Refugees: Afghanistan

Department for Education written question – answered at on 4 November 2021.

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Photo of Stuart McDonald Stuart McDonald Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of Afghan children who have been relocated under Operation Warm Welcome are now in school.

Photo of Stuart McDonald Stuart McDonald Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support the Government has put in place to ensure that Afghan children who have arrived in the UK under Operation Warm Welcome are able to access a school place; and by what date all of those children will be in school.

Photo of Robin Walker Robin Walker The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Minister of State (Education)

Children who have recently arrived from Afghanistan are entitled to full time education and one of the department’s priorities is to ensure they receive it. The duty to provide sufficient education for all school-age children rests with local authorities and the government is working closely with local authorities where Afghan families reside to ensure they can access education as soon as possible.

The department is urgently making available additional funds to local authorities to provide educational support and help Afghan children and young people settle into their local schools and communities.

The department cannot set an end date as Afghan families continue to come into the UK. We are working with departments across government and local authorities to ensure the availability of school places are taken into account as new families arrive and are settled into the country.

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