Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of education received by children of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

Education is a devolved matter. The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the level of education received by children of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. Parents of children of compulsory school age have a duty to ensure their children receive a full time education suitable to the children’s age, ability, aptitude and any special education need the children might have, either by regular attendance at a school or otherwise. Where a child of compulsory school age (including children of asylum seekers) is not registered at a school or receiving an education other than at a school, the relevant local authority has the power to require that parent to satisfy them as to the suitability of the education being provided for that child. If they are not satisfied then the local authority can require the child to register at a named school.

It is the fundamental responsibility of every school to educate its pupils regardless of their background so that they can achieve their full potential. Our funding system gives local authorities the freedom to allocate extra funds to schools to support pupils whose first language is not English, including children of asylum seekers.