Asked by: Lord Dubs (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the education of Ukrainian GCSE and A level students who will be unable to sit their exams because their visa, or visa extensions, expire before the exam date.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
If any student is impacted by events outside of their control at the time of exams and assessments, schools and colleges can apply for special consideration. It may be possible for a student to be awarded a grade if they have unavoidably missed an exam or assessment, as long as they have completed at least one other exam or assessment for that qualification. More information about special consideration and the eligibility criteria is attached and can be found at: https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/JCQ-A-guide-to-the-special-consideration-process-24-25_FINAL_accessible.pdf.
In February 2025, applications opened for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. This scheme is for individuals who have been given permission to be in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes to apply to remain in the UK for a further 18 months.