There is No Policy and There is No One Responsible For Them: education policies for accompanied refugee children in England

Refugee children are a marginalised group in education policy. The English government neglects their needs, leaving policymaking at the discretion of local actors. Interviews conducted in five English local authorities with high proportions of refugees reveal that past policies which targeted refugees have been discontinued.

This is due to the context of austerity interacting with the limits of legal requirements on local authorities, altering the ‘rules of the game’ and diminishing available support. To place refugee children’s needs on the agenda, Ofsted, the school inspection body, should show official recognition of such needs when assessing schools.