Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies have used the right of appeal to disagree with a local authority's decision to place a child in their school; and what the outcome of those cases were in each of the last five years.

Where a local authority considers that an academy will best meet the needs of a child, it can ask the academy to admit that child. The local authority and the academy will usually come to an agreement, but if the academy refuses to admit the child, the local authority can ask the Secretary of State to direct them to do so. Academies do not have the right to appeal against a direction made by the Secretary of State.

Published guidance on academy admissions can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-admissions.