Previously Looked-After Children (LAC) are those who are no longer looked after by their local authority (in England and Wales) because they are the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order.
Virtual School exists to improve the education of Children in Care and Previously LAC by supporting our family of schools, carers, social workers and parents to do their best to deliver the best possible outcomes for our children.
The Virtual School recognises the challenges that Previously LAC continue to experience after leaving care, and our role has been extended to continue supporting these children.
Children who have new families through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangement orders have positive futures ahead of them. However, it is important to remember that this does not eliminate their past experiences, which can have a lasting impact, particularly at school. Teachers and schools have a pivotal role in supporting the academic, social and emotional needs of Previously Looked After Children (PLAC).
In February 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) published the following statutory guidance for maintained schools and academies:
Designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children (GOV.UK) is statutory guidance for local authority maintained schools carrying out duties for looked-after and previously looked-after children.
The aim of the Guidance is to give specific support to PLAC (in addition to LAC) because they are highly likely to have had 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.
Key Actions for schools are to:
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Designate a member of staff to have responsibility for promoting the educational achievement of PLAC pupils
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Ensure the designated person undertakes appropriate training
What we do
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Respond to parental requests for advice and information – eg. advice on school admissions in their area.
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Sign-post other services that can offer advice and support.
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Respond to requests for advice and information from schools in respect of individual children.
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Improve awareness of the vulnerability and needs of Previously LAC by promoting good practice on identifying and meeting their needs.
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Deliver guidance on effective use of the PPP.
Education meeting
We would strongly advise Designated Teachers to hold regular education meetings for the whole cohort of PLAC within your school.
The meetings are invaluable in terms of finding out the needs of previously looked after children, so that you can plan and support them in the most effective way.
By understanding how they present at home, at school and what additional challenges they may face allows education settings to support them to reach their full potential.
By understanding your cohort of previously looked after children, as a Designated Teacher you can then discuss with your SENCO and SLT the areas of need and interventions needed and how best to use the Pupil Premium Grant for this cohort within your school.
Designated Teachers
All schools have a Designated Teacher for Looked-After and Previously Looked-After Children. This teacher has responsibility for all Previously Looked-After Children and now those in kinship care too.
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.
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, and record all agreed actions.
Meetings with parents, guardians, and carers of Previously Looked-After Children could be recorded on these forms:
Family Adoption Links have created an Education Passport which contains a variety of documents and information about education support in Leicestershire.
Support to improve children's behaviour
Previously Looked-After Children and children 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.
Resources to support
You may find the following publication a helpful starting point:
Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children: A guide for school staff
Contact us
To support both schools and parents/guardians, the Virtual School have a duty desk. Please call or email with your query, which will be picked up by our Business Support colleagues, and a member of the Virtual School team will return your call/email within 7 working days:
Phone: 0116 305 6097
Monday to Thursday: 8.30am to 5pm, Friday: 8.30am to 4.30pm
Email: virtualschool@leics.gov.uk
We aim to respond to emails within 3 working days.
Virtual Schools offer a duty line which is open every weekday.
Attachment and Trauma training may also be offered to schools and parents as appropriate.