School and Education

Looked After Children may have experienced disrupted education due to changes in their placements. This can have a negative impact on their achievements at school and on their ability to make friends.

It is vital that a child's educational arrangements and needs are discussed with the child's social worker and your Supervising Social Worker before the placement starts.

Where the child is an unaccompanied migrant child (and looked after by a local authority), they are entitled to the same local authority support as any other Looked After Child: to have a safe and stable placement; to receive the care that they need to thrive; and the support they need to fulfil their educational and other outcomes.

Some unaccompanied children who have recently arrived in the country may never have had access to education before. Appropriate education for unaccompanied children may include a period of time in a setting where their full educational needs can be assessed and integrated into their electronic Personal Education Plan (ePEP) (see Section 2, The Electronic Personal Education Plan (PEP)). They may need time to be prepared for and then become used to formal education, and their initial educational outcomes may include cultural orientation and life skills appropriate to their age. As a foster carer, you will have a key role in this.

You play an important role in promoting education, including early years/nursery, as well as providing a learning environment in the family home.

Children should attend school or other educational provision. They should be supported to make good progress from their starting points. You should be ambitious for children and support children to attend and do well in their education. There is effective liaison with the school/college and the virtual school head.

Your role:

• Keep nursery, school, alternative education provider or college informed of any significant changes and issues;
• Help the child or young person to express their concerns or aspirations and advocate on their behalf;
• Attend open evenings and any school meetings needed and encourage, where appropriate, parent's involvement;
• Provide uniform, equipment including a computer and appropriate financial support for trips and after school clubs;
• Establish clear expectations and provide support with attendance, punctuality, uniform, and completion of homework;
• Liaise with the school, Virtual School and other agencies including the child's social worker if non school attendance is an issue;
• Support a child/young person to achieve their education or training goals;
• Encourage a child/young person to look at alternative education/placements, further or higher education or training;
• Have up to date information about progress and attendance;
• Contribute to the on-going assessment of the child's educational needs and progress including the support of the electronic Personal Education Plan (ePEP);
• Record any relevant information with regards to the child/young person;
• To give time and space to the child/young person when they return from their education setting to check how it is going for them and ensure things are going well for them; speak to the child's social worker if you have any concerns (see also: Section 7, Safeguarding in Schools and Bullying Procedure).

The virtual school team have created a padlet for foster carers specifically for updates, information sharing, signposting for training/ events in relation to education, please see below. The padlet will be updated regularly.

Key Messages and Upcoming Events for Foster Carers

All Looked After Children of compulsory school age must have a PEP, even if they are not currently in education. In Rochdale, this is implemented using an online form within the Rochdale Childrens services portal.  It provides important information to make sure that the right support is in place so that the child can achieve their targets linked to education. It should also be a record of the child's leisure interests and educationally what has been achieved.

The child's social worker should arrange a meeting to put together the first PEP within the first 10 days of a child becoming Looked After.

Who should be invited?

• You;
• The child and their parents if appropriate;
• The Designated Teacher at the school;
• Any other relevant professionals.

If the child is suspended from school, the Head Teacher, an education officer and the SEND adviser if needed should be invited.

If the child is permanently excluded from school, the carers, social worker and the Virtual Head should be informed at the earliest opportunity.

If a part time timetable is proposed for a looked after child, this must be discussed with the Head of Service for children in care and the Virtual Head. The young persons carer or social worker do not have ability to provide permission for this proposal.

PEP's should:

• Identify developmental and educational needs in relation to skills, knowledge, subject areas and experiences to close any gaps in learning;
• Identify areas of strengths within a child's academic learning and provide opportunities to further develop and support these
• Set short and long-term educational SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) attainment targets agreed in partnership with the child and the carer where appropriate and clearly linked to educational needs;
• Include a record of planned actions, including but not limited to the following: milestones on homework, extra tuition and study support, that the school and others will take to promote the educational achievement of the child, based on an assessment of their educational needs;
• Include information on how the child's progress is to be rigorously monitored;
• Record details of specific interventions and targeted support that will be used to make sure personal education targets are met, especially at the end of Key Stage 2 in relation to English and Mathematics, and at Key Stage 4 in achieving success in public examinations;
• Say what will happen, or is already happening, to put in place any additional support which may be required - e.g. possible action to support special educational needs involving the SENCO, educational psychologist, or local authority education services (information contained within a EHC plan does not have to be duplicated in the ePEP, a reference is sufficient as long as the plans work together to meet overall needs);
• Set out information on what will happen or is already happening to identify and support any mental health needs relevant to the child's education;
• Include any information in relation to alternative provision timetables, part-time timetables, and intended reintegration plans to full-time school-based education;
• Set out how a child's aspiration and self-confidence is being nurtured, especially in consideration of longer-term goals towards further and higher education, work experience and career plans. Discussions about longer-term goals should start early and ideally well before Year 9 (age 13-14) at school. High aspirations are crucial to successful planning for the future. They should focus on the young person's strengths and capabilities and the outcomes they want to achieve;
• Include the child's views using the ‘All About Me’ proforma on how they feel they have progressed, their thoughts and feelings around educationand what support they consider to be useful;
• Be a record of the child's academic achievements and participation in the wider activities of the school and other out of school learning activities (e.g. sporting, personal development);
• Provide information which helps all who are supporting the child's educational achievement to understand what works well for them, helping to substitute for the role that parents might otherwise provide; and
• Helping to substitute for the role that parents might otherwise provide, such as attending parents’ evening, concerts etc; and
• Liaising with the school and the person who is responsible for making the actions identified in the plan happen.

In addition, the ePEP should have:

• An up to date and accurate chronology of education and training history which provides a record of the child's educational experience and progress in terms of National Curriculum Assessments, including information about schools attended and the reasons for leaving, attendance and conduct record, academic and other achievements, any special educational needs, an indication of the extent to which the child's education has been disrupted before entering care or accommodation;
• A clear statement clarifying existing arrangements for education and training, including details of any special educational provision and any other provision to meet the child's educational or training needs;
• A description of any planned changes to existing arrangements and provision to minimise disruption;
• A description of the child's leisure interests;
• A description of the role of the appropriate person and any other person who cares for the child in promoting the child's educational achievements and leisure interests linked to their SMART targets;
• A description of how the Pupil Premium plus (PP+) is assisting the child's progress; and
• Applications for bursaries should be discussed as part of PEP Meetings;
• Details of who will take the plan forward, with timescales for action and review are an essential aspect of all ePEP planning within the SMART target setting.

The designated teacher would normally have overall responsibility for leading the process of target setting for looked-after children in school, should monitor and track how their attainment progresses, and ensure that identified actions are put in place. The designated teacher will help the school and the local authority that looks after the child to decide what arrangements work best in the development and review of the ePEP.

The completed ePEP should be given to you, the child, their parents, and all others invited to the meeting. A copy should also be sent to the child's Independent Reviewing Officer and is kept on the child's file.

The child's social worker must ensure ePEP review meetings take place on time and that these are held termly.

PEP decisions and recommendations must be shared with the child's Independent Reviewing Officer at the Looked After Review.

If there are changes in arrangements such as a change of school or if the child may need private tuition, these recommendations should be taken to the child's Looked After Review and the information should also be shared with the Virtual School.

Looked After Children are eligible for Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding. This is additional funding provided to help improve the attainment of Looked After children attending individual schools. It is not a personal budget for individual children.

The PP+ for Looked After Children is managed by the Virtual School Head (VSH) whose role it is to support looked after children to be successful in their education. They can be contacted at virtualschool@rochdale.gov.uk.

The PP+ is a key component in ensuring resources are available to support the child's Personal Education Plan and the plan should clarify what the support is and how it will be delivered.

Choosing and applying for a school place is usually the child's social worker's responsibility but in some circumstances may be delegated to you or shared with others.

Changes of school should be avoided if at all possible as this will disrupt the child's education. It should not take place in the middle of a school year or in years 6, 10 and 11, unless this is unavoidable. The Virtual Head should be notified of any changes in school place at the earliest opportunity possible.

The new school should be provided with a copy of the child's current ePEP. Other members of staff who need to know should be identified at the PEP meeting, taking into account the child's wishes about confidentiality.

A change of school at any time needs the agreement of the relevant local education service maintaining the plan and the responsible social worker in partnership with the Virtual School.

Disrupting a child’s school can have a negative impact for a child at any stage of their school career. A Senior Manager in the placing authority must approve any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4, except in an emergency/where the placement ends because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury.

In those circumstances, the Local Authority must make appropriate arrangements to promote the child's educational achievement as soon as possible. Looked after children where possible should where possible schools rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. The Virtual School can support with directions into a school if a place is not available at the preferred school if a child needs to move.

If the child is to be placed in the area of a different local authority and will need a new school, this should be looked at (unless it is an emergency placement) well before they move.

The Virtual School and, if needed, the SEND adviser, should be asked to help with this.

Where possible a child should not be moved to a new placement until they have a school place.

Pupils with Educational Health and Care (EHC) Plan:

The local education service where the child lives (unless in residential accommodation) is responsible for the placement and provision of education to a pupil who has an EHC Plan. The education service for the area to which the child is moving should therefore be requested to adopt the EHC Plan. This needs to be planned as early as possible as it can cause long delays.

In these circumstances, it is imperative the Virtual school is notified of an intended school move request as soon as possible to be able to offer support to attempt to minimise any delays as much as possible.

Children's educational (and other) achievements should be acknowledged at one or more of the following times: at Looked After Reviews; in the PEP meeting, at school-based meetings; in school reports; and after exams. They can also be acknowledged as part of our annual celebration and award events for our cared for children, Our Big Day and Our Big Night.

A Looked After Child's educational attainments should be recorded in the PEP.

Looked After Children are a vulnerable group, and all staff, working in schools should be aware of the systems in place to support safeguarding. As a foster carer, it is important for you to be aware of the school's safeguarding policies.

The aim of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in education should be:

• Protecting them from maltreatment, including emotional, physical abuse and harm; bullying and cyberbullying; upskirting _[1]; sexting _[2] (also known as youth produced sexual imagery); sexual harassment, etc.
• Preventing any impairment of their mental and physical health or development;
• Ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care;
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

_{[1] Upskirting is against the law. See also: GOV.UK, Upskirting: know your rights
[2] NSPCC, Sexting: advice for professionals}

An Ofsted thematic review (Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted)) identified substantial levels of sexual harassment for both girls (90%) and boys (nearly 50%) - usually in unsupervised settings. Sexual harassment and sexual violence exist on a continuum and may overlap. Where the latter occurs, there could be a criminal offence committed.

The Ofsted Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges also recognised a wide variety of behaviours that children and young people told (them) happened online including:

• Receiving unsolicited explicit photographs or videos, for example 'dick pics';
• Sending, or being pressured to send, nude and semi-nude photographs or videos ('nudes');
• Being sent or shown solicited or unsolicited online explicit material, such as pornographic videos.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (see Related Guidance above) notes that with regard to sexual harassment, all staff working with children are advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ and must respond to all reports and concerns about sexual violence and/or sexual harassment, including online behaviour and incidents that have happened outside the school/college. This could include picking-up information from other pupils.

Nevertheless, the Ofsted thematic Review also reflected that children said they did not bring events to the attention to staff for fear of losing control over events and the subsequent consequences.

A foster carer who has concerns about the sexual harassment or bullying of a child (in any setting), should always raise these concerns with their supervising social worker or the child’s social worker. It should not be assumed that the school will necessarily inform you of such concerns or behaviour (they may not be aware).

See also: Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones Procedure.

There should be staff (usually the Designated Teacher or the SEND coordinator) who will be able to share with you information about:

• The school's child protection policy and procedures;
• The school’s bullying policy;
• The Data Protection Act and safeguarding;
• The child behaviour policy;
• The staff behaviour policy (code of conduct);
• The safeguarding response to children who go missing from education.

They will also explain that staff must report any concerns regarding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), modern slavery, trafficking or exploitation.

You must notify the school and the child's social worker immediately if the child does not attend school for any reason (for example if they are unwell).

Schools monitor attendance closely and will let you know if they have any concerns about the child's attendance at school. They will work with you and offer support to address any issues which may be impacting on the child's attendance. The child's social worker should also be informed of any concerns you have about a child's attendance. Any concerns and actions around attendance should also be recorded and discussed as part of the PEP.

If the child is missing, see also: Missing Children.

In the section Granting Leaves of Absence in Working Together to Improve School Attendance statutory guidance, it states that generally, the Department for Education does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance for leave of absence.

The school should tell you, the child's social worker and the Virtual Head the reasons for the suspension or permanent exclusion. You should decide with the child's social worker who should speak to the child. The social worker should inform the parents, if appropriate. The social worker, after talking to the child, Virtual Head and their parents, must look at whether to appeal against the decision to suspend or exclude the child.

The child's social worker must also inform the child's Independent Reviewing Officer.

Suspension from school should be a last resort for children who are looked after so it is vital that you work with the school as soon as a child's behaviour becomes a cause for concern.

If a child is suspended from school for a fixed period, the school will provide homework up to and including the first 5 days of the exclusion.

The social worker must talk to you about suitable arrangements for making sure the child does schoolwork during the day and ensuring that the child does not go out during school hours.

If a child is permanently excluded from school, from the 6th day the Local Authority where the child lives l should provide a place for the child to be educated. Where a child is issued with a permanent exclusion from school, it is vital the Virtual head is informed immediately to assist with any next steps which may need taking.

When a child is permanently excluded the social worker should speak to the Virtual School and the local education service to find another school placement.

In the case of permanent exclusion, a meeting of the governors will be held within 15 days to review the decision. If it is decided to uphold the decision to permanently exclude, an appeal can be made within 15 school days by the child’s social worker in partnership with the Virtual School. The appeals form can be completed by you or anyone who has Parental Responsibility for the child.

Becoming pregnant is not in itself a reason for a young woman to stop attending school, or to cease education.

Where a young person becomes pregnant, the social worker must ensure that they remain in education if at all possible. This should be discussed with the young person taking into account their wishes and feelings. The Designated Teacher for Looked After Children at the school should ensure an appropriate plan is in place if required.

In order to keep a child at the same school, those with responsibility for school transport should be approached to see if at all possible they can provide help with transport. A decision will be made taking into account the child's age and the distance from the child's address to the nearest suitable school. Pupil premium plus cannot be used to support with transport to education.

Under Section 22 (3A) of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a duty to promote the educational achievement of Looked After Children. Section 99 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires an officer be appointed to take on this duty – this is sometimes referred to as a 'Virtual School Head' ('VSH'). The VSH should ensure that there are appropriate arrangements in place to meet the training needs of those responsible for promoting the educational achievement of Looked After Children. This includes carers, social workers, Designated Teachers and IROs.

The training will cover information about school admission arrangements; Special Educational Needs; attendance and exclusions; homework; choosing GCSE options; managing any challenging behaviour in relation to education; promoting positive educational and recreational activities and supporting children to be aspirational for their future education; training and employment, and the importance of listening to and taking account of the child's wishes and feelings about education and the ePEP process. You should speak to your Supervising Social Worker about this.