Priority admission for adopted child

[Iamthestorm]

My lo is adopted and as I understand it will have priority admission when we apply for a place next year.

Where we live there is a school that is heavily oversubscribed and people move house paying 10s of thousands over the odds to get in and still don't always get a place.

I had thought of putting this school down as our first choice despite living out of catchment but now I'm not so sure as we've already hadn't a few snidey comments and suggestions that it's unfair. To be clear I haven't raised this, just when I've been asked which school we are going to choose, the comments have come. As an adopted child, dc might have identity/belonging issues going forward anyway without any school resentment thrown in.

Do people generally care once school starts or is it likely the resentment will continue? It would be quite obvious that we are outside catchment as the catchment is small. I also worry about taking a place from another child who lives closer although there are a number of other schools nearby. I'd be really grateful for any thoughts.

Thanks

Simon.

They must include them then. It used to say lac and adopted but then it just said LAC. Perhaps they don't need to add adoption anymore if it's law.

I'm adopted with no issues, from a few months. It's hard enough when you are a child and these kids have probably been through so much in their little lives they deserve all the help and priority they can get.

OP ignore the bigots and pick the right school for your child. Be strong in (politely) asking people who are nosey to mind their own business.

LAC (including adoptees) are first priority in all state schools except where religion is a factor: then it would be LAC of that religion in first place. Most religious schools put all LAC first anyway.

Perhaps they don't need to add adoption anymore if it's law.

The LAC notation does include all former LACs. It's usually made clearer than that on entry criteria, but often not in other ways in schools.

My kids attend a similar school to the one you describe the ‘best’ in town with a small catchment area and scramble for places. There are a couple of adopted kids who live a way out who have chosen it and I don’t think anyone at school cares, after all it’s not deprived anyone attending of a place Iyswim. Having said that I’m not sure I would have chosen it if I thought my kid would struggle as it is quite pushy a academically. (Not suggesting all adopted kids struggle academically but an example of why it might not suit everyone) So I guess if you think the school best offers what your child needs then you absolutely should go for it without a second thought but just because it’s the ‘best’ doesn’t mean it’s right for your child.

I agree with everyone that says ignore the bigots, and choose it if you feel it is the right school for your child. LAC and post-LAC children have enough to deal with and if anyone should be at the top of the list for any given school, then it's children such as yours.

Don't go just on academics, and whether the bigots think it's a great school though - go and check for yourself, ask what experience they have with LAC and post-LAC children and what they can do to help your child. Go and visit at least two others and then make a decision. The Ofsted outstanding school is not always the most joyful.

I agree with a PP - nobody there will care in the slightest, because it hasn't deprived them of a place.
Do the best for your child, they deserve it.

I would go for the school you think would be most suitable.
You are not taking a place away from someone else, you deserve it more, the law says so.

However please make sure you look at the school and check it is suitable. My ADDs went to (what was then) officially the least good of 4 options. However the pastoral care support was ace, and they were used to dealing with all sorts of families and children from all sorts of backgrounds. This gave them a secure base from which to learn, and when there were 'wobbles' the school took them in their stride.

So make sure you ask about emotional support, behaviour strategies, being sensitive in the curriculum (eg in Reception bringing in baby photos is quite common). If they seem too much 'this is our way' and not enough flexibility then look elsewhere.

Choose the school that is best for your child.
No one at the school will care because obviously their child got in.

To be honest I'd avoid getting dragged into discussing it with parents and go for a breezy "oh we're still deciding" or "oh gosh it's so difficult isn't it, I just can't wait until it'll it's all over. Now what are you doing for fancy dress day...."

Again, thank you so much for all of the comments. I don't think she is academic as she's struggled with most things so far but got there in the end (probably due to a cocktail of drugs and alcohol in pregnancy) but I love her with everything I have and want to do the very. Ear I can for her, the school I was planning on is very academic so I think I might think again and look again at pastoral care and nurturing.

Thank you again

*very best I can

To those who are questioning why adopted children are given priority admission, you may find this an illuminating read:
www.adoptionuk.org/news/adopted-children-do-half-as-well-as-their-peers-in-gcses

It states:
‘As thousands of pupils receive their GCSE results today, the charity Adoption UK warns that adopted children’s grades are likely to be significantly lower than their classmates.

Just a third of adopted children achieved a pass in English and Maths in 2017, compared to 59% of their peers, official figures show. The attainment figures for adoptees from the Class of 2018 will not be published until next year but Adoption UK research has shown that adopted children are 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than their classmates and they are much more likely to leave school with no qualifications.’

OP - please do what is right for your DC and ignore any criticism if it arises.

Choosing a school is difficult. Ofsted reports are largely made up these days. I would use value added scores (rather than raw GCSE) as your main measure and try to gauge things like pastoral care using your gut feeling and a lot of questions.

I am not as critical of strong behaviour management systems as some adopters. I think calm environment, good routines and clear systems are more important, not less.

The problem comes with schools who academic success and behaviour management are too rigid and one size fits all.

@simonjt

You said:
‘Adopted children have permanent brain changes due to trauma, they are automatically at a huge disadvantage.’

Not ALL adopted children have permanent brain changes. Some do, perhaps many do, but not all.

Haven’t the rules changed to include adopted children in the looked after category?
Choose the school you want and fuck the begrudgers...

I think it is LAC and children who were LAC prior to being adopted. If it is a private adoption it doesn't count.

Oh...

The most important thing is to pick the best school for your child. That has to come above everything else. You will have to either ignore any nasty comments about how you secured a place or use it as a chance to educate people about the specific needs of adopted children. Or you could just enjoy the thought of everyone madly speculating about how you got a place while knowing you've done nothing wrong.

My DD is due to start at an oversubscribed secondary school that we are not in catchment for. The only way that out of catchment kids get in is if they pass a sports or drama selection test and many from my DD's primary school take the test. There are only 20 selective places so things get very competitive!

DD is really worried about people asking her how she got her place as she doesn't want people to know she is adopted. I've told her to just be very vague and if pushed lie and say she took the drama test.

It's so important for adoptive children to have priority so that you can pick the right school for your child's specific needs. In our case it was picking the school that we knew would use the enhanced pupil premium funding for previously LAC in the correct way for our child and also one that had excellent pastoral care and access to counselling services.

I hope you get the school you want, my love.
You can keep your dd story quiet, I don't think there's any need to tell anyone. As for not behaving differently to other children this is testament to the good parent you are.
Good luck x

Choose the school you want for your child.
Everyone else can do one.

iamthestorm can I suggest you do two things.

Firstly contact your local authority and ask to be put in contact with the person in the LA who has responsibility for LAC, they may have a title such as Head of Virtual School. THey will be able to talk you through the process and advise you.

WHen it comes to looking at schools ask to speak to the teacher who has school responsibility for LAC, there should be one in every school, if you get blank looks then that is a sign that the school is not aware of current legislation and good practice. I was responsible for LAC and was always happy to talk to prospective adoptive/foster parents and explore how we could support their chil/ren.

Dirtyjellycat
The human brain develops according to its environment so every adopted child will be impacted by that. It doesn't mean they have brain damage or significant issues but there will be an impact

OP the more time passes the less people will know that your dd is adopted (or care that helped her get a school place), so no you won't perminently be judged for choosing the school you want. Pick the right school for her (and yy think about pastoral care and how a given school serves children of all academic profiles) and don't feel guilty. This is a "perk" she has more than paid for.

Yes smells and the impact may well be positive, compared to being left with parents who cannot care for you.

It's really not anyone's business at all. Avoid these people and their appalling comments. I'd also be far more guarded about discussing my children's personal situation. Adopted children need to have their own stories respected and their privacy respected. People can be very intrusive and quite rapacious when it comes to knowing the background of adopted children. It's your children's choice if and when they share any information.
This ability to choose a school is very important and enshrined in law for the whole country. All local protocols follow this. It's not a privilege, it's a right.

Adopted children should certainly have priority and they also generate additional funding (Pupil Premium Grant) so the school can support them. Sadly, it is currently only post LAC children and not all adopted children, ie, children adopted from abroad do not have the same rights. I think all children who have been adopted by a family who is resident in this country, should get the same level of support