Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Harris and I'm the person who's going to be guiding you through today's lesson.

The lesson today is called How Does Migration Affect Communities? And it's part of a larger series of lessons called Why Do People Move Around the World? By the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to say, I can explain how migration affects different communities, both in the UK and in the countries people have emigrated from.

Some of this lesson today might be challenging for you and some of the knowledge might be completely new, but I'm gonna guide us both all the way through it and we'll tackle it together.

It's really important to set some ground rules before we start the content of the lesson today because some of the information that we'll be discussing might be sensitive to some people.

So let's have a look at these ground rules.

Laura says, "Listen to others.

It's 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." Andeep says, "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves." Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation.

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

We never put anybody on the spot." And finally, Jacob says, "No judgement.

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

Let's start with our keywords for this lesson.

I'm gonna say the key word and you can repeat it back out loud and then I'll tell you the definition.

Migration.

That's the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another.

Community.

That's a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

It's time for our first learning cycle called, how does migration shape UK communities? Migration is when people move between places and across borders to live in a new place.

And this is something that has been going on for centuries.

Now, when people migrate, they don't just change their own lives.

They do have an impact on the community that they're moving to.

And that can affect things like public services, the people already living there, transport, accommodation and jobs, as well as things like culture and identity as well.

Migration to the United Kingdom has changed over time with the highest recorded number of people born abroad now living in the UK.

As of June 2023, there were around 11.

4 million people living in England and Wales who were born abroad.

And that's roughly 18% of the population at that time.

In 2018, this figure was around 14% or 9.

3 million people.

However, net migration, so that's people moving into the country minus the people moving out, that dropped sharply from 906,000 people in 2023, that was the highest ever recorded, to around 431,000 in 2024.

So these changing levels of migration, so people moving, it does have a variety of different pros and cons and how it affects communities in the United Kingdom.

Our first check for understanding, can you complete the sentence by filling in the gap with the correct percentage? So here we have 11%, 14% and 18%.

As of June 2023, around mm of people living in England and Wales were born abroad.

Can you choose the correct percentage? I'll give you a few seconds to think.

Okay, so as of June 2023, around 18% of people living in England and Wales were born abroad.

Well done if you got that.

So as we've touched on then, migration has a number of effects on communities, and we can actually group these effects in different ways.

One of them is economic.

Now economic is related to money and finance, including how the economy works.

So that includes employment and where people work and all of those combined effects.

Another way can be the social effect, and that's how people and communities relate and mix with one another.

There's also the political effect as well.

So that's involving the government and how countries are run.

So the economic effects that migration might have can be with jobs.

So migrants can really help by filling employment gaps.

So if you have a country that has a shortage of engineers or of nurses, then migrants can come from other countries to help fill those shortages.

Some might be willing to work for a lower pay as well, which might lead to some employers favouring those employees.

It can help with taxes.

So when people are employed, migrants have to pay taxes, which then help fund public services, things like the NHS, schools, transport and so on.

It can affect services as well.

So some migrants who move to countries, they might need extra support to access certain things.

So they might need interpreters, things like healthcare or education.

The social effects can be on culture.

So migrants, when they move to a country, can bring things like new music, food, films, festivals and different traditions, and can make communities more diverse and interesting and have a wider range of experience within that new community.

It can also mean that people learn from each other and start to build shared values.

Learning to understand and respect cultures other than your own can have a really big impact on communities in finding a way to get on.

It might take more resources for people to fit in.

So some migrants might need extra help in the community, such as things like interpreters, the same as with services, can require more resources, but it can ultimately help people feel more connected.

And then there's the political effects of migration.

So when migrants move to a country, they might be eligible to take part in local elections, which can then influence how politics is done in the local area.

It can also encourage debate.

So migration is often a really hotly debated topic in the media and within politics and can influence how people vote and the parties that they support as well.

It can also encourage activism.

So some people might campaign for immigration policies, and some people might campaign against immigration policies.

And they might use things like protests or petitions to make their voices heard.

And it also might introduce different policy changes.

So governments might create policies or rules to then be able to support migrants, especially vulnerable ones.

A quick check for understanding then.

So which of these is an economic effect of migration? Is it A, migrants bring new festivals and traditions? B, migrants may help fill job shortages? Or C, migration influences how people vote? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so the answer to which of these is an economic effect of migration is B, migrants may help fill job shortages.

Well done if you got that one.

Let's now look at some of the pros and the cons, the positives and the negatives on communities linked to migration.

Well, there can be population growth when people are moving to a country.

And one of the pros of this is that migration can increase the population in an area quickly.

So that might actually help keep shops, schools or services open as migrants begin working or begin studying at places.

Con can also mean that it can put pressure on housing supplies, for example, or public services, if the change happens too fast, and there isn't actually the provision of services for the amount of people that are now living in that area.

For example, in Slough, Jun says that, "The UK Census of 2021 showed that in Slough, 44.

9% of residents at that time were born outside of the UK." Now this has led to positives, such as a rich mix of cultures, faiths, languages, businesses, and the businesses are there serving the different communities.

However, it has led to a need for many more school places and much more housing stock.

And that's led to rising accommodation costs and lots of pressure on local services.

Another one of the effects of migrations is on the NHS and social services.

So some of the pros are that many migrants work in health and social care, and without migration, there'd be a risk of closure of some different centres, and many hospitals and care homes would struggle to staff their centres appropriately.

But one of the cons of this is that there'll be more appointments needed because there are more citizens.

And it can also put pressure on emergency services as well, because again, they're serving more people, so more services are going to be needed.

Another effect of migration is on education.

A pro of this can be that you get new ideas and experiences because you're getting pupils and students from widening backgrounds.

It can be a broader awareness and more connection and cultural awareness.

And there's also more language learning opportunities as well.

Some of the cons of migration on education could be that more pupils are needing extra support, particularly for those who maybe speak English as an additional language.

That will lead to needing more staff training, which has higher costs, and it can also lead to a shortage of school places and college places as well.

The effects of migration on education can be seen when looking at the case of Birchanger Church of England Primary School in 2006.

In 2022, Laura says, the school welcomed refugee children from Kurdistan, Iran, Colombia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, and increased the pupil population by about 12%.

To support this change, the school joined a programme which is called the International Rescue Committee's Healing Classroom, and that trains teachers in trauma informed methods and train them to look at cultural understanding and to build that within their school.

And the school saw huge improvements in emotional well-being, cultural diversity, and mutual learning amongst all pupils, so not just the pupils who arrived at the school, all pupils.

Another check for understanding.

Can you choose the correct word in each pair to complete the paragraph about Slough? In 2021, the UK Census showed that 45% of people living in Slough were born inside or outside the UK.

This has brought benefits such as a rich mix of cultures, faiths, and languages, as well as new challenges or businesses serving different communities.

However, it has also created pressure on services like schools and housing, including rising transport or costs for accommodation.

I'll give you a few seconds to think about it.

Okay, so let's find the correct answer in those pairs.

In 2021, the UK Census showed that 45% of people living in Slough were born outside the UK.

This has brought benefits such as a rich mix of cultures, faiths, and languages, as well as new businesses serving different communities.

However, it has also created pressure on services like schools and housing, including rising costs for accommodation.

Well done if you got those three correct.

Let's carry on then looking at the effects of migration upon communities, particularly looking at the pros and the cons.

So now let's look at jobs and the economy.

So some of the pros here that migrants might fill really key roles.

So some industries are really struggling because of staff shortages, so migration can really help fill those gaps and get workers into those positions.

And we're finding in the UK that migrants are filling key roles in things like construction, retail, hospitality, food production, and delivery services.

And by filling these gaps that can actually help keep costs down for the consumers and the businesses themselves.

It helps support local businesses to keep going.

Some of the cons though, some people can feel that jobs are harder to get living in that community.

It can be concerns that wages are being driven down because people who are migrating might accept a lower wage.

And that can mean then there's pressure on local infrastructure, things like transport and housing as well because of more people moving closely.

Although some people think that jobs might be harder to come by if more people are migrating, the research shows that migration actually creates more jobs than it displaces.

And having those gaps filled within the working industries are really important and again, creates more jobs and keeps costs down.

Now, when people migrate, some migrants are starting own businesses, things like shops, restaurants, barbers, or cafes that might be linked to their cultural backgrounds.

These businesses create jobs for other people.

And then in turn, it helps that local economy by attracting customers, giving people more choice and encourages money to be spent in the local area.

Migration too often brings different festivals, traditions, and beliefs to local areas.

And many towns now have mosques, temples, gurdwaras, and churches, as well as lots of public celebrations, things like Eid, Diwali, or the Lunar New Year.

And all of this can increase community spirit.

Everybody can feel more included because the things that are important to them are being recognised and celebrated by others as well.

A lot of people notice the effects of migration through those social impacts.

So through the changes in relationships or attitudes and how different groups interact together.

Migration can bring plenty of opportunities for friendship and understanding.

Communities can change as people get to know each other and start to build a new support network and a new friendship network together.

Sometimes migration can bring misunderstanding or fear if people don't understand about people who are moving into their communities.

This might even lead to discrimination or blame, particularly if people don't have the correct information or don't know anything about the people that are migrating to a community.

This can usually be addressed through things like good communication, chances to speak, chances to get to know one another, and then the positives like the friendships and understandings have got much more chance of being successful.

So yes, migration can create lots of positive changes, but it can also present some challenges as well.

Now, as I've said, these challenges can often be addressed with open communication and a willingness to learn about others' experiences.

However, not all misunderstandings or fears can be easily resolved.

There can be myths and misunderstandings about migration, and that might lead to tension, fear, or frustration in communities.

And misinformation and disinformation, so misinformation when people misunderstand and disinformation when information is deliberately made to be inaccurate, when that spreads online or through social media, that can make feelings worse.

So it's really important to check facts carefully and think critically about what people are hearing or reading and to make sure that information is coming from trustworthy sources.

So whether migration leads to conflict or community, that can depend on leadership, communication, and experiences of people within the communities themselves and how everybody can work together.

True or false then? Migration always leads to conflict in communities.

Is that true or false? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so migration always leads to conflict in communities.

Well, that's false, but why is it false? Take a few more seconds to think.

Okay, so migration always leads to conflict in communities.

That is false because migration can lead to both positive and negative social effects.

It can bring friendship, shared values, and community celebrations like Eid or Diwali.

But misunderstandings, myths, or fears can sometimes lead to tension or blame too.

So how well communities adapt to this can depend on having good leadership, good communication, and accurate information as well.

Well done if you got that.

It's time for Task A then, and for the first part of this task, I would like you to read these statements about the effects on communities from migration.

And then you're going to sort them into the correct column in the table.

So one of them is the pros of migration in communities, and the other column is the cons of migration in communities.

And here are the statements.

One, language barriers.

Two, fills job gaps.

Three, risk of tension.

Four, brings new ideas.

Five, supports the economy.

Six, job competition concerns.

Seven, boosts language learning.

Eight, rising housing costs.

Nine, fast change in communities.

Ten, encourages tolerance.

Eleven, pressure on services like education and health.

And twelve, new businesses and jobs.

It's a good idea now to pause the video to give yourself the time to do this sorting task, and then we'll come back and look at the correct answers together.

Okay then, let's look at these correct answers.

So your answers should look something like this.

So the pros of migration in communities are, number two, fills job gaps.

Four, brings new ideas.

Five, supports the economy.

Seven, boosts language learning.

Ten, encourages tolerance.

And twelve, new businesses and jobs.

And the cons of migration in communities might be number one, language barriers.

Three, a risk of tension.

Six, job competition concerns.

Eight, rising housing costs.

Nine, fast change in communities.

And eleven, pressure on services like education and health.

Well done if you sorted those correctly.

The second part of your task now is to explain how migration can help increase community spirit.

Now you might want to choose to start your sentences like this.

Migration can help increase community spirit by.

And the second part, when people from different backgrounds share ideas or traditions.

Again, pause the video to give yourself the time to do these paragraphs, and then we'll come back and look at some possible responses.

Okay, let's have a look at some possible responses to how migration can help increase community spirit.

So your response might look something like this.

Migration can help increase community spirit by bringing people from different backgrounds together.

When people from different backgrounds share ideas or traditions, it can create a more vibrant and welcoming community.

For example, they often introduce new foods, music, traditions and ideas which can make communities more interesting and diverse.

This can create opportunities for people to learn from each other and find shared values such as respect and kindness.

Schools and local groups might hold events that celebrate different cultures, helping everyone feel included.

When people get to know one another, it can lead to friendship, understanding, and a stronger sense of community.

Well done if you got some of those major points there to explain how migration can help increase community spirit.

Well done.

It's time for our second learning cycle now called how does migration affect home communities? When people migrate to the United Kingdom, it doesn't just change the United Kingdom.

It also affects the places that people are leaving behind.

So many people leave behind their home country to find work, to study, to build a better life for themselves, to escape war or danger.

And when people move to a different country, it has an effect on both places.

That's the community they go to live in and the old community that they left behind.

When skilled people leave, so people with certain skills or qualifications, it can cause shortages in their home country.

And that is something known as brain drain.

So an example of this is if a teacher leaves rural Pakistan, that leaves that area with one teacher less.

If a nurse leaves Nigeria, again, it leaves that country with one nurse less.

And if an engineer leaves Romania, again, it leaves Romania with one engineer less.

And if large numbers of people are emigrating, then collectively that might slow down development in those home countries because the skilled workers are moving on to other countries.

However, even though some people do migrate, it might be temporarily.

And so some migrants eventually return back to their home country.

And when they do that, they bring with them new skills, different work experiences, and they might have saved more money while living abroad as well.

Now, all these resources together can actually help improve local businesses when they return.

It can create new job opportunities.

And in turn, then it can support community development.

This positive effect is sometimes known as the opposite of brain drain as a brain gain because it can help boost communities and then make up for the loss of workers for that short amount of time.

And many countries have actually set up programmes to encourage skilled workers to return back to the home countries.

And some of them then maintain really strong connections with the home countries while they're abroad in the first place.

A quick check for understanding.

So fill in the missing words.

When skilled workers like teachers, nurses, or engineers leave their home country, it can cause a shortage of skills.

This is called, mm mm.

Can you fill in those missing words? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay.

So when skilled workers like teachers, nurses, or engineers leave their home country, it can cause a shortage of skills.

This is called brain drain.

Well done if you got that.

So let's now look at the pros and cons on the home communities.

So when people migrate, what are the positives and negatives for the home communities? The first effect we're going to look at is remittances.

Now when migrants move abroad, many send money back to their families back home.

And globally, when you add up all those remittances, it totals hundreds of billions of pounds each year.

And the pros of this, well, it can help families pay for things like school fees, food, housing, and healthcare.

And it can be a major source of income to families who are back in the home community.

And sometimes it can affect whole communities in poorer countries.

A con of this could be that families are relying on money from relatives abroad.

And so then it puts pressure on the worker to send that money home.

And because of the pressure to keep on working abroad, it means that families might be separated for longer than they intended.

One of the example of remittances is in the Philippines.

Now in 2025, there were approximately 10 million Filipinos living and working abroad.

And Sofia says that "Remittances are a major part of the Philippines economy, because they help reduce poverty and pay for things like food, education and healthcare." However, there are downsides, because some communities are losing the workers, especially skilled ones, for quite long periods of time.

It affects local businesses.

And sometimes it's even meaning that children are growing up without their parents or carers because they're working abroad.

And that can have a really big emotional impact on them.

Let's look at the social influence of migration then upon home communities.

So when you get a lot of emigration, it can influence what's seen as normal.

So a pro of this can be that if people are migrating, it can be an aspiration.

So people are inspired to want to move to another country.

It might inspire them to learn new languages and to help them to be able to move abroad.

It can also help them to be exposed to new ideas as well.

Cons of this, again, people might be dependent on money from abroad.

It might create some tension between communities if people keep moving away.

It might also be sort of put under pressure to some people as if they have to migrate because that's the only way they're going to succeed, for example.

Another effect of migration on home communities can be the emotional effect.

So leaving your home behind can have a big emotional impact and not just on those people who are actually doing the moving.

The feelings can be felt by the migrants and those left behind.

Some of the pros can be having hope, having a lot of pride in that they're doing something different and something aspirational.

Maybe they're living out their ambitions and wanting to really fulfil what they're capable of.

Cons of this can leave people feeling homesick.

They can feel a sense of grief or loss.

There might be a lot of worry, particularly if families are separated.

And some migrants might even feel guilt as well about leaving their home community behind.

So migration can have lots of different effects in lots of different ways upon the home communities.

It can bring really important benefits, things like the remittances or sending money back home.

It can get new skills and work experiences, but it can also bring challenges, things like the family separation and the loss of workers to those home communities.

When people try to make an attempt to understand the effects of migration, not just for the place that people are moving to, but the community that people have come from, it really helps people see why migration matters to so many communities, both your own home community and the home communities where other people have moved from.

So here we have Sam and she is thinking about the effects of migration on home communities.

And she says, "Families don't feel sad or worried when someone migrates because they get money sent from abroad." Is Sam right? And if not, why not? Take a few seconds to think about it.

Okay, so Sam says families don't feel sad or worried when someone migrates because they get sent money from abroad.

Well, is Sam right? Well, no, not really, because even if families are receiving money from their family who migrates, they can still feel sad.

They can still have those negative emotions like being worried or being lonely because their loved ones are far away.

Receiving money doesn't take that emotional impact away.

So yes, migration can have financial changes, but it can also have emotional changes as well.

Well done if you got that.

Now we're on to task B.

So for this task, I would like you to consider everything that we have talked about and considered about the impact on home communities.

And overall, do you think migration helps or harms home communities more? So I'd like you to give your opinion with reasons.

To do this, you might want to use the two hands format to help structure your response.

So on one hand, this, and on the other hand, this.

And then you can give your summary as to whether you think it helps or harms home communities more overall.

Pause the video to give yourself the time to do this task, and then we'll come back together and we'll look at some potential responses.

Okay, let's look at some potential responses for whether migration helps or harms home communities more than the other.

So your response might look something like this.

On one hand, migration can harm home communities.

When skilled people like teachers, nurses, or engineers move abroad, it can lead to brain drain.

This means fewer trained workers are left behind, which can slow down development in the country.

Families can also be separated for long periods of time, which may cause emotional effects like sadness, worry, or guilt, both for the migrants and for the people who stay behind.

And your response might continue something like this.

On the other hand, migration can also help home communities in important ways.

Many migrants send money home called remittances, which help families pay for food, school fees, health care, and housing.

In some places like the Philippines, remittances are a big part of the national economy and help reduce poverty.

Some migrants also return home later with new skills, experience, and savings, which can help support businesses and local communities.

This is known as brain gain.

And your response might end up something like this, so your summary.

Overall, I believe migration helps home communities more than it harms them.

Although there are challenges, especially when people leave for a long time, the benefits of money, new ideas, and returning skills can make a positive difference in the long term.

Or your response might end like this.

Overall, I believe migration harms home communities more than it helps them.

Although remittances and returning skills can help, losing too many skilled workers creates serious gaps in jobs like teaching and health care.

These problems can outweigh the benefits in the long term.

Well done if you managed to pick out some of those key points about how migration affects home communities in both positive and negative ways.

Well done.

It's time to sum up our learning during this lesson, which has been called how does migration affect communities? Migration affects both the communities people leave and the communities they move into.

In the new country, migrants may fill workforce gaps, start businesses, and introduce new cultures, languages, and ideas that enrich society.

At the same time, they may need extra support with housing, language, or education, and some communities might experience tension as they adjust.

In the home country, migration may bring benefits like remittances that help families pay for essentials such as food, education, and health care.

Some migrants may also return with skills and experience that support local development.

However, there are many challenges, including the loss of skilled workers and emotional strain from long-term family separation.

Well done for sticking with me through the content of today's lesson.

Some of it has been really complex to understand and to get our heads around, but you've done really well and I'm very proud of you.

Hope to see you again soon.