Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of children who are (a) irregular migrants and (b) were on school rolls on 4 December 2024 broken down by age.

The information requested is not held centrally.

All children of compulsory school age living in England, including foreign national children, are required by law to receive a suitable full-time education. As such, the department does not collect, or hold, information on the migration status of school pupils.

Guidance on school access rights for foreign national students is published on GOV.UK and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children.

The guidance sets out how local authorities and admissions authorities in England should process applications from families living outside of England and foreign national families.