He told parliament that headteachers in his Nottingham South constituency had found children from abroad to be a positive influence.

He wants the government to put all asylum seeker children in mainstream schools, rather than educating them separately in accommodation centres.

Mr Simpson was addressing Education Minister David Miliband during a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Large centres

The Nottingham MP said: "They add enormously to the quality of education in the schools, there is a hunger to learn and an enthusiasm to integrate."

He said a government report backed his claim where it was said asylum seeker children would learn the language quicker in mainstream education.

Mr Miliband said the government was in favour of putting refugee children into mainstream schools.

But he defended the plans to put new arrivals into accommodation centres.

An RAF base near the village of Newton in Nottinghamshire is one of three sites earmarked by the government to build large asylum centres.