Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies are in place to ensure that refugees face no barriers to assimilation within the education system.

Lord Nash

The government is wholly committed to ensuring that refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. Children with refugee or humanitarian protection status have access to the education system in the same way as citizen children.

A key factor in the successful integration of children from overseas into UK schools is their access to English language provision. Local authorities can include an ‘English as an additional language’ (EAL) factor in their funding formulae. Funding allocated through this factor forms part of the school’s core budget and it is for school leaders to determine how best to use their whole budget so that all children can reach their full potential.

Schools will need to demonstrate to Ofsted that any special educational needs of refugee children, as with all other children, are addressed satisfactorily.