The Virtual School offers information and advice to support the needs and educational progress for children in school. Kinship carers and Designated Teachers can call or email our duty line if they need further support.
How schools should support children in kinship care
Designated Teachers
All schools have a Designated Teacher for Looked-After and Previously Looked-After Children. This teacher will now also have responsibility for young people in kinship care and they should be your main point of contact about issues relating to your kinship child’s education.
Pupil Premium Plus (PPP)
PPP is funding which is paid to schools to promote the education of pupils who are or have been Previously Looked-After. It is not a personal budget for individual pupils, but the school must be able to show how they are spending the funding effectively.
If your child was Previously Looked-After by a local authority and left care through a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order, you will need to self-declare your child’s eligibility for PPP by providing the school with proof of your child’s status. The school will record this on the autumn census, which takes place in October.
See the current Pupil Premium Plus funding rates
Early Years Pupil Premium
You may be entitled to Early Years Pupil Premium if your child has left care in England or Wales through a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order. This funding is paid directly to your provider.
Support to improve children's behaviour
A child or young person in kinship care may have past experiences that continue to impact on their behaviour. This should be recognised by the school and some degree of flexibility should be exercised (for example within their behaviour policy).
The school should look to support the child to improve their behaviour by incorporating trauma-informed, attachment-aware practices, with relevant training if necessary.
All approaches should be exhausted to avoid exclusion becoming necessary. Where a Previously Looked-After Child is at risk of exclusion, the designated teacher should talk to the child’s carers and possibly ask the advice of the Virtual School.
Communication between school and carers
Good communication is essential between kinship carers and schools. At the start of term, it should be agreed who the main point of contact is (e.g. designated teacher, form tutor, or a member of the pastoral team) and how you will communicate (e.g. email, text, phone call).
Your child should have key person or trusted adult in school – a member of staff they could go to if they experience any sort of difficulty.