Asylum seekers and refugees: education and childcare

School enrolment

All schools have admissions criteria. Before applying for your child's place at a school, you should read its admission criteria. Find out more on the following page:

• School admissions criteria

When considering your child’s application, a post-primary school only uses information on your child’s transfer application. They use this information when they need to apply their admissions criteria if they get more applications than places they have available. 

Applications should be made directly to individual schools.

You should send your application form (AP1) directly to your preferred school(s). The form is available from the Education Authority (EA) website. 

• Applying for a school place

To find local schools, visit: 

• Search schools

More advice is available on the EA admissions help desk:

• phone: 028 9598 5595 - open Monday to Thursday 8.00 am to 6.00 pm and Friday 8.00 am to 5.00 pm

If the school has room, it should offer your child a place within 11 working days of receiving the application. Where a school declines admission, an application should be made to another school.

There may be a right of appeal in for any refusal and an admissions complaint form can be sent to the Department of Education:  

• Admissions complaints to DE - Post-Years 1 and 8

Support and help

Sources of advice for schools

The Intercultural Education Service (IES) explains what support is available for schools: 

• Intercultural Education Service (IES)

If you need more information contact the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Team.

Support with free school meals and school uniforms

You can apply for free school meals and for school uniform grants through the EA website.

Find out more about eligibility, how to apply for support, and contact details at the following link:

• Free School Meals / Uniform Grants

Getting a primary school place

Children go to primary school between 4 and 11 years old. You can apply online for your child’s first year place at primary school (Primary one).

• Getting a primary school place

When a child isn’t offered a place 

If you applied on time but your child isn’t offered a place, the Education Authority (EA) will ask you to choose from schools that still have places available.

If you don’t receive notification about your child’s placement you should contact the EA admissions helpdesk. 

Pre-school education 

The Pre-School Education Programme funds education for children in the year before they start primary school.

Pre-school education is available to every child but it's not essential. If you want your child to have pre-school education, you need to apply for a place. 

• Pre-school education places

Transferring to a post-primary school 

If your child is in year seven at primary school, you need to apply for their post-primary place.

• Transfer to a post-primary school

Choices after Year 12 (aged 16)

At the end of Year 12 you need to start thinking about the career path you want to take.

• Options after Year 12

AS and A levels

AS (Advanced Subsidiary) and A (Advanced) level qualifications focus on traditional study skills.

They normally take two years to finish full-time in school or FE college. They're also available to study part-time.

• AS and A levels

Further Education 

Further Education (FE) colleges are for students aged 16 and over and offer a range of academic, vocational and leisure courses.

Depending on the course you choose, you may have the choice of full or part-time courses as well as day or evening classes. There are different levels of course available to suit individual ability and support for those with learning needs. 

FE courses can help you develop the skills and qualifications to gain or progress in employment, or go onto further study.

You can find contact information for colleges offering full-time and part-time higher and further education courses at the following link:

• Further Education (FE) colleges

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a real job with training so you can earn while you learn and gain recognised qualifications.

Your employer offers you on-the-job training and pays your wages. You will work alongside experienced staff to learn and develop your skills. 

Your off-the-job training will usually be on a day-release basis with a training provider. This can be a college, training organisation or university. 

Legal responsibility for establishing that the apprentice has a right to live and work in the UK rests with the employer.

• Apprenticeships explained
• Apprenticeships

Skills for Life and Work 

Skills for Life and Work gives you the knowledge and skills you need to get a job or move onto the next level of training.

The training is designed around you – your level, your interests and your goals. You will also get an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

Careers advisers should be given as much evidence as possible from the young person to help decide eligibility for the programme and their right to live and study in the UK.

•  Skills for Life and Work
• Find your local careers office

Apprenticeships and Skills for Life and Work are employability programmes with eligibility criteria. You need to have the right to work.

Traineeships

A traineeship is a full-time vocational education and training programme which is open to anyone over the age of 16. It offers an opportunity to get the same as up to five GCSEs at grade C and above, including, in Maths and English.

Trainees have the same support available to students in Further Education Colleges. 

• Traineeships

After year 14 (aged 18)

After year 14 there are lots of choices open to you. The choice you make will be influenced by things like your career plans, your finances, if you want to continue with your education and employment opportunities. 

• Options after Year 14

Higher Education  

Higher Education (HE) is third level education after you leave school at universities and further education colleges.

It includes undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Higher Education qualifications include: 

• Postgraduate qualifications
• Bachelor's degrees
• Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Higher National Diplomas (HND)
• Foundation degree courses
• certificates and other academic awards granted by a university or higher education college - but not honorary degrees and higher doctorates
• Qualifications: what the different levels mean

Opportunities for university scholarships and financial support available for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) include:

• Home - Displaced Student Opportunities
• Student Action for Refugees - University scholarships
• Language Programme UK— RefuAid

Qualification equivalency

Find out more about recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills at the following links: 

• Are your country's qualifications recognised in the UK? 
• UK National Information Centre

For those arriving in Northern Ireland you can view the following video about education.

More useful links

• Education