Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is planning to take to ensure that the children of Hongkongers coming to the UK under the BN(O) visa and other routes are promptly enrolled in local schools.

The Department has published guidance for schools and local authorities on the rights of foreign national children to access schools in England and this has been updated to include the rights of the dependent children of British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) families settling here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children.

Guidance for parents on applying for a school place, which will be relevant for BN(O) families, already exists and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions.

Any child resident in the country should be treated equally in terms of access to a school. The Department consulted on changes to the School Admissions Code during the summer and autumn of 2020 to ensure the in-year admissions process is more efficient and consistent so that children can be placed quickly. Subject to parliamentary approval, these changes will come into force in September 2021. Further details on the School Admissions Code can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-school-admissions-code--4.

The Department is working across the Government with stakeholders and local authorities, in planning for the impact of BN(O) migration on local services, including school places.