Guidance for schools and colleges

Many looked-after and previously looked-after children have suffered disrupted learning, may have missed extended periods of school, and many of them have special educational needs (SEN). The gaps in their learning and, in many cases the emotional impact of their experiences, are likely to have become significant barriers to their progress. The complexity of this fragmented educational experience with high incidence of SEN, needs careful assessment and planning. Excellent practice in supporting looked-after and previously looked-after children already exists in many schools.

The designated teacher role is statutory to help ensure that effective practice becomes universal.

Attainment data for looked-after and previously looked-after children shows that they do not perform as well at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 when compared to non-looked-after children.

The support that schools and designated teachers give to children who are looked-after and previously looked-after should not be seen in isolation. All looked-after and previously looked-after children will have a wide range of support mechanisms that will assist in promoting their educational achievement. The child’s foster carer (or residential care worker), social worker or, for previously looked-after children, parents or guardian, will have day-to-day responsibilities for the child. Within the local authority, the Virtual School team will provide more strategic support or advice and information for both the child and the school.

Personal education plan (PEP) guidance

PEP meetings are chaired by the Virtual School who will work closely with others in school to assess the specific educational needs of a looked after child. Although the designated teacher has the responsibility of leading on a personal education plan, other staff in school may need to contribute to it.

Before the meeting:

The PEP is part of the child’s care plan and as such it is the social worker’s responsibility to determine who should be invited and whether in the absence of any key invitees the meeting should proceed. 

The Virtual School teacher will arrange the date of the PEP meeting unless it was agreed at the previous PEP meeting. 

Meetings should be attended by the social worker, the designated teacher (DT), the pupil (if they want to attend) and the carer. Social workers/Virtual School teachers may invite other relevant people for example the fostering social worker or the designated teacher from the next school if the pupil is due to move schools. Birth family may be invited by the social worker. A Looked after Children (LAC) Nurse may be invited but is only likely to attend if there is a health concern.

Schools can invite other relevant members of staff for example, class teacher, key adult. 

Help the pupil to complete the Pupil Views form. Find out if s/he wants to attend all or part of the meeting (it may not be appropriate for some pupils to attend - check with the social worker/Virtual School teacher if unsure). If he or she wishes to attend, it may be necessary for adults to discuss anything it is not appropriate for the pupil to hear before s/he comes in. Please find discreet ways of completing the Pupil Views form or calling them to their PEP meeting.

Information to gather for the meeting:

  • current attainment & progress
  • attendance and exclusion information
  • progress towards previous SMART targets
  • social skills & emotional development
  • How PPP has been spent
  • plans for this term’s PPP spending (including costings)
  • Pupil Views form

Admissions, exclusions and attendance

Admissions

All schools must give the highest admissions priority to current and previous Children Looked After, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

Hammersmith and Fulham Virtual School work in partnership with the placement, school, social workers, governors and admissions teams to ensure that children in care are prioritised in the finalising of school placements in schools that are rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED.

In the event where a child will need to change an educational placement, the Virtual School will work with all relevant professionals to ensure that a new school place is finalised and there is a smooth transition into the new placement.

School admissions code - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Exclusions and attendance

Absence from school has a serious impact on children. Many children looked after will already have experienced gaps in their learning and it is therefore essential to maximise attendance for this group. Part of the virtual school’s role is to log, track and monitor the attendance and attainment of a child or young person; which includes information pertaining to the child’s progress in education or care.

To achieve this, the Virtual School work in partnership with IRIS Looked After Call to ensure that all attendance and attainment data for Childen Looked After are collected on a daily and termly basis.

This secure exchange of data supports the Virtual School in identifying the children and young people at risk of falling behind. This data is used to track progress throughout the child’s education.

As well as having higher rates of exclusion, children in care are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of exclusion. 

Statutory guidance is issues to Head Teachers on the exclusion of pupils with statements of SEN and children in care. 

  • Head teachers should avoid excluding permanently any child in care.
  • Schools should engage proactively with carers in supporting the behaviour of pupils with additional needs.
  • Where a school has concerns about the behaviour, or risk of exclusion, of a child in care, it should, in partnership with others, consider what additional support or alternative placement may be required.
  • In the case of children in care, schools and local authorities should work together to arrange alternative provision from the first day following the exclusion.
  • If a child has more than five consecutive school days of exclusion, then education must be arranged for the sixth school day of exclusion, regardless of whether this is as a result of one fixed-period or more than one fixed-period exclusion.

It is Virtual School policy that no looked after child should be permanently excluded from their educational placement.

Pupil premium plus (PPP)

Children and young people are eligible to receive Pupil Premium Plus (PPP) from the first day that they enter care. The overall grant allocated to each LA is calculated on a per capita basis. This is based on the census of the previous year. However, it does not have to be distributed on a per capita basis, given that children and young people in care have differing levels of need at different stages of being in care.

The Looked After Children Pupil Premium Plus (PPP) is managed by the Virtual School Head in the local authority that looks after the child. The Virtual School Head works with schools to ensure that PPP money is spent to the educational benefit of the eligible child and address their individual needs as identified in the PEP.

In Hammersmith and Fulham all PPP spend decisions should be made at the PEP meeting, any funding agreed will be paid directly to the school or suppler delivering the intervention.

The Virtual School recommends that the PP+ is used primarily in the following areas of development, many of which have been identified by the Education Endowment Fund to have the greatest impact on raising achievement.

  • Cognition and Learning
  • Social Mental Emotional Health
  • Communication and Interaction
  • Physical and or sensory needs
  • Attendance

Special educational needs (SEN)

Children Looked After and care leavers are four times more likely to have a Special Educational Need (SEN) than those who are not looked after. In 2015, 61% of Children Looked After and care leavers had an SEN compared to 15% of all children. LACYP are almost 10 times more likely than other children or young people to have an Education Health and Care Plan (previously known as a Statement of SEN).

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (COP) 2014 outlines the responsibility of schools, colleges, early years settings and others, for identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people (aged 0 – 25 years) with SEN or disabilities.

Most children and young people will be supported by their educational setting at what is called the ‘SEN Support’ stage. Others with more complex and significant difficulties may have Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The SEND Code of Practice makes it clear that it is the responsibility of the educational setting to identify children’s and young people’s SEN and to make provision to meet their needs. Once it has been decided that a child or young person is likely to have an SEN the setting should record this concern (on the SEN register or record) and make arrangements to meet the need. These children and young people will be designated as being at the SEN Support stage. Educational settings are delegated funding (£6000 per pupil) to support children and young people at the SEN Support stage. Settings should use this funding to draw up a Provision Map showing all the interventions and support made available to meet the identified SEN. Additionally, Children Looked After are entitled to the Pupil Premium Plus Grant. This grant is not for the purpose of meeting children’s SEN. This grant provides additionality for Children Looked After. In very rare circumstances (2.8% of the general population but 28% of Looked After population) the child or young person’s SEN will be deemed to be so significant, severe, complex and long term that they need the support of an Education Health and Care Plan.

The most common type of SEN for Children Looked After is Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. These usually present as behavioural challenges. It can be difficult for educational settings to decide whether a pupil’s behavioural difficulties mean that they have a Special Educational Need or not. The Code of Practice makes it clear that behavioural difficulties do not necessarily mean that the child has an SEN. Consideration needs to be given to whether the behaviour is associated with normal testing of boundaries, whether it is transient, or whether it is significant and persistent. It should be borne in mind that children's experience of early developmental trauma makes them especially vulnerable to social, emotional and mental health difficulties and in most cases it might be argued that their behaviour is the result of this early trauma.

Hammersmith and Fulham Virtual School work closely with the Educational Psychology service who are able to offer advice and guidance to schools about Children Looked After, this should be discussed with the allocated Virtual School Teacher.

Training

Link to training section

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