

And hate crime, a crime motivated by prejudice.

So our lesson today has two parts, and we're going to start with what does it mean to be a migrant? And then move on to what are the experiences of some migrants.

So let's start with this first question then.

What does it mean to be a migrant? Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

Internal migration is moving within the same country.

International migration is moving to a new country.

The person who moves is described as a migrant.

Migration is a common part of human history.

People have migrated for lots of reasons.

For example, in the fifth century, tribes in Germany settled in Britain looking for new farmland.

They are both push and pull factors for migration.

Pull factors are reasons which encourage a person to become a migrant.

Examples might include better, climate, lifestyle, job opportunities, a stable government or lower crime rates, and even education.

Izzy tells us, my sister migrated to Australia.

She loves the sunshine.

It hardly ever rains in Australia, which is perfect for her as she likes to walk her dog and exercise outside all the time.

Lucas tells us, my aunt has migrated to the USA recently.

She really enjoys the lifestyle in California.

She said she's busy all the time, but likes to hike on her days off.

So which of the following is describing a migrant? Is it A, a person who has moved from one place to another? B, a person who is visiting a new place for the first time? Or C, a person who moves to a new place temporarily? Well done if you identified that the following statement from A describes a migrant, a person who has moved from one place to another.

Which of the following is a pull factor for migration? Is it A, fleeing persecution? B, a poorly paid job? Or C, a stable government? Well done if you identify that it's A, stable government, that's a pull factor for migration.

Migrants move to other countries legally by applying for permission.

For example, they might apply for a visa, which is a special permission to settle there.

In the UK, we track migration figures.

We look at a figure called net migration.

Net migration is the total number of people who move to the UK, migrants, minus the number of people who leave, who immigrate from the UK.

Net migration is the people coming in, the migrants, taking away the people leaving.

So according to government data, in 2023, the UK saw 1.

22 million migrants arriving, while 532,000 people left the country.

This means in 2023, the net migration was 630,000 people.

Overall, the UK's population increased.

So is this true or false? Net migration is the total number of people coming to the UK.

Well done if you spotted that that's false.

Net migration is the total number of people coming in, minus the total number of people leaving.

So let's pull that all together now.

what I'd like you to do is to write an explanation, the positives or pull factors that a migrant may consider when migrating to the UK.

So pause the video here, give that a really good go, and when you've completed it, come back and we can have a look at what you might have put.

Well done for giving it a go.

And I asked you to write an explanation of the positives or pull factors that a migrant may consider when migrating to the UK.

Your answer might have included something like this.

There are many things that may act as pull factors for migrants looking to migrate to the UK.

First, the National Health Service or NHS gives people free healthcare when they need it, which is a huge positive.

There's also free education so families don't have to pay for school.

Even though the weather isn't always great, there aren't things like regular droughts or hurricanes, so it's not too extreme.

The lifestyle is another reason.

The UK has a lot of variety from big cities like London to more peaceful countryside areas so you can find something that suits you.

Lastly, the UK has a strong economy with lots of job opportunities in different industries.

So there are chances to earn good money and build a career.

Well done if your answer sounded something similar to that.

We're onto to the second part and last part of our lesson and that asks, what are the experiences of some migrants? There are many benefits of migration.

For example, migrants can contribute to public services like our national health service by filling skills gaps.

Migrants contribute to the economy, for example, by paying taxes.

According to modelling data by an independent economic consultancy, the UK could benefit by 3.

3 billion pounds every year from migration.

Migrants add to the diversity of our food, clothing, and entertainment.

However, some people worry about the level of net migration in the UK.

What might they be concerned about? So they might be concerned about the pressure it could cause to our public services.

What if it makes it harder for me to find a job due to the competition? Or will we lose our local traditions and customs? Migrants will have varied experiences of moving to the UK.

Let's have a look at this example.

I'm Carlos, I was 16 when my family moved from Spain to the UK for better job opportunities.

I was nervous at first, but quickly made friends and loved the country's diversity.

I enjoyed learning new hobbies and exploring different cultures.

Moving to the UK has opened up many opportunities for us and we felt our lives have improved since then.

Not all migrants have a positive experience.

What might cause negative experiences for migrants? So public opinion on migration, for example, nearly a third of people surveyed in an IPSOS poll believed that migration was not positive.

Media portrayal of migration.

People may link migration to illegal migration.

Illegal migration is a term used to describe when people move to a country against the laws of that country.

Migration can be a controversial topic with people having strong opinions.

For example, in 2013, the UK government launched a campaign using vans with this message, "Go home or face arrest," aimed at illegal migrants.

There were different views about this campaign.

Why did the government make this decision? What arguments are there against his campaign? Supporters of the campaign could have argued it was necessary to send a clear message about illegal migration and deter people from staying in the UK without proper documentation.

Opponents of the campaign could have argued the message caused fear and confusion leading to discrimination and hostility towards legal migrants and communities.

Can you think of any other examples you have seen in the media? What impact might they have? So is this true or false? In 2013, the government used vans to target legal migrants in the UK with a message, "go home." Well done if you identified that's false.

UK government used vans to display a message about illegal migration.

Some migrants may sometimes find themselves the victims of a hate crime.

Hate crimes are crimes which are motivated by prejudice related to a characteristic.

For example, this could be related to a person's skin colour, which is racially motivated or their religion, sexuality, or gender identity.

Hate crimes are reported to the police and the government tracks this data.

However, some hate crimes go unreported.

So we do not know the true figure of hate crimes in the UK.

Here, Alex says, my mum's friend is Romanian.

She came to the UK for a better paid job.

Since she arrived here, she has experienced racism.

She has often called names.

According to the government statistics, in 2024, racially motivated hate crimes account for 70% of all hate crimes that were reported.

Izzy tells us, my uncle has lived here since he was born, but he has a Nigerian name.

Despite being English, he is often rejected from jobs he's qualified to do.

It is illegal to discriminate against people based on their race.

However, Pakistani and Nigerian applicants who grew up in the UK and have British citizenship and qualifications are invited to interview significantly less often than white British applicants.

Lucas tells us, my aunt's wife moved to the UK to escape LGBT discrimination in her home country where she couldn't marry freely.

In the UK, she can marry and live openly.

In the UK, migrants are protected by laws such as the Equality Act 2010, and many are able to live freely in British culture.

Research shows that Britain has become more accepting of other cultures.

I wonder if you know this, which piece of legislation is designed to protect people from discrimination? Is it A, Equal Marriage Act? B, Equality Act? Or C, Equal Chances Act? Well done if you spotted that the legislation designed to protect people from discrimination is the Equality Act.

Let's bring this together now.

Let's think about this task.

Considering the evidence you have heard, do you think Britain is a welcoming country for migrants? What I'd like you to think about is our laws, our values, and the experiences you have read about today.

So pause the video here, consider all those different points, and when you've given the task a good go, come back and we can have a look together at what you might have put.

Well done for giving that task a go.

And I asked you to consider the evidence you'd heard and think about what Britain is like in terms of being welcoming country for migrants.

Your answer might have looked like this.

Migrants are welcome in the UK.

They provide lots of important skills to our workforce and many work in important sectors like healthcare.

There are also laws in the UK such as the Equality Act 2010, which protect people from discrimination and this includes migrants.

This suggests migrants are welcome.

On the other hand, many migrants unfortunately experienced racism.

And in 2024, racially motivated hate crimes accounted for 70% of hate crimes.

Furthermore, despite government laws that protect the rights of migrants, a 2013 government campaign against illegal migration used the slogan, "go home," which could be seen as unwelcoming.

However, this campaign was against illegal migration and therefore, it can be argued that the UK is welcoming to legal migrants.

Well done if your answer included some of those points.

Today's lesson considered migrants.

Who are they? Many migrants arrive in a new country to find a better life.

A country's pull factors might be to enjoy a new climate experience more work and education opportunities, or learn new skills.

Despite laws like the Equality Act 2010, offering protection to migrants against discrimination.

Some migrants in the UK facing negative experiences such as being the victims of hate crimes or racism.

Well done for working through that lesson with me today, and I really look forward to seeing you through a citizenship lesson soon.