A Year 11 pupil at a secondary school has reportedly been found to be an adult following an investigation triggered by claims from classmates that he is as old as 30.
The asylum seeker, who claimed to be 15, is no longer at Stoke High School in Ipswich.
A Year 7 pupil has also left the school, though it is understood their status as a child is accepted.
Another pupil at the school had posted a photograph of the Year 11 pupil on Snapchat with the comment “How’s there a 30 year old man in our maths class”.
It is understood the asylum seeker joined at the start of term, and he stopped attending the school earlier this month after concerns were raised.
A spokesperson for the school said on Friday: “This is a matter for the Home Office.
“Neither a Year 11 student nor a Year 7 student is at the school.
“We cannot comment further on individual cases.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to safeguarding children and are looking into the circumstances of this case to understand how it was handled.
“Age-disputed cases remain a challenging area of work in which no single assessment technique, or combination of techniques, is likely to determine an individual’s age with precision.
“In the absence of clear and credible documentary evidence, Home Office staff must rely on physical appearance and demeanour to make an initial assessment on whether a person claiming to be a child is under 18.
“If an individual is assessed to be under 18, but subsequent concerns about their age are raised - for example by a school - we will act quickly to reconsider the case.”
Ipswich MP Sandy Martin said: “I’m under the impression that both the school and the Home Office are not going to speak to anybody about this.
“I also do respect the privacy of the family and I believe that the younger of the two young people left the school because of the threat or danger that they might be seriously bullied.
“The whole thing is very unfortunate all round and the Home Office do have a duty to make sure people are the right age before people are sent to school.”
When there is doubt about an individual’s claim to be a child, they will be referred to a local authority’s social services department for an age assessment and they will be treated as a child until a decision on their age is made.
If an individual is assessed to be over 18, the Home Office will process any asylum claim as being made by an adult.
If the application is unsuccessful, and appeal rights are exhausted, removal action will be pursued “as appropriate”.
