A Headteacher's Quick Guide to 'Previously Looked After Children'

16 October 2018

Advice and guidance on the statutes for schools regarding their responsibilities for children who are Adopted, on Special Guardianship Orders or Child Arrangement Orders.

In February 2018 two key pieces of new Statutory Guidance were published by the Department for Education.

The guidance applies to Maintained schools and Academies. It defines Previously LAC as a child “who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because s/he is the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales.”

The aim of the Guidance is to give specific support to Previously LAC (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:

  • designate a member of staff to have responsibility for promoting the educational achievement of previously looked-after pupils
  • ensure the designated person undertakes appropriate training.

Key actions for the Virtual School Head (VSH) are to:

  • be a source of advice and information to help parents of previously LAC at schools in the area to advocate for them as effectively as possible. VSHs are not acting as part of the Corporate Parent role in these circumstances, but are there to promote the educational achievement of these children through the provision of advice and information to relevant parties

The PP+ Grant

Additional financial support for Post LAC is available for schools through the PP+ Grant and in the financial year 2018-19 the amount is £2300 per eligible child. This goes directly to schools (not the Virtual School) if the eligible child is entered as such on the January Census - and the school is responsible for evidencing an effective spend with good impact.

VSK are offering advice, information and training and more information is available on the VSK website. Examples of this are the EPAC (Education Plan for Adopted children), Designated Teacher Update Training, the Nurture Group Project and free Attachment training for schools and settings.

Advice for schools on supporting previously LAC and their parents can also be found at websites such as Adoption UK, the Post Adoption Support Team at KCC and Stonewall which gives information on developing an inclusive curriculum, resources and examples of storybooks to use in the classroom.

Further information and advice:

Contact Details

Joanne Kelly (Deputy Headteacher, North and West Kent, Virtual School Kent)
Telephone: 03000 41 21 12
Email: Joanne.Kelly@kent.gov.uk