20
Accepted
All too often children in care face a David versus Goliath battle to gain admission...
Conclusion
All too often children in care face a David versus Goliath battle to gain admission to their local good or outstanding school. Despite the law clearly stating that good and outstanding schools should be prioritised for looked-after children, children in children’s homes are in fact less likely to attend the best schools than their peers. This is indefensible.
Government Response Summary
The government states that looked-after children have priority in school admissions and that statutory guidance prioritizes good and outstanding schools. They note there may be exceptional 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’.
Paragraph Reference
57
Government Response
Accepted
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
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’.
Source
Committee
Education Committee
Inquiry
Children's Homes
Addressee Bodies
Department for Education
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.9 yrs
Report published
08 Jul 2022