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Written question asked by Rupert Lowe (Independent (affiliation)) on Thursday, 23 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 October 2025. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Monday, 3 November 2025 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Undocumented Migrants: Education

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on obtaining parental consent before children participate in classroom sessions involving external speakers discussing their personal experiences of (a) irregular and (b) illegal migration.

Answer

Under sections 406 and 407 of the Equality Act 1996, schools must not promote partisan political views and should ensure that pupils are provided with a balanced treatment of political issues.

To support this, the department has published comprehensive guidance to support schools to meet their duties on political impartiality. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools/political-impartiality-in-schools.

The guidance states that all schools should thoroughly assess external agencies before agreeing to work with them, ensuring that the external agencies used, including materials and communication with pupils, are appropriate and adhere to schools’ legal duties on political impartiality.

The guidance also sets out that most issues can be resolved locally through their existing processes for engaging with parents, carers and the wider school community, and that schools should treat concerns seriously.

Additionally, all schools and colleges must have regard to the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance when carrying out their duties, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The department has not had any contact with Quality First Education Trust or Wandsworth Council on these issues.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
84807
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Education Undocumented migrants
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk