Children Arrival in the UK: Schools and Healthcare (2026)

The in-year admissions route

Most migrant families arrive outside the September intake. The route into a state school is the in-year admissions process, which sits with the local authority where the family lives, not with individual schools. The council holds a single application form (sometimes online, sometimes paper) that lets the family list a preferred school or a small number of preferred schools.

The School Admissions Code requires councils to allocate a school place within a defined period of receiving a complete application, and to offer a place at the nearest school with capacity if none of the preferred schools has space. In high-demand London boroughs and large urban areas, the nearest school with capacity may be a notable distance from the family's address, and an appeal route exists for refusals at preferred schools.

Documentation usually requested includes the child's passport, the visa or eVisa share code, a UK address document (a tenancy agreement or council tax letter is enough), and immunisation records where available. Schools cannot lawfully refuse a place on immigration grounds for a child who is lawfully resident in the UK.

NHS access through the IHS

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is paid for each child added as a dependant on the main applicant's visa. Once the family is in the UK, that surcharge gives the child broadly the same NHS access as an ordinary resident for the duration of the visa, including primary care with a GP, secondary care in hospitals, and community child-health services such as health visiting.

Some services sit outside the IHS scope and are charged as overseas-visitor services if used, including most assisted-conception services and some non-urgent treatment for conditions arising before the visa was granted. The NHS overseas-visitor charging regulations published on gov.uk set out the categories.

GP registration for child dependants

Registration with a local NHS GP practice is the gateway to most child health services in the UK. Practices register children within their catchment area, and the registration usually triggers an invitation to a new-patient health check and an alignment of the immunisation record to the UK schedule. NHS England guidance is that practices should not refuse registration on the grounds of immigration status or lack of proof of address.

Where the child has had vaccinations abroad on a different schedule, the practice will usually map the existing record onto the UK routine immunisation programme and offer any catch-up doses needed. Bringing translated immunisation records to the first appointment shortens this process.

EAL provision and integration

English as an Additional Language is provided at school level rather than as a national entitlement. A child with limited English will normally be placed in age-appropriate mainstream classes with in-class language support, withdrawn sessions for targeted language work, or both. Schools fund this from the Pupil Premium and core budget rather than from a separate national EAL grant, so provision varies between schools.

Ofsted inspection frameworks consider how well a school supports EAL pupils, and the most recent inspection report on a school is publicly available and a useful indicator of the strength of provision before accepting an in-year offer.

Free School Meals and benefit-linked support

Free School Meals (FSM) in England are available to children whose family receives a qualifying benefit (such as Universal Credit below an income threshold) or who are subject to the no-recourse-to-public-funds condition where the family income is below the threshold set by the Department for Education. The NRPF extension to FSM was introduced from 2022 and continues to apply to most family and work-visa dependants.

Universal Infant Free School Meals separately give every child in reception, year one, and year two a free meal regardless of family income, in state-funded schools in England. The interaction between universal and means-tested FSM matters for the Pupil Premium calculation, which schools use to fund additional support including EAL.

School transport, uniforms, and start-up costs

State schools in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland do not charge tuition fees for children resident in the UK. Costs that fall on the family include uniforms, sports kit, school meals where not covered by FSM, school trips, and (in some areas) transport. Local authorities are required to provide free home-to-school transport for children below a statutory walking distance or with specific eligibility, with the rules set out in gov.uk transport guidance.

Disclaimer

This article is general information about UK rules and processes at the time of writing. It is not legal, immigration, tax, or financial advice. Rules and figures change. Verify the current position with the relevant authority (gov.uk, HMRC, FCA, or a regulated adviser) before acting on anything here.

FAQ

Can a child on a dependant visa attend a UK state school?

Yes. State school education is free for children resident in the UK regardless of nationality, and dependant children on most visa categories are treated as resident for school-admission purposes. Applications go through the local council's in-year admissions process and are decided under the statutory School Admissions Code.

Does the Immigration Health Surcharge cover children for all NHS services?

The IHS gives broadly the same NHS access as an ordinary resident for the duration of the visa, including GP, hospital, and community services. A small number of services sit outside the IHS scope and are charged separately under the overseas-visitor charging regulations, including most assisted-conception services and some treatments for pre-existing conditions.

How long does it take to get a school place in-year?

The statutory School Admissions Code requires councils to allocate a school place within a defined working-day window of receiving a complete in-year application. In high-demand areas the offered school may be further from the family's address than preferred, and an appeal route exists for refused preferences.

Are free school meals available to children on a dependant visa?

Universal Infant Free School Meals are available to all reception-to-year-two pupils in state-funded schools in England regardless of family circumstances. Means-tested FSM for older children depends on family income and benefit status, and the NRPF extension introduced from 2022 means most visa-dependant families below the income threshold are eligible despite the no-recourse-to-public-funds condition on the parent's visa.

Does the school need to see the child's visa?

Schools do not require the visa or eVisa as a condition of admission and cannot refuse a place on immigration grounds for a child lawfully resident in the UK. Local authorities and schools may ask to see the visa as part of identity and address checks during the application, alongside the child's passport, a UK address document, and immunisation records where available.