Kateryna Endeberia, a 19-year-old Ukrainian national now living in Stoke-on-Trent, is no stranger to adversity after having to relocate to the UK in 2022. Having fled conflict in Ukraine, she was able to re-matriculate in a sixth-form college. She eventually made the difficult decision to leave due to lack of support and continued bullying over her accent. Her story illustrates the challenges that most of these 27,000 displaced Ukrainian children residing in the UK are facing.
Endeberia argues that the college failed to support her in seeking accommodations. Instead, educators pushed her to take Russian, a suggestion that scared her to her core. She called that insistence on learning the language “hurtful and insensitive,” calling it a “discrimination and a racism.” For Endeberia, this request was especially stinging in light of her father’s status as a soldier in Ukraine’s long-stagnant conflict.
“Rather than offering empathy or help, they continued to insist that I change subjects. No one tried to understand how painful this experience was for me,” – Kateryna Endeberia
Endeberia’s struggles extended beyond her chosen subjects. She soon realized that adjusting to a new education system, culture, and language was too much to handle. The added pressure of the A-level courses added to her struggles, even making her feel bullied for her accent. In the face of all of this opposition, she made the brave choice to return to school at home. She’s now studying from notes circulated by peers instead of returning to campus.
Endeberia isn’t done shooting for the stars just yet, though she’s preparing to sit A-level exams as a private candidate in 2026. The estimated expenses associated with this undertaking are approximately £1,400. Even though she has struggled, she still says she’s thankful for the UK study opportunity.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom – it feels like my third home after Ukraine and the Czech Republic,” – Kateryna Endeberia
She continued to point out that most people do not realize how difficult life has become for Ukrainian students. Yet adapting after the storm of war is doubly, triply tough for them. Ukraine’s education minister Oksen Lisovyi in discussions with UK education secretary Bridget Phillipson. Most importantly, they talked about how to support Ukrainian students when the fighting has not yet stopped.
AQA might be working on creating a GCSE in the Ukrainian language. We hope this effort will help to create many more educational opportunities for students like Endeberia in the years to come.