A Bill to make provision for children adopted from overseas to receive the same priority for admission to maintained schools as children looked after or previously looked after by a local authority in England.
House of Lords
8 November 2019
This Bill would give overseas-adopted children the same priority when applying for state-funded schools in England as children who are looked after by a local authority or who were looked after in the past. It applies to maintained (state-funded) schools in England and requires admissions officials to treat overseas-adopted children the same as looked-after children when making placement decisions. The aim is to make school admissions fairer for children adopted from overseas.
The Bill is currently at the Second Reading in the House of Lords. If it passes this stage, it would move to the Lords’ committee stage, then to the House of Commons for consideration.
Generated 21 February 2026
First reading took place on 23 October. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The 2017-19 Parliament dissolved at the end of the 2019 Session and this Bill will make no further progress
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
