Useful Sources of Information

Adoption Team Contact Information

Duty Number :01932 794 347 (Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm)

Duty Email : adoption@surreycc.gov.uk.

Family and Friends SGO Support Team Info

Duty Email: sgo.postordersupport@surreycc.gov.uk                         

Duty Number: 01932 794 445 

• Surrey Virtual School (SVS) - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)
• Adoption South East
• Kinship Care
• Surrey Virtual School : Previously Looked After Children (padlet.com) This is a link to a leaflet on Surrey Kinship care you can download.
• Types of fostering - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk) Small section re Special Guardianship
• Guardians' Guide (buckinghamshire.gov.uk)

Designated Teacher Responsible for Looked after Children (LAC) and Post Looked After Children: Mrs Marie Curtis (Headteacher)

Designated Governor Responsible for Looked after Children (LAC) and Post Looked After Children: Mr Mark Reynolds and Miss Vicky Hallewell

What is a Looked After Child?

Looked After Children (LAC) are defined as:

• Children or young people who are the subject of a Care Order or Interim Care Order under the Children Act 1989.
• Children who are placed in foster care, children’s residential homes, with relatives or friends, in semi-independent or supported independent accommodation.
• Children subject to a Care or Interim Care Order whilst placed with a parent, where the LA has parental responsibility.
• Children who are not subject to an order, but are accommodated by the LA under an agreement with their parents or respite care.

What is a Previously Looked After Child (PLAC)?

• Children who are no longer looked after by an LA in England and Wales because they have either been adopted or are the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order.
• Children who were adopted outside England and Wales from ‘state care’ (care that is provided by a public authority, religious organisation, or other organisation whose main purpose is to benefit society).

Our Aims

• To provide a safe and secure environment, where education is valued and there is a belief in the abilities and potential of all children.
• To support our looked after children and give them access to every opportunity to achieve to their potential, enjoy learning and take as full a part as possible in all school activities.
• To ensure that school policies and procedures are followed for LAC as for all children.
• To work with the Virtual School and ensure that carers and social workers of LAC pupils are kept fully informed of their child’s progress and attainment.
• To fulfil our schools’ role as corporate parents to promote and support the education of our Looked After Children.

Monitoring of LAC and PLAC children

Key Principles: 

• Prioritising education
• Promoting attendance
• Targeting support
• Having high expectations
• Promoting inclusion
• Raising aspiration
• Achieving stability and continuity
• Early intervention and priority action
• Listening to children
• Promoting health and well-being
• Reducing exclusions and promoting stability
• Working in partnership with carers, social workers and other professionals.

Responsibilities of the school

1. To ensure LAC and PLAC children achieve their full potential,
2. To identify any factors that have interrupted learning and how to address these to bring about rapid progress.
3. To termly monitor the progress of LAC/PLAC children and identify the support or challenge children require to achieve their full potential
4. To identify emotional well-being needs that have resulted from being a LAC and create a support programme for these changing needs over school years
5. To support children through changes and transitions
6. Work closely with the Virtual School and Social Care in the best interests of LAC and in completion of the Personal Education Plan (PEP) to identify any barriers to learning and the support in place to overcome them
7. Work closely with the Virtual School in the best interests of PLAC and complete an action plan to identify any barriers to learning and the support in place to overcome them

LAC Reviews

LAC reviews take place at least termly

LAC reviews, involving the school, will take place up until an adoption order has been granted. However Pupil Premium Plus funding will continue for LAC until they are 16 years old.

PLAC Reviews

The action plan is a continuous document which is reviewed at least half yearly by the Child, Carers, PLAC and Class team; with input from any other professionals working with the child.

Designated Teacher (DT) Responsibilities

• Knowing who all the LAC/PLAC are in school and ensuring that availability of all relevant details from school record-keeping systems as required.
• Attending relevant training about LAC/PLAC and acting as the key liaison professional for other agencies and carers in relation to LAC/PLAC.
• Promoting a culture of high expectations and aspirations for how LAC/PLAC should learn.
• Helping school staff understand the issues that affect the learning of LAC/PLAC such as differentiated teaching strategies appropriate for individual children and in making full use of AfL.
• Making sure that LAC/PLAC are prioritised in one-to-one tuition arrangements and that carers understand the importance of supporting learning at home.
• Removing the barriers to learning for LAC/PLAC.
• Ensuring any LAC/PLAC new to the school are welcomed positively and assessed when they start at the school to identify strengths and weaknesses in their learning. This will be used to inform planning and teaching.
• Developing personalised learning packages for LAC/PLAC in conjunction with the relevant teaching staff.
• Ensuring that the LAC/PLAC in their school have a voice in setting learning targets for themselves.
• Leading on developing and implementing the PEP/Action Plan within the school. The social worker is responsible for initiating the PEP process completing the relevant pages of the ePEP form.
• Monitoring the child’s progress against the targets on the PEP/Action Plan and extending these targets if they have been achieved.
• Ensuring the child makes a smooth transition to the new school and that the child’s records are transferred without delay.
• Liaising with the Virtual School in all aspects of the LAC/PLAC progress and support.
• Communicate with the Virtual School to manage allocation of PP+ for the benefit of LAC/PLAC
• Manage PP+ for Previously Looked After Children to support educational attainment and personal development.
• Convening urgent multi-agency meetings if a LAC is experiencing difficulties or is at risk of exclusion
• Arranging for the ELSA to meet and talk to LAC/PLAC children when need is identified in reviews
• Producing at least one annual report to the governing body which should include: current progress, attendance and exclusions (if any), any concerns regarding behaviour, how the PEP/Action Plan has been implemented and whether the actions put in place are effective in addressing the learning needs of LAC/PLAC, how the DT works in partnership with the LA, training undertaken for carrying out the role effectively. The report must not mention the children’s names for confidentiality reasons.

Governor Responsibilities

To review at least annually a report from the DT which should include:

current progress, attendance and exclusions (if any), any concerns regarding behaviour, how the PEP has been implemented and whether the actions put in place are effective in addressing the learning needs of LAC, how the DT works in partnership with the LA, training undertaken for carrying out the role effectively. The report must not mention the children’s names for confidentiality reasons.

• Support the local authority in its statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of looked after children.
• Ensure that the DT is given the appropriate level of support in order to fulfil their role.
• In partnership with the headteacher, ensure that, through their training and development, the DT has the opportunity to acquire and keep up-to-date the necessary skills, knowledge and training to understand the respond to the specific teaching and learning needs of LAC.
• Governing bodies and the SLT should make sure that the DT role contributes to the deeper understanding of everyone in the school who is likely to be involved in supporting LAC/PLAC to achieve.
• The governing body, in partnership with the head teacher, is responsible for monitoring how well the role is working. As part of this monitoring an annual report will be received from the DT.

This policy links with a number of other school policies/procedures and it is important that Governors have regard to the needs of Looked After Children when reviewing them:

· Admissions Policy · Behaviour Policy · Anti-bullying and Anti-Hate Policy · Home-school agreement · Equality Policy · Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Statement · Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy

The school will champion the needs of Looked After Children, raise awareness and challenge negative stereotypes about them, in order to ensure that they achieve to the highest level possible.

For more information please see Promoting the Education of Looked After Children, NSPCC Looked After Children, The Virtual School - Surrey Previously Looked After Children Guidance