Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for direct admission to an academy of a looked-after child she received in the academic year 2016-17.

Looked after children are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and we are committed to supporting them to have the best possible start in life. As such, there are provisions within the schools admissions system to support looked after children.

Where a local council considers that an academy will best meet the needs of a child, it can ask the academy to admit the child but has no powers to direct it to do so. The local council and the academy will usually come to an agreement, but if an academy refuses to admit a child, the local council can ask the Secretary of State to intervene.

An application to direct from the Secretary of State should only be requested as a last resort. However, when a direction is received, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will act on behalf of the Secretary of State to consider whether under the terms of an academy’s funding agreement she has the power to direct the academy to admit the child.

For 2016/17 the ESFA, on behalf of my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State, received 14 requests for direct admission to an academy relating to a looked-after child.