OU and International Rescue Committee launch online Healing Classrooms course to support refugee learners

Posted on 19 February 2026 • Education, University news

A new online CPD course designed to help teachers support refugee and asylum‑seeking students has been launched on The Open University’s OpenLearn Create platform, following a year‑long collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

The course forms part of the IRC’s Healing Classrooms programme, a free, trauma‑informed professional development initiative that equips educators with practical strategies to create safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments for newcomer refugee children. Until now, the programme has been delivered primarily through in‑person and facilitated sessions. The new online version allows teachers to access the training anytime and at their own pace, expanding its reach across the UK and beyond.

To bring the course online, the IRC worked closely with the OU, drawing on the university’s decades of experience in distance learning. The result is a self‑paced, interactive course that blends research‑informed content with real‑world case studies, reflective tasks and insights from educators who have previously completed the programme.

Developed by qualified teachers from the IRC’s UK Education Team, together with colleagues from around the world, Healing Classrooms is built on years of research and field‑testing. The programme has already been used in more than 20 countries, supporting children and young people living with the effects of conflict, displacement and toxic stress.

Dr Koula Charitonos, Senior Lecturer in the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology, highlighted the importance of the partnership in the context of global displacement:

“We are experiencing a critical moment in the world’s history marked by profound global crises. Over 122 million people are now forcibly displaced. Access to quality education is a right for forcibly displaced children and young people.

The partnership with the International Rescue Committee on the Healing Classrooms programme is critical. Together we can support and facilitate increased capacity and capability for teachers, ensuring that forcibly displaced children have access to a safe and supportive learning environment. As a University of Sanctuary, we are working towards making our institution a place of safety, solidarity and empowerment for people seeking sanctuary.”

Genevieve Caston, Director of Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration at IRC UK, described the collaboration as a significant step in widening access to trauma‑informed training:

“This partnership with The Open University marks a significant milestone in supporting educators working with refugee students. It brings together The Open University’s commitment to accessible education for all and the International Rescue Committee’s nearly 100 years of experience supporting refugees worldwide.

By making Healing Classrooms available as a self-paced online course, we’re ensuring more teachers can gain trauma-informed skills whenever and wherever works for them. Since 2022, we’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact this training has on educators and, ultimately, on the young people they support.”

About the International Rescue Committee

The IRC is one of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations, working to restore health, safety, education and economic wellbeing to people affected by conflict and disaster. With almost a century of experience, the organisation supports refugees and displaced communities across more than 40 countries and in resettlement contexts worldwide.

Access the course

Healing Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching for Refugee Students is now freely available on OpenLearn Create.