Education and childcare: Homes for Ukraine
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-15)

What rights children and young people under the scheme have to education, and the role of councils in providing it. Information on childcare options.

All children living in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme are eligible to enrol as a student.

In England, children may first attend school part-time or full-time from the start of the term following their 4th birthday (31 December, 31 March or 31 August) and must receive suitable full-time education from the start of the term following their 5th birthday. Compulsory education in England ends (https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school) once the child is 16 before the start of the next school year.

However, all young people in England are required to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday, and most continue until the end of the academic year in which they turn 18. Councils have a statutory duty to support 16 and 17-year-olds to move into education and training.

Evidence of eligibility

Colleges

Colleges (non-state-funded) may ask to see evidence of eligibility, which could be the Home Office documents that give families from Ukraine the legal right to reside in the UK. These documents give automatic rights to access education.

Schools

All children of compulsory school age must receive suitable, full-time, education whilst in England and state-funded schools must not refuse to admit them on the basis of their nationality nor ask to see passports or other immigration information as a condition of admission, or as any part of the admissions process.

Council support for school places

Councils are required to provide parents who are in their area with advice on their choice of schools, which includes providing information on where schools have vacancies and how to apply. There is information for families at: Schools and education (https://www.gov.uk/browse/childcare-parenting/schools-education)

If there are school places available in the local area, even if not in the immediate vicinity of the family’s home, the council should work with families arriving from Ukraine to enable the children to attend school as soon as possible.

Councils are expected to provide places, and school admission authorities should use the space in their schools as fully as possible and admit students above their published admission numbers.

Families may be eligible for free school meals (https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals) or help with transport to school (https://www.gov.uk/help-home-school-transport).

Policy on priority admissions

Children from Ukraine have no specific additional priority for admission.

If children from Ukraine are unable to find a school place when they arrive in an area during the school year, councils should place them under their in-year, fair-access protocols where the circumstances set out in the School admissions code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2) apply. For example, where the child has been refused admission to schools within a reasonable distance of their home.

These children should also be admitted in-year as exceptions to the infant class size limit, where there is no alternative school place within a reasonable distance of their home.

Childcare

Parents on Homes for Ukraine can access childcare options, and children are eligible for the same childcare options as anyone else but what is available will vary depending on which part of the UK they live in (England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).

For example, in England guests can get help with the cost of childcare depending on their circumstances, including:
- 15 free hours of childcare per week for all children aged 3 and 4
- 30 free hours of childcare per week for working parents with children aged from 9 months until school age
- free childcare if their child is 2 years old and they are on a low income or receive certain benefits (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs)
They may also be able to get money off the cost of childcare if they work or are on Universal Credit.

Guests can find out what Childcare and education options (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/childcare-and-education-up-to-16-years-old-homes-for-ukraine) are available to them.