Educational Injustice Faced by Young Refugees in England
According to research conducted by Refugee Education UK (REUK) and the Bell Foundation, many young refugees aged 14-17 in the United Kingdom are unable to integrate into the education system because they do not enroll in schools on time. This situation leaves them at risk of isolation, mental health issues, and exploitation. The research emphasized that factors such as insufficient school places, sudden relocations, and schools’ concerns about providing language support hinder young refugees’ access to education. It also revealed that schools hesitate to accept refugee students throughout the year due to potential negative impacts on their performance tables.
Bell Foundation Director Diana Sutton, in a related statement, said that schools feel “unprepared and unsupported” in this matter and that existing policies are inadequate. REUK Director Catherine Gladwell called on the government to include refugee and asylum-seeking children in the new child welfare law aimed at reducing school absenteeism. Emphasizing that education has a transformative impact on young refugees and plays a key role in integration, well-being, and a meaningful future, REUK Director Catherine Gladwell stated that the current education system does not offer this opportunity to many young refugees.
The UK Department of Education responded to the situation, stating, “School absenteeism has become a national crisis, and addressing it is our government’s top priority.” Pointing to the responsibilities of local authorities to identify and reintegrate children who are out of school, ministry officials noted that the government’s new child welfare law will help local authorities to record and maintain data on children who are not in school.