Students arrive at the José Cardoso Pires School Group in Portugal with a wide range of backgrounds, strengths, and challenges, including diverse linguistic backgrounds, specific educational needs, and variations in levels of digital literacy. The school addresses this diversity through a structured Welcoming Project. Students with no Portuguese are integrated into regular classrooms for social interaction but at the same time receive intensive linguistic support. This balance is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging, ensuring the linguistic barrier does not lead to social isolation. In fact, teachers recognize that the diverse student body presents not only challenges but also impressive strengths and resilience, qualities the school actively seeks to leverage in collaborative settings.

To ensure a sense of belonging in a school with 22 different nationalities, teachers implement a robust Welcoming Strategy:

• Welcome Manuals: Students receive welcome manuals not only in Portuguese but also in their native languages.
• Linguistic Support: For students who arrive with “zero level” Portuguese, translators and Google Forms in their native language are used during initial enrolment.
• Reception Room & Inclusion: These students follow a specific programme in a “reception room” for intensive language learning. At the same time, they are integrated into regular classrooms for part of the day to socialise and interact with their peers.
• Multidisciplinary Support: A team of psychologists, a social worker, and linguistic mediators works immediately to welcome new students and their families.

The physical environment plays an important role. A dedicated Reception Room ensures that students who do not speak the language receive intensive support in a welcoming space. To avoid isolation, students also spend time in regular classrooms, allowing them to socialise, participate in class life, and feel part of the wider school community. To support growth within the classroom, multiple intelligences tests are used to tailor pedagogical differentiation to students’ strengths and needs from the beginning of the school year. The school also strengthens inclusion by providing Welcome Manuals translated into students’ native languages, ensuring that essential information is accessible from the moment they arrive.

Culturally responsive teaching and school organisation is crucial in addressing diversity in the classroom. Language barriers are one of the most common issues faced by teachers in the European Union today, and national educational policies aim to respond directly to these challenges. The Welcoming strategy implemented in the José Cardoso Pires School Group respects students’ needs while at the same time enables teachers to support students without imposing additional burdens on their workload.

Technology plays an important role in making this process manageable and effective. AI-powered translation tools help teachers communicate with newly arrived students and their families, allowing students and parents to access essential information from the first day. Simple tools such as instant translation apps, multilingual Google Forms, or digital dictionaries make it easier for students to participate in class activities even when their language level is low. These tools also support teachers, who probably do not speak the students’ native languages.

Creating easy-to-read materials is another essential method to support teachers in promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Teachers can adapt worksheets, instructions, and lesson summaries into simplified language and pair them with visual materials such as icons, diagrams, timelines and images. Visual supports help students understand key concepts without relying on understanding the Portuguese language, making lessons more accessible for learners with limited language proficiency. In subjects like science or geography, visual maps, diagrams, and short explanatory videos with subtitles can bridge the gap between linguistic ability and content understanding.

Beyond technology, multidisciplinary support and students’ social integration should not be overlooked. Language development thrives in social contexts and teachers should empower peer support and teamwork to promote communication among pupils.

The Griže Primary School in Slovenia ensures that all students can participate in digital learning by providing access to devices within the school, particularly for those who do not have opportunities to use digital devices at home. During the pandemic, the school found that some students did not have access to digital devices at home. To address this, the school enabled pupils to borrow computers and provided them with the necessary access to participate in remote learning. This measure reduced barriers and ensured that all students remained engaged in learning.

At school, the teacher prioritises equitable access during digital skills lessons in the computer room. Students can work with computers and tablets to develop their digital skills even when they lack similar opportunities at home. Recently, the teacher observed a shift: some parents, concerned about excessive screen time, began to forbid their child to use any device at all. As a result, pupils were unable to practise even basic digital competences. The teacher responded by talking with parents about purposeful computer use, such as how 15 minutes of keyboard or mouse practice, is fundamentally different from scrolling on TikTok or YouTube. This distinction aims to reassure parents that controlled digital engagement supports essential skill development.

The teacher uses Google Translate to overcome communication difficulties with non-native students. Such translation tools can increase motivation among students whose first language is not Slovenian. When pupils learn a new Slovenian word, they want to share the same word in their own language. The teacher also uses an app like Duolingo, adapted for Slovenian, to help students reach a basic first level in the language. Additional lessons outside regular class time are organised so that they can participate fully in classroom activities.

As there are immigrant students in classes, the teacher encourages inclusive participation, for example by encouraging discussion on cultural identity during introductory activities. Starting with simple questions such as asking whether anyone used a different alphabet, students are encouraged to share aspects of their culture. In subjects like music, conversations about folk or popular traditions often lead to discussion on “our music is different” allowing students to share their traditions.

Access to digital devices is crucial for equitable participation in education. OECD (2019; 2021) and EU digital education frameworks (European Commission, 2020) emphasise that learning opportunities should not depend on a students’ home resources. The school can cultivate a ‘borrow a device’ culture or request home devices for students from low-income families.

Building basic digital skills is equally important for teachers and students. Students from migrant or refugee backgrounds usually have limited access to digital devices (UNESCO, 2023). Therefore, it is important to allow them time to practise basic skills, such as keyboard practice, mouse control tasks, and guided navigation of learning platforms.

Differentiated learning materials are necessary when teaching students from multiple language and cultural backgrounds. Using visual elements to indicate the tools and their name, along with simple, step by step instructions, helps students more easily understand the goals of the lesson and how to use tools. In addition, simplified texts, audio explanations, videos and translated materials can ensure students meaningfully participate in the lesson, not just observe.

Active classroom participation through integration activities helps every student to feel part of the school community. At school, an international day can be established where immigrant students share videos, food and music showcasing their roots and students born in the country can share their favourite tradition so they can learn from each other’s experiences.

Setting up a buddy system at classroom level can be also beneficial for day-to-day support. Every month, a newly arrived student can be paired with a different buddy who offers ongoing support. For example, the buddy can help by reading instructions aloud, breaking down a task into steps, completing activities together, or collaborating on team projects. Peer collaboration is an effective intervention that can also promote social interaction, helping students get to know each other while working together.