New arrivals in Newham

Benefits and entitlements

As a resident of the UK you may be entitled to various benefits and financial support for you and your family. If you are a new arrival into the UK as well as Newham you will need to apply to receive these. Find out more here.

Housing

Once you arrive in Newham you are entitled to support to find adequate housing for your family.

To find out about your housing entitlement and Newham Council's housing provision visit here.

Register with a GP

It is important that all of your family register with a GP once you have arrived in Newham so that you can access healthcare and support.

This page will help you find your local GP.

Use this link to register for a GP in Newham.

Dentist registration

Maintaining good oral hygiene is important for all and particularly for children and young people. Once you are registered with a dentist you will be able to schedule appointments to monitor and support their oral health as they grow up. 

You can find a dentist and register here.

You can access useful resources on how to maintain good oral hygiene for you and your baby here.

Apply for 30 hours free childcare

30 hours of free childcare is available in England to parents who meet the eligibility criteria.

You can check if you are eligible and apply here.

Register for 15 hours early years education

If your child is between three and four year old when you arrive in Newham you are entitled to at least 15 hours per week of free early years education.

This can be with the provider of your choice. However, it is important to register a term ahead of when your child will start in order to secure a place.

You can find out more information including what you are entitled to, when your child will be able to start, and how to register here.

Apply for a school place

Once you arrive in Newham, if your child is under 16 you must apply for them to take up a place at school.

In the UK your child will start primary school in September after they turn 4. If you arrive before this you can apply for their place to start school here.

If you arrive after the age where in the UK your child would normally have already started school, you can apply for their place at a school here.

School entry health assessment

Once your child starts school they will receive a school entry health assessment. This is so that any extra support needs that may impact on your child’s health and enjoyment can be identified and supported to help them get the most out of school.

This assessment is done by Newham’s School health service. You can find out more about them and the assessment here. 

Planning your child’s journey to school

Once you are settled in Newham and your child is ready to start school there is an important question to decide: how will they get there?

To help you with this, schools write travel plans - find out more here.

You might be able to access financial support to help with any costs of travelling to school. Find out more here.

Newham is doing lots of work to help make children’s experiences travelling to schools as safe and healthy as possible. Find out more about this work here.

Buy school uniform

Once your child has registered and been accepted into a school in Newham you will need to purchase their uniform.

Each school has its own uniform. You will need to contact the school directly your child will be attending directly to find out where to purchase this.

Find out more about the primary schools in Newham here.

Or use the Newham School Fact finder to find the schools in your local area.

Exercise right of appeal for school place if unhappy with place offered

Once you have applied for a school place for your child, If you are unhappy with the place offered you have the right to appeal.

You can find out about how to appeal, the process that will follow and the potential outcome here.

Receive free schools meals if eligible

Once your child has been registered Your child might be eligible to receive free school meals throughout their time at school.

You can check their eligibility and apply here. 

Post 16 pathways and careers advice

If a young person is over 16 when they arrive in Newham there are lots of different pathways open to them. They are required by law to continue in education or training until they turn 18 at least.

There are lots of different options available to young people. Find out more about these here. This resource also provides lots of useful information for young people at this stage.

Post-18 pathways

If young people arrive in the UK after they turn 18 they are no longer legally required to remain in education or training. Find out more here.

However, young people have lots of opportunities open to them at this stage, from employment, university, starting a business to apprenticeships. Find your passion and go for it!