The UK government has apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were told to study Russian in English schools, as the schools minister announced funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian that will be ready in England in 2028.
Visiting St Mary's school in west London, the centre of a network of 13 Ukrainian-language schools in the UK, Schools Minister Georgia Gould said many students had been pushed into having to study Russian and that she was sorry they had been put in that position. She also apologised directly to Vitalii Andronik, 20, who told the Guardian in 2024 that he had been urged to study Russian as a 15-year-old refugee.
The announcement comes after years of lobbying from the Ukrainian government and community groups on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the UK since Russia's 2022 invasion. The Ukrainian language has been at the cultural frontline of the conflict, with Putin banning Ukrainian books and the teaching of Ukrainian in land Russia has occupied. Gould said: 'Whether it's military support or this kind of cultural support, our message as a British government is we stand absolutely steadfast behind the Ukrainian people.'
The new qualification is being developed by the AQA exam board with a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education. Ukraine's Education Minister, Andrii Butenko, said it would give Ukrainian children forced to leave their homes by Russia's war an equal opportunity to choose their native language as a GCSE subject.
A dozen Ukrainian pupils applauded the announcement. Sofiia Chonka, 16, said she had been told to study Russian in year 9 and had refused, describing the new exam as 'such a beautiful thing to be speaking Ukrainian when the Russians are trying to mute you'. Andronik said it was a recognition of the trauma they had gone through and that he wanted future generations of refugees to study Ukrainian, though it was too late for him.
Inna Hryhorovych, head of the St Mary's Trust who has campaigned for the GCSE since 2014, said her next campaign would be a new A-level in Ukrainian. Gould encouraged British children to study the new qualification as an act of solidarity, saying she thought it would be wonderful if more people took up Ukrainian GCSE. She joked that Ukrainian children could tutor their friends as a 'side hustle'.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The apology and new GCSE mark a formal recognition by the UK government of the specific cultural pressures faced by Ukrainian refugees in its schools, extending support into the symbolic and educational domain.
- It directly addresses a barrier for 30,000 children who were institutionally pushed to study the language of the state that attacked their country.
- The move counters Russia's policy of suppressing the Ukrainian language in occupied territories, reinforcing language as a frontline in the conflict.
Background
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 30,000 Ukrainian children entered the UK school system. No GCSE qualification in Ukrainian existed, leading to reports that schools were advising them to take the Russian GCSE instead. In 2024, Ukraine's education ministry formally wrote to the UK Department for Education expressing its concern that children were being pressured to pass the Russian GCSE.
Key Perspectives
UK Government (Schools Minister Georgia Gould): Called the situation regrettable, apologised directly to students, and framed the new GCSE as a cultural complement to military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Child Refugees (Vitalii Andronik, Sofiia Chonka): Described the pressure to study Russian as insulting and traumatic, and welcomed the new qualification as validation of their language and identity.
Ukrainian Government (Education Minister Andrii Butenko): Welcomed the GCSE as an equal opportunity for displaced children to study their native language.
St Mary's Trust (Inna Hryhorovych): Celebrated the end of a long campaign for the GCSE and signalled a future push for an A-level.
What to Watch
- The development and rollout of the qualification by AQA and the Department for Education ahead of its planned introduction in 2028.
- Whether a Ukrainian A-level is established, which campaigners have already identified as their next goal.
- The level of take-up for the new GCSE, which the minister hopes will extend beyond the Ukrainian refugee cohort to British students.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
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- SupportedThe UK government apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were told to study Russian in English schools.World news | The Guardian: “UK has apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were told to study Russian in English schools”
- SupportedThe UK is funding a new GCSE in Ukrainian.World news | The Guardian: “as it launched funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian.”
- SupportedGeorgia Gould said students were “pushed into having to do Russian”.World news | The Guardian: ““So many students were pushed into having to do Russian. I’m really sorry that they were put in that position.””
- SupportedThe new qualification will be ready in England in 2028.World news | The Guardian: “The new qualification, which will be ready in England in 2028, is being developed by the AQA exam board”
- SupportedAQA is developing the qualification with a £340,000 Department for Education grant.World news | The Guardian: “is being developed by the AQA exam board, with the help of a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education.”
- SupportedThe GCSE announcement followed years of lobbying on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who fled to the UK after Russia’s 2022 invasion.World news | The Guardian: “It comes after years of lobbying from the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian community groups on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the UK.”
- Partly supportedGould said the British government stood steadfast behind the Ukrainian people, including through cultural support.World news | The Guardian: ““Whether it’s military support or this the kind of cultural support, our message as a British government is we stand absolutely steadfast behind the Ukrainian people.””
- SupportedGould apologised directly to Vitalii Andronik, who was 20 and had been urged to study Russian GCSE as a 15-year-old refugee.World news | The Guardian: “She was introduced to Vitalii Andronik, 20, who told the Guardian in 2024 how he had been urged to study Russian GCSE as a 15-year-old refugee. Gould told him: “I’m really sorry that you were put in that position.””
- SupportedSofiia Chonka described the new exam as “such a beautiful thing to be speaking Ukrainian when the Russians are trying to mute you”.World news | The Guardian: ““It’s such a beautiful thing to be speaking Ukrainian when the Russians are trying to mute you.””
- SupportedThe Ukrainian language has been at the cultural frontline of the conflict, and Putin has banned Ukrainian books and the teaching of Ukrainian in land Russia has occupied.World news | The Guardian: “The Ukrainian language has been at the cultural frontline of the conflict with Russia. Putin has banned Ukrainian books and the teaching of Ukrainian in land Russia has occupied.”
- SupportedInna Hryhorovych said her next campaign would be for a new A-level in Ukrainian.World news | The Guardian: “She said her next campaign would be a new A-level in Ukrainian.”