Every child has a fundamental right to education, regardless of their immigration status, nationality, or citizenship, but the hostile migration environment in the UK has created significant barriers for many children to access this right. At the same time, there is limited research and guidance on access to education for migrant children and young people in the UK.

Responding to Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation's (IRMO) eleven years of experience of providing advice and support to Latin American families in Lambeth and wider London, this legal briefing highlights case studies from community members about their experiences of discrimination and other barriers to equal access, and provides guidance on the legal rights of migrant children and young people, including different strategies to challenge existing structural inequalities and to widen access to education for these children.

The briefing was written by Jen Ang, a human rights lawyer and Founding Director of Lawmanity, together with Thrive, an education advocacy project led by IRMO, aimed at ensuring Latin American migrant children have equal access to education and can thrive in the UK, regardless of their immigration status, language barriers, ability, cultural differences, ethnic background or social class.

Our goal is to reduce structural barriers to education for Latin American and broader migrant communities, to improve understanding, among schools and local authorities, of the challenges these children face, and to inform policymakers and the public about the urgent need for reform.