Supporting child in care: information for schools

Designated teachers

All education settings must have a designated teacher for children in care, this is a statutory requirement.

Designated teachers should:

• advocate for children in care in all aspects of school life  
• model strong, inclusive practice
• ensure high expectations for all children in care
• have sufficient authority in school to influence policy and practice for children in care
• manage the Personal Education Plans for each children in care
• ensure that staff in school have relevant information on children in care
• liaise with other agencies and individuals
• be a source of advice and support for staff on meeting the needs of children in care.
• report annually to the school governing body on the outcomes of children in care and previously in care

Governors for children in care

School governors for children in care have a duty and responsibility to ensure that their school keeps the education of children in care as a high priority.

The governor must know:

• the name of the designated teacher for children in care
• what safeguards the school has in place for sharing sensitive information about individual looked after children with relevant staff members
• what the procedure is in place for liaising with carers, residential children's homes and social services to ensure that the school has relevant information about a child's care history
• how the child's achievements are effectively communicated to the carer

The governor must also ensure that:

• the designated teacher is a member of the teaching staff with appropriate seniority, professional experience and status to provide leadership, training, information and advice to others that will influence decisions about the teaching and learning needs of children in care
• the designated teacher is given opportunity to undertake appropriate training
• an annual report is received from the designated teacher
• they work with the school leadership team to act on any issues raised with the annual report.
• they provide allocated resources to match priorities for children in care
• they understand how children in care are performing compared with their peers
• they have knowledge of the numbers of children in care within the school 
• they understand whether the school has considered raising the attainment of children in care in the school improvement plan
• children in care are at the top of the over-subscription criteria 

• the school has an overview of the educational needs and progress of all children in care
• school policies have been reviewed to show consideration from the point of view of a children in care
• the designated teacher for children in care has the opportunity to attend training offered by the local authority for designated
• there is a clear policy on professional development for all staff in contact with children in care.
• Personal Education Plan’s are kept up-to-date

Pupil premium plus funding

Pupil premium plus is annual funding for children who have been adopted to support their education. This is currently £2,300 per year.

Pupil premium plus is available for children:

• that were adopted from care in England and Wales
• who left care under a Residence Order / Child Arrangement Order
• who left care under a Special Guardianship Order

From reception to year 11, schools currently receive £2,300 per child per year.

In order for schools to access the funding, you must declare your child's adoptive status directly to the school before the school completes the January census. If you are a parent you must provide evidence (your Adoption Order, for example).

You should not need to declare your child's status again until your child changes school.

The Department for Education states the funding should be spent on helping children previously in care emotionally, socially and educationally by providing support to raise their attainment and address their wider needs.

Pupil premium plus is not a personal budget for individual children.

Some suggested uses of pupil premium plus are:

• one-to-one tuition
• small group targeted intervention
• academic mentor
• education focused trips and visits
• purchase of specialist equipment to promote academic progress
• study and revision classes
• additional teaching-assistant support

It is the responsibility of the school to use and target the money appropriately, but it is helpful to discuss with parents their suggested uses of Pupil Premium Plus to support their child.

Statutory guidance

Statutory guidance for supporting children in care and previously in care is available on GOV.UK: 

• Designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children (GOV.UK)
• Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children (GOV.UK)