The Home Office says only that it tries to move children on from initial accommodation as quickly as possible.
Cardiff City of Sanctuary, an NGO that welcomes refugees, has expressed concern about the plight of children denied education in initial accommodation.
Their contracted provider, in this case Clearsprings, is given targets to keep the time people spend in initial accommodation to a minimum.
Cardiff council's cabinet member for education, Sarah Merry, said: "The Home Office is responsible for initial accommodation centres, including the one in Cardiff.
Nazim first found Ahsanullah in Urban House in Wakefield, an "initial accommodation centre" to which asylum seekers are sent before being dispersed across Yorkshire.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We make every effort to move families with children from initial accommodation into permanent accommodation as quickly as possible so they are able to join a school".
Children in initial accommodation seem to fare particularly badly because they are not allowed to go on a waiting list to get a school place, unlike other children seeking asylum.
Those in initial accommodation do not have a legal right to attend school and local councils say they do not have a legal responsibility to provide education for them.
Peter Hall, coordinator of Croydon Refugee Day Centre, works with a lot of families placed in initial accommodation in Brigstock House, another site for temporary accommodation, and said that at any one time there may be up to eight families placed there whose children have been denied access to school.
"There is no legal requirement for local authorities to provide education for children waiting for dispersal from initial accommodation by the Home Office, but despite this we have taken steps, with partner organisations in the third sector, to offer an education package for children and parents while their cases are being considered".
