A SECONDARY SCHOOL pupil is being investigated after classmates and parents claimed he may actually be as old as 30.
The 'schoolboy', who is reportedly an asylum seeker from the Middle East, joined Stoke High School in Ipswich, Suffolk, at the start of last term after arriving in the UK unaccompanied earlier this year.
The school said it had contacted the Home Office in relation to the concerns after another student posted an image of the pupil on Snapchat with the caption: "How's there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?"
In a statement, a spokesperson for the school said: "This is a matter for the Home Office and we have referred it to them.
"The student is not attending the school at this time.
"We can not comment further on an individual case but we have followed Government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any admissions matter."
Outrage
Some parents have threatened to remove their children from the 680-pupil school should the pupil, who claimed to be 15, be proven to be an adult male.
One wrote on Facebook: "My girls will not be attending until I know for sure he's been removed".
Another added: "I suggest if anyone's children are in the same classes as this guy then keep them off school until this has been investigated."
According to the East Anglian Daily Times, the 'man' may have lied about his age in order to gain GCSEs because his qualifications were not recognised in England.
When there is doubt about someone's age as part of an immigration case, the Home Office can arrange for social workers to undertake an age assessment.
A Home Office spokesperson said it "does not routinely comment on individual cases."
