13 Accepted

The Department must take greater responsibility for policing the school admissions system to ensure it...

Recommendation
The Department must take greater responsibility for policing the school admissions system to ensure it is working in the interests of looked-after children. There must be a clear sanctions mechanism in place for schools who consistently refuse or delay admissions of looked-after children. The lever for this accountability should be the impact on the school’s Ofsted judgement. Where schools are refusing to admit looked- after children, this should be a limiting factor for their Ofsted rating.
Government Response Summary
The government states that looked-after children already have priority in school admissions and that guidance prioritizes schools judged as 'Good' or 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, with exceptions for evidence-based reasons. They state children should never be placed in a school judged inadequate unless there are exceptional evidence-based reasons.
Paragraph Reference
44
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government Accepted
107. As set out in the response to other recommendations above, looked-after children have priority in school admissions and statutory guidance for VSHs states that, when arranging a looked after child’s education placement, schools judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ should be prioritised. There may be circumstances where it may be more appropriate that a looked after child is not placed in a school judged by Ofsted to be ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, for example, where a school judged ‘Requiring Improvement’ is evidenced to be providing high-quality support to its vulnerable pupils. However, the guidance is clear that unless there are exceptional evidence-based reasons, looked after children should never be placed in a school judged by Ofsted to be ‘Inadequate’.
Addressee Bodies
Department for Education
Timeline
Recommendation age 3.9 yrs
Report published 08 Jul 2022