A 15-year-old alleged asylum seeker at Stoke High School in Ipswich has been referred to the Home Office amid claims he may be a 30-year-old man. The pupil, from the Middle East, arrived in the UK unaccompanied earlier this year and is currently studying for his GCSEs in Year 11.
The controversy began after a Snapchat post by another student showed the boy in uniform with the caption: 'How's there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?' The post led to concerns among parents, some of whom threatened to withdraw their children from the 680-pupil school. The headteacher subsequently referred the case to immigration officials, who are now investigating his age.
Under Home Office guidelines, asylum seekers may be treated as adults if their physical appearance and demeanour 'very strongly suggests that they are significantly over 18 years of age'. Assessments consider factors such as height, build, facial hair, voice pitch, mannerisms, and eye contact. The principle of 'benefit of the doubt' applies when reliable documents are lacking.
A watchdog report earlier this year noted that some local authorities felt the 'benefit of the doubt' policy was applied 'too readily' to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Data from July 2016 to June 2017 showed that of 618 resolved age disputes, 65% of claimants were found to be over 18.
The pupil has been removed from school pending the investigation. A parent told MailOnline the boy 'looks more like one of the parents' and expressed concern about how he gained a place. The school, run by the Ormiston Academies Trust, has asked the Home Office to verify his age.
