Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools to the Earl of Listowel, Official Report, House of Lords, column 553, what estimate she has made of the number of schools that do not prioritise looked-after children.

The School Admissions Code 2012 requires all state-funded schools to give admission priority to looked-after and previously looked-after children. [1]

In May this year the Department issued additional guidance to clarify its position for school admission authorities in relation to children adopted from local authority care. This was to ensure that all children adopted from local authority care in England and Wales should have the highest priority rather than restricting priority to those children adopted from care under the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

The most recent report of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator indicates that this requirement has been met in most of the arrangements seen by adjudicators (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307182/osa_annual_report_12-13.pdf) but acknowledges there is more to be done to ensure that all schools comply fully with this requirement.

The Children and Families Act 2014 included a new provision to place the role of Virtual School Head (VSH) on a statutory footing. VSHs have a role in promoting the education of the children their authority looks after and that includes ensuring everyone understands the requirements in the Code.

[1] Previously looked-after children are those who have been adopted from care and those who left care under a Special Guardianship Order or Residence (now Child Arrangements) Order.