Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review arrangements allowing academies to act as admissions authorities, particularly for children who (a) live within a school’s designated catchment area but do not attend a primary school operated by the school’s sponsoring trust and (b) attend a trust‑run primary school outside the catchment area receiving higher priority for admission; and what steps she is taking to ensure that admissions policies do not disadvantage local children.

Admission arrangements are set and applied locally. Provided they are lawful and comply with the School Admissions Code, it is for the school’s admissions authority to decide what criteria to set, as long as they are fair, clear and objective.

Admission authorities may choose to give priority to children living within a designated catchment area or those attending named feeder schools, however, these must be clearly defined and made on reasonable grounds.

Admission authorities must consult locally before making any changes to their admission arrangements, or at least once every seven years, to ensure they continue to meet local need.

Once a school’s admission arrangements have been determined, anyone who believes they are unfair or unlawful may submit an objection to the Schools Adjudicator. Where the Adjudicator finds that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful, they must be revised.