Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any additional financial or other support is provided to schools that are educating minors who are claiming asylum and where (a) English is not their first language or (b) they do not understand a basic level of English.

Schools are responsible for ensuring that all their pupils, including those who are classed as having a first language other than English, or do not understand a basic level of English, can access the full curriculum and have an opportunity to achieve their potential.

Through the English as an additional language (EAL) factor in the national funding formula (NFF), schools are allocated funding for pupils who are classed as having EAL and who have started in the state funded education system in England within the last three years. This equates to an additional £565 per primary school pupil and £1,530 per secondary school pupil in 2022/23 (rising to £580 per eligible primary pupil and £1,565 per eligible secondary pupil in 2023/24). The NFF will distribute a total of £410 million through the EAL factor in the current financial year.

Schools have flexibility over how they use their overall funding budget to support pupils with EAL, as they are best placed to understand and respond to the particular needs of their pupils.