Previous research has shown that when compared to the majority of their peers, young people with looked-after status typically ‘underachieve’ within the education system. Following the Children Act 2004, local authorities have a statutory duty to ‘promote’ the educational achievement of looked-after children and young people. Thus, the implications for local authorities and their statutory duties are far reaching in terms of the development and implementation of appropriate policies. This thesis therefore, seeks to explore this landscape through a qualitative study of a sample of local authorities in Wales and their different models of promoting the educational attainment of young people with looked-after status.