Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the same school admission criteria for children adopted in the UK do not apply to those adopted from overseas.

School admission authorities have been required to give looked after children – those who are in the care of a local council in England - highest priority in their admission arrangements since 2007.

In 2012, this priority was extended to previously looked after children – those who have been looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order. Our intention was to ensure that all children who receive highest priority whilst in care of the local council continue to receive that priority once they have left care.

We have now also decided that when the opportunity arises, we intend to make further changes to the School Admissions Code. These changes will ensure that children who were previously in care outside of England also receive highest priority for admission into a school in England.

Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.

However, until we are able to make the relevant changes to the Code, we have written to admission authorities encouraging them to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements, to give these children second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.