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What you can expect for your previously looked after child from an early years setting or school.
Early years education for 2 to 4 year olds
If your child is 2 years old you can apply for a free early education place.
If your child is 3 or 4 years old they're entitled to 570 hours free early education or childcare per year.
How to find the best early years setting for your child
Before you choose an early years setting:
- check the Ofsted inspection report Go to https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/?beta_opt_out=1 (opens new window)
- see the Bristol Early Years website Go to https://www.bristolearlyyears.org.uk/early-learning (opens new window)
- find a childcare provider
You can also look at an individual setting's website and arrange a visit.
Early Years Pupil Premium
Previously looked after children aged 3 and 4 years old are eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP). You'll need to show evidence of the Court Order that proves that the child was in local authority care in either England or Wales.
pdf Information about the funding is available in the 2021 to 2022 Operational Guide (527 KB) .
School aged children
How to find the best school for your child
Before you choose a school:
- check the Ofsted inspection report Go to https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/?beta_opt_out=1 (opens new window)
- see the school admissions web pages
- if your child has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), see the special educational needs and disabilities school admissions process: there's a different admissions process for children with SEND
You can also look at an individual school's website and arrange a visit.
When you apply for your child's school place
When you apply for a school place you will be asked if your child:
- was adopted from care in England or Wales on an Adoption Order
- was adopted from state care outside England and Wales, state care is care provided by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other organisation whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society
- left care in England and Wales on a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order
The Order must be current.
You don't have to tell anyone that your child was previously looked after, but your child won't have priority in getting a school place if you don't.
You'll be asked for evidence that your child was previously looked after, such as the Court Order.
Funding for your school age child: Pupil Premium Plus
If your previously looked after child is in Reception to Year 11 at a maintained school or academy, the school could get extra funding called Pupil Premium Plus Go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2020-to-2021/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2020-to-2021 (opens new window).
The extra funding is £2,410 per child. In order to get the extra funding, schools need to know about any children who were previously looked after.
You'll be asked to provide evidence to the school that your child:
- was adopted from care in England or Wales on an Adoption Order
- left care in England and Wales on a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order
If your child moves school you'll need to do this again. The school must treat this information as confidential.
You have the right not to tell the school that your child is previously looked after. However, if you don't tell the school your child won't benefit from the funding.
Adopted children are only entitled to Pupil Premium Plus funding if they were adopted from an English or Welsh local authority on leaving care.
Other sources of advice and information
Every maintained school and academy must have a designated teacher for previously looked after children Go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-teacher-for-looked-after-children (opens new window) who provides information, advice and support. They should be a good person to talk to in the first instance.
Adoption support
- Adoption West Go to https://adoptionwest.co.uk/support/ (opens new window): support for parents with adopted children
- Adoption UK Go to https://www.adoptionuk.org/ (opens new window): national charity providing support and information for adoptive families
- Adoption Support Centre Go to https://www.adoptionsupportcentre.org/ (opens new window): runs groups for children and young people, workshops and training for adopters and professionals, therapy and support
- PAC UK Go to https://www.pac-uk.org/education/ (opens new window): information and advice for parents about previously looked after children
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- Bristol's Local Offer for SEND: information for parents, guardians and carers
- Special needs jungle Go to https://specialneedsjungle.com/ (opens new window): a parent-led website with information and resources for children and young people up to the age of 25
- Supportive parents Go to http://www.supportiveparents.org.uk/ (opens new window): information, advice and support for parents, children and young people up to the age of 25
Wellbeing and mental health
- Off the record Go to http://www.otrbristol.org.uk/ (opens new window): mental health support for young people ages 11 to 25, with information and training for parents, guardians and carers
- Young Minds Go to https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/ (opens new window): mental health support for children and young people, with a helpline for parents
Books and resources
The HOPE have a dedicated advocate who can provide information and advice for previously looked after children. Contact post.lac@bristol.gov.uk.
Guidance for education providers of children who were previously looked after. Includes information about Pupil Premium Plus and Personal Education Plans.
What we mean by children who were previously looked after
Children previously looked after in England and Wales but who left care through:
- an Adoption Order (AO)
- a Special Guardianship Order (SGO)
- a Child Arrangements Order (CAO)
Previously looked after children may also have been adopted from ‘state care' outside England and Wales.
CAOs were formerly known as Residence Orders. The Orders must still be current.
Statutory duty and guidance
Schools and education settings have a statutory duty to support previously looked after children. The statutory duty applies to children from age two in a funded education place up to young people post 16 who are educated in a maintained school or academy.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide information and advice about previously looked after children from age two in a funded education place up to young people at the end of Year 11 who are educated in a maintained school or academy.
Maintained schools and academies must have a designated teacher responsible for previously looked after children.
Guidance for maintained schools and academies
Guidance for local authorities
Pupil Premium Plus
Previously looked after children in Reception to Year 11 are entitled to Pupil Premium Plus. This is extra funding of £2,410. Adopted children are only entitled to Pupil Premium Plus funding if, on leaving care, they were adopted from an English or Welsh local authority.
The parent, guardian or carer has to declare the child's status and provide appropriate supporting evidence to the school. Information about the funding, what documents education settings need to see and what codes need to be used are given in the following two documents:
Pupil premium: allocations and conditions of grant 2021 to 2022 GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
School census 2021 to 2022: business and technical information (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Unique Pupil Number
It is standard practice for children adopted from care to be issued with a new Unique Pupil Number (UPN) to break the link between the pre-adoption and post-adoption record. Page 13 of the Unique Pupil Numbers guidance on GOV.UK Go to https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668524/UPN_Guide.pdf (opens new window) gives guidance about a new UPN for adopted children.
How you promote educational achievement
You may find the following publication a helpful starting point.
Personal Education Plans (PEP)
There's no statutory requirement for a PEP for previously looked after children. However, you should have regular meetings with the child and their parents, guardians or carers to:
- discuss the child's educational strengths and needs
- record all agreed actions
Meetings with parents, guardians and carers of previously looked after children could be recorded on the new document PLAC Education plan template form (26 KB) .
Other advice and information
Special educational needs
- The SEND Local Offer: Bristol's local offer for SEND
- Information for education professionals working with children who have SEND
- Special Needs Jungle Go to https://specialneedsjungle.com/send-research/ (opens new window): website for parents. Also has SEND research papers
Wellbeing and mental health
- Catchpoint Bristol Go to http://www.catchpoint.org/ (opens new window): support for school staff dealing with trauma to build strong attachments
- Kate Cairns Associates Go to https://kca.training/?info=main (opens new window): training and consultancy on trauma and attachment issues for education settings from Early Years upwards
- Off the record Go to http://www.otrbristol.org.uk/parents-and-professionals/ (opens new window): mental health information and training for education staff
- Theraplay Go to http://www.wp.theraplay.org/uk/for-parents/ (opens new window): child and family therapy to develop attachment, self-esteem and trust. Schools may want to advise parents/guardians/carers on how to find a Theraplay practitioner or attend Theraplay training.
- Young Minds Go to https://youngminds.org.uk/find-a-course/ (opens new window) – national organisation focussing on children's and young people's mental health. Offers workshops, training and resources for schools
- Inner World Work Go to http://www.innerworldwork.co.uk/ (opens new window): free resources for schools and adults involved with children living with trauma
- Beacon House: specialist trauma and attachment service for children and adults. Runs training and events for professionals and has some free resources online
- Thinking Allowed Go to http://cchp.nhs.uk/cchp/explore-cchp/thinking-allowed (opens new window): Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Emma Spillane: Attachment and trauma, training and consultancy for education settings in the West Country
Adoption support
- Adoption UK Go to https://www.adoptionuk.org/Pages/Category/schools (opens new window): national charity providing support and information for adoptive families and resources for schools
- Coram BAAF Go to https://corambaaf.org.uk/ (opens new window): organisation providing information, resources and training to agencies, individuals and professionals on matters relating to adoption. Some services are for members only.
- Adoption Support Centre Go to https://www.adoptionsupportcentre.org/ (opens new window): runs workshops and training for professionals, therapy and support
- PAC UK Go to https://www.pac-uk.org/education/ (opens new window): information and advice about previously looked after children for education settings
Books and resources
The HOPE have a dedicated advocate who can provide information and advice for previously looked after children. Contact post.lac@bristol.gov.uk.
Designated Teacher (DT) training
Training for new Designated Teachers for Children in Care (in person training day)
This course is free but you need to book a place using the links below.
Venue: Bridge Learning Campus Professional Development Centre from 9am to 3.30pm
Designated Teachers for Children in Care course: 1st October 2024
Designated Teachers for Children in Care course: 21st January 2025
Designated Teachers for Children in Care course: 29th April 2025
If you're booking for someone else, you must get their permission first. We will need their name and email address.
Training for Designated Teachers for Previously Looked After Children (in person training day)
This course is free but you need to book a place using the links below.
Venue: Bridge Learning Campus Professional Development Centre from 9am to 1pm
Designated Teachers for Previously Looked After Children: 7th November 2024
Designated Teachers for Previously Looked After Children: 13th March 2025
If you are booking for someone else, you must get their permission first. We will need their name and email address.
Early Years briefings (online briefing via Microsoft Teams)
This session is for Early Years colleagues with responsibility for children in care.
The course is free, but you need to book a place, please e-mail thehope@bristol.gov.uk.
Each session is limited to 20 participants and you will be sent a link to join the briefing prior to the date.
Early Years briefings: 10am to 12noon, Friday 8 December 2023
Early Years briefings: 2pm to 4pm, Tuesday 23 April 2024
Trauma Informed Practice: Practical ways to support children who have experienced trauma (in person training)
This course is open to Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Post 16 providers and is suitable for Designated Teachers, SENCOs, Designated Safeguarding Leads, or Pastoral Leads.
The course is a chance to develop your knowledge on strategies and ethos that could be embedded in your provision.
Venue: Bridge Learning Campus Professional Development Centre from 9am to 3.30pm
Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is a record of how a child is doing in their education, including their attendance. It helps everyone working with the child understand how to support the child's education.
Every child in care must have a PEP from the age of 2 (if they're in education), to the age of 18.
The PEP should complement but not duplicate any existing plans such as Education, Health and Care Plans.
All PEPs for Bristol children in care in primary, secondary and Post-16 education are completed through the Welfare Call system. On the system, as a designated teacher, you can:
- record and submit information
- attach documents to PEPs
- download PEPs
PEP meetings
The child's social worker should organise the first PEP meeting, supported by the virtual school. If the child attends an education setting, the designated teacher will gather information and chair the meetings. The education setting, social worker and virtual school are jointly responsible for making sure the PEP meets standards and is updated within a reasonable timeframe. The virtual school quality assures all completed PEPs and reviews the allocation and use of the Pupil Premium Plus funding.
The PEP meeting is usually held at your education setting or school at a time that's convenient to all key people. If you don't hear from the social worker or virtual school, you can contact them. It's always helpful if the school can help to set up and host the meeting as the education setting is central in creating the PEP and putting it into action.
Meetings are held:
- within 20 working days of a child first coming into care
- every academic term (spring, summer and autumn)
The timings of PEP meetings should be arranged so the plan can be reviewed at the next Child in Care review.
The designated teacher's role in a child's Personal Education Plan
As the designated teacher it's your responsibility to:
- enable the child to attend their PEP meeting, in person if possible
- identify who's in the best position to work with the child to record their views in the PEP form, ahead of the meeting
- collect data, reports from teachers and attendance updates and add these to the PEP form, so they can be reviewed at the meeting
- make sure all sections of the PEP form are filled in, in detail, including the sections that need input from other people, such as, the child, social worker and carer
- make sure pupil premium requests are recorded in the PEP and interventions are carried out to improve the child's educational outcomes
- complete the actions in the PEP that have been assigned to the school or designated teacher
- make sure the PEP form is complete and submitted on Welfare Call within 5 working days of a PEP meeting
PEP reviews
The designated teacher should review and update the PEP with the social worker, child and carer every academic term (spring, summer and autumn). The virtual school lead will attend all first PEP meetings, and other PEP meetings where possible, but they're not required for the PEP to be reviewed and updated.
How we monitor Personal Education Plan quality
Every PEP is monitored and feedback is given to the designated teacher along with a PEP rating of Red, Amber, Green or Gold.
For a PEP to be considered of a good standard and for pupil premium funding to be released to the school, the PEP rating must be Green or Gold.
All areas of the PEP are looked at, especially the use and impact of Pupil Premium Plus on the child's education outcomes.
If the PEP rating is Red or Amber, support will provided to the designated teacher to make the necessary improvements to bring the PEP up to the Green or Gold standard within a certain timescale.
A PEP belongs to the child involved and acts as a record of their education journey and the additional support they should be receiving as a child in care.
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