School/nursery places for adopted children?

[Flower20166]

I'm sure I've heard before that LAC children and adopted children get their first choice of school. As in there could be 3 schools close to you and you may choose a completely different school which is out of catchment. The reasoning being that they've already had a disadvantaged start to life etc.
Is this right or have I completely made it up?

Yup. They are basically top of the list. Only thing they could argue is that the class is full (30 for KS1, 35 for KS2) but you'd be at the top of any waiting list.

www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/admissions-criteria

Doesnt apply to special schools though!

Thankyou!

Also doesn't necessarily apply to faith schools. Round here a non-Catholic adopted child would be at the top of the list of non-Catholic children, but as most of the Catholic schools haven't taken any non-Catholics for years you basically won't get a place there.

Thanks Maiyakat.
Around here most of the catholic schools are getting more and more non catholic pupils, so I don't think it will be a problem.
Food for thought though thank you.

C of E schools tend to apply the priority for LAC / post LAC pupils admissions more fairly in my experience. That is their admissions criteria tends to be:

Children with EHCP that names that school
Looked after or adopted children
Faith criteria
Distance
Etc

My personal opinion is that it is completely 'unchristian' for a school - particularly one that claims to be Christisn by virtue of being Catholic - to deny priority LAC admission but that's just a personal bugbear of mine!

Doesn't apply to nurseries.
This is for England (&Wales?).
Have to been adopted from care, so not step parent and not inter-country adoption.

Thankyou. It wouldn't be a day nursery, I'm thinking school nursery and school places.

Will definitely count for Reception onwards, i.e. the academic year they turn 5 (applied for by mid Jan before the Sept)

I don't think it applies to school-based nurseries (have just checked info on the nursery attached to our primary). You should contact them direct and check their arrangements for admission.

(Having a place in a school-based nursery gives no preference to Reception places in that school.)

Our RC schools will put adopted children at the top of the list if the child or the parents are RC. But if neither are, then they don't do it.

"Only thing they could argue is that the class is full (30 for KS1, 35 for KS2) but you'd be at the top of any waiting list."

Children adopted from care (like children in care) are excepted children and do not count towards infant class size regulations. If a school is full, they should go over numbers and admit the child. They should not be placed on a waiting list.

As others have said, there is no such legislation for nursery places, so best to speak to the school.

Sanders - Wales LAC are top priority for nurseries :)