Ukrainian refugee children already starting school in Wiltshire
More than 400 visas have been issued so far
Three Ukrainian children have already been attending school in Wiltshire after fleeing their war-torn home country - with more starting after the Easter break.
Wiltshire Council tell us 57 school applications have been submitted across the county; 40 for primary places and 17 in secondaries.
It's also been confirmed that 288 Wiltshire homes have so far been matched up with 794 Ukrainian refugees, with 402 visas issued (as of 19th April).
Extra staff are being drafted in by Wiltshire Council to help with checks before refugees are given a placement - on things like accommodation and welfare & suitability checks.
The authority's put caseworkers in place and is working on sorting payments for sponsors and emergency support for new arrivals.
Around 1,500 households in Wiltshire have registered for the Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council said:
“I want to thank our communities who are looking at ways to provide support as we welcome Ukrainian refugees into Wiltshire. We know across Wiltshire there are plans for community hubs to help co-ordinate local efforts to make refugees feel at home. Also many of our schools will be preparing to welcome Ukrainian pupils and we are supporting them with this. We are also looking to provide English language support where necessary.
“The fact that we’ve had to draft in extra support for this work just goes to show how much people in our county want to help, and we’re working hard to carry out our checks as quickly as possible.”
Sponsors providing homes in Wiltshire for refugees are asked to email refugees@wiltshire.gov.uk once they have guests, so Wiltshire Council can arrange support for the people arriving here.
They've also put together a 'welcome pack' on their website.
There's also still time to register your household for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, through the Gov.UK website.