The School Admissions Code requires each local authority to have a Fair Access Protocol, which all local schools, academies and free schools must adhere to.
The Fair Access Protocol is to ensure that, outside the normal admissions round, unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable education provision as quickly as possible.
In agreeing a protocol, the local authority must ensure that no school - including those with available places - is asked to take a disproportionate number of children who have been excluded from other schools, or who have challenging behaviour.
View Hounslow's Fair Access Protocol here
The Fair Access Panel consists of representatives from Hounslow schools, the local authority and other agencies. The panel considers all information available and the child's individual circumstances to make an informed decision as to what school would best meet the child's needs.