Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the ability of local authorities to provide school places for asylum-seeking children placed in Home Office procured accommodation.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities provide school places, based on their own forecast data.

The department engages with local authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When local authorities are experiencing difficulties, including with new arrivals from overseas, the department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.