Recommendation 22

We have highlighted the need for clear sanctions for schools who refuse to admit looked-after pupils, enforced through the impact on the school’s Ofsted judgement. We have also highlighted the need for much quicker decisions to be made by the Schools Adjudicator when the admissions code is breached. And the new backstop power set out in the White Paper would give local authorities the power to automatically place a child in an academy. Together, these measures would tilt the system in favour of looked-after children, ensuring they can access the best schools, without suffering delays to their education. (Paragraph 59) Educational poverty: how children in residential care have been let down and what to do about it 47