A family sponsoring a Ukrainian teenager said they endured a frustrating five-week wait to find out if she could go to school.
Dave and Pam Rogers of Telford welcomed Anastiia, 15, along with her younger sister and mother on April 11.
After applying for a school place through the council’s online system, they said they encountered silence.
The Telford and Wrekin council said it is working closely with schools to get children in the right places.
Mr Rogers said he had jumped back and forth between the council and the schools he had applied to, causing a lot of confusion.
“We filled out the portal as requested, where you select the schools you want. We were told we would get a reply back within a fortnight and after waiting two weeks we had had no reply from anyone.
“I’ve tried contacting the local council … and we’re still awaiting replies.
“We then contacted the schools and they turned around and said it was up to the council but when we got in touch they said it was up to the principals. I started calling local schools again.”
After waiting weeks for an answer, Mr Rogers said he was able to get Anastiia a place at the end of the semester, but only after taking matters into his own hands and phoning several local schools.
The 15-year-old is looking forward to going back to school and making new friends, and is looking forward to “meeting good people who can help me and spend time with me”.
“I hope to go to school and improve my English,” she added.
Mr Rogers said trying to get a place in school, as well as registering for a social security number and Universal Credit “need more coordination” to help sponsors and Ukrainian nationals navigate the system more efficiently.
“People have to be attentive – these [Ukrainian] People want to go to school – want to go to work and some of the questions and hurdles that they have to jump through,” he said.
A Telford and Wrekin council spokeswoman said: “Schools across the county have welcomed Ukrainian children with open arms and we are working as quickly as possible to arrange the correct school places for them in line with the various school admissions policies.
“This time the process was not as smooth as we would have liked, but we are happy that the school place is now secure.”
Families have contacted the BBC to share their experiences of trying to enroll children they sponsor, with many facing lengthy delays, particularly in obtaining places in secondary education.
Polina was welcomed with “open arms” by Hodnet Primary School days after arriving in Shropshire after her family fled their hometown in central Ukraine.
Simon and Rachael Chapple are sponsoring the nine-year-old, along with her 15-year-old sister Mariia and mother Olena, at their country home near Blakeley in Shropshire.
“Primary school was absolutely brilliant,” said Ms. Chapple.
“They arrived on Thursday, had a tour on Friday, got a uniform on Tuesday – and were at school on Wednesday for their first day of school.”
She added that Polina, who was initially apprehensive about joining the school, “came out jumping and dancing” and that the entire community “hugs” her.
However, getting Mariia a place at school proved to be much more difficult.
“Maria, of everyone, was keen to go to school and socialize, she hadn’t socialized with any other kids for eight weeks,” Ms Chapple said.
After a three-week wait, she has now found a place that she says has made her “really happy” so she can “improve” her English.
“After school I want to go abroad and study, and it’s interesting to learn something different and about the culture,” Mariia added.
“A few years ago I would never have expected to be in England.”
Around 150 children up to the age of 18 have moved to Shropshire through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with a further 140 expected, according to Shropshire Council.
A spokesman for the local authority said it will “follow up all other child arrivals through our social visits as some children will not be of school age or continue their education through distance learning”.
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