United Kingdom EU Citizens' Rights Network

Living in the UK

Education & family

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School places

Every child in the UK aged 5 to 16 is entitled to a free state school place, whatever their or their parents' immigration status. You apply through your local council — mid-year moves use the council's "in-year admissions" process, and schools cannot ask about immigration status as a condition of admission.

If your child needs extra help (SEND)

SEND means special educational needs and disabilities. If your child is struggling and normal teaching is not enough, the school should give extra help — this is called "SEN support". Start by talking to the class teacher and the school's SENCO (the special educational needs coordinator). Put your concerns in writing — a short email is enough — and keep a copy. A written record matters.

If your child needs more help than the school can give, they may need an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. You, the parent, have your own legal right to ask the local council for an EHC needs assessment — you do not need the school to agree first. The council has 6 weeks to tell you whether it will assess. If it assesses and then decides to make a plan, the whole process must take no more than 20 weeks from your request. See GOV.UK on children with special educational needs.

If the council refuses, or you disagree with the plan it writes, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Most parents do this themselves, and free specialist charities will help you for nothing: IPSEA, SOS!SEN and Contact.

If the council misses these deadlines, or fails to deliver the help written in a plan, complain to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman.

One honest point: parents having their concerns dismissed for years is a known pattern in this system. What wins these cases is a written record — so put things in writing from the start, and keep every letter and email. For the full route, see when a school or council denies the help a child needs.

Problems with a school

For an ordinary problem — bullying, unfair treatment, or a decision you think is wrong — follow the school's complaint steps in order: first the class teacher, then the headteacher, then the school's governors, who must have a written complaints procedure. If that does not resolve it, go to the local authority for a council-run school, or to the Department for Education for an academy. For serious concerns about a whole school, such as safeguarding, you can also tell Ofsted. GOV.UK sets out the steps: complain about a school. For the wider picture, see when a school or council denies the help a child needs.

Universities and fee status

Whether you pay "home" or much higher "international" fees depends mainly on your status and residence history. In broad terms: people with settled status (and Irish citizens) who meet a three-year residence requirement usually qualify for home fees and student finance; people with pre-settled status usually qualify too, though the detailed conditions differ. The rules are technical and differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — check them, in writing, before accepting an offer.

Gotcha: universities sometimes misclassify EUSS holders as international students. Fee status can be challenged — UKCISA explains how, and a polite, well-referenced challenge often succeeds.

Childcare

Government help with childcare costs (funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare) is tied to work and income conditions, not nationality — most working parents with EUSS status qualify on the same basis as anyone else.

Children's rights under the Withdrawal Agreement

Children of EUSS holders have their own rights: to their own EUSS status (children needed their own application — some families missed this, and late applications for children are commonly accepted), to education, and — for children of workers — strong equal-treatment rights that can even anchor a parent's right to reside while the child is in education. If a child in your family never got status, treat it as fixable and get regulated advice.

Last reviewed: July 2026.