Bucks schools take in almost 200 Ukrainian refugee pupils

Schools in Buckinghamshire have offered almost 200 places to children fleeing the Ukraine conflict, new data shows.

The UK Government currently operates resettlement schemes for refugees and migrants leaving Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong – many of whom are families with children.

Figures from the Department for Education show that at least 186 Ukrainian pupils have been offered school places in Buckinghamshire as of May 27 – the latest available data.

A further 13 pupils were still waiting for an outcome to their application but may since have been granted a place.

The figures also show that four offers have been given to pupils settled from Afghanistan and 14 to children from Hong Kong.

The Government estimated 11,400 applications have been made for Ukrainian child refugees nationally up to May 27, of which nearly 10,000 had been given offers – including around 2,200 in the South East.

A further 5,400 Afghan and 8,000 Hong Kong pupils have been offered places in English schools, according to estimates.

The figures were compiled through a survey given to local authorities, with 77% of councils responding.

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Separate data from the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show 1,370 refugees had been given visas in Buckinghamshire under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme as of July 5, 1,025 of which have arrived in the UK.

This number is up from four weeks ago, when there were 790 arrivals from 1,205 offers.

The Association of School and College Leaders, which represents school headteachers, said that while refugee pupils have been warmly welcomed by schools, there is more work to be done to support them.

Geoff Barton, the organisation's general secretary said: “The main challenges are the language barrier and supporting the children with the trauma they have experienced.

He added: “We are concerned about the availability of wider specialist support for their mental health and wellbeing which schools can draw upon.

“Our impression is that this is patchy and that schools are largely doing this on their own without any additional resources.”