Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to make national guidance on fair admissions which gives priority to looked-after children binding on city technology colleges.

All maintained and academy schools must comply with the School Admissions Code. This requires them to give highest admissions priority to looked-after and previously looked-after children.

The School Admissions Code does not apply, however, to city technology colleges (CTCs), including city colleges for the technology of the arts (CCTAs), which are independent schools set up under provisions originally within the Education Reform Act 1998.

Each of these schools was established prior to the introduction of a mandatory School Admissions Code, so the funding agreements put in place do not require them to give priority to looked-after or previously looked after children.

Any variation in those funding agreements has to be with the CTC or CCTA’s agreement.