Socio-educational Factors in the Reception of Ukrainian Refugee Minors in Spain Through the Protagonists’ Voices

The conflict in Ukraine has led to the displacement of millions of children and their mothers, posing an unprecedented challenge to host countries such as Spain. The aim of this paper is to analyse the perceptions of refugee children and their mothers of Ukrainian origin on the social and educational factors that influence their reception process in the Spanish education system. A qualitative approach was adopted, with 26 participants, 13 mothers and 13 children aged between 8 and 15 years. The results obtained were classified inductively into three categories of analysis: barriers to educational inclusion, facilitators of educational inclusion and suggestions for improving this process. As a strength, the commitment of the actors involved was demonstrated by an unprecedented protective response. However, significant barriers were identified in relation to language immersion, the attention and understanding of teachers and classmates, the workload of the school and the invisibility of their circumstances and needs, which compromised the process of welcoming refugee minors. In conclusion, all social and educational agents should contribute to an effective response to the migration paradigm, for which it is essential to guarantee the fulfilment of the right to quality education for all minors.