Looked After and Recently Looked After Children

Policy details

• Date created - 01/09/2025
• Next review date - 10/07/2026
• Policy owner - Co-op Academy Bebington

1. Purpose
2. Definitions
3. Duties and Responsibilities
4. Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
5. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
6. Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
7. Exclusion and Suspensions
8. Information Sharing

Purpose

Educational achievement and subsequent life chances for looked after (CLA) and previously looked after children (PCLA) are of real concern. Students who are looked after require special treatment and additional attention in order to improve their life chances.

Co-op Academy Bebington endeavors to provide positive experiences and offer stability, safety, and individual care and attention, for all students, including those that are looked after.

Coop Academy Bebington Aims to:

• Encourage students to reach their potential and to make good progress in relation to their personal, social and emotional development.
• Ensure that students enjoy high quality teaching and a curriculum which meets their needs and the requirements of legislation.
• Plan support for CLA pupils realistically and use the academy’s resources efficiently in order to ensure the academy meets their needs.
• Promote a positive culture in all aspects of academy life.
• Help students develop their cultural, moral and social understanding

 Legal framework:

This policy has due regard to legislation and statutory guidance, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Children Act 1989
• The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010
• Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
• Children and Young Persons Act 2008
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Children and Social Work Act 2017 DfE (2018)
• Keeping Children safe in Education
• Promoting the education of looked-after children and previously looked-after children’
• Exclusions from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units

Definitions

Children Looked After (CLA) students 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, as 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.

             Previously Children Looked After (PCLA) students are defined as:

• Children no longer looked after by an LA in England and Wales because they 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)

Duties and responsibilities

The Coop Academy Bebington is responsible for;

• Ensuring the academy has a coherent policy forCLAand PCLA.
• Reviewing the academy’s policies and procedures in conjunction with legislation and statutory guidance.
• Ensuring the designated teacher forCLAand PCLA has received the appropriate training.
• EnsuringCLAand PCLA have equal access to all areas of the curriculum and that reasonable adjustments are made, if necessary.
• Reviewing the annual report produced by the designated teacher to evaluate the progress ofCLAin the academy.
• Ensuring they receive feedback from the head teacher regarding the effectiveness of the policy on an annual basi

The virtual school head (VSH) is responsible for:

• Monitoring the attendance and educational progress of the children their authority looks after.
• Ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the education and outcomes of the authority’s LAC, including those placed out-of-authority.
• Building relationships with health, education and social care partners, as well as other partners, so they and the designated teachers understand the support available toCLAand PCLA children.
• Working with the academy to ensure allCLAin attendance are fully supported in reaching their full potential.
• Acting as the educational advocate for LAC.
• Acting as a source of advice and information to help parents of previously-CLAas effectively as possible.
• Ensuring there are effective systems in place to:
• Maintain an up-to-date roll of theCLAwho are in academy settings, and gather information about their educational placement, attendance and progress.
• Inform the head teacher and designated teacher if they have a pupil on roll who is looked after by the LA.
• Ensure social workers, academies, designated teachers, careers and IROs understand their role and responsibilities regarding a pupil’s PEP.
• Ensure that up-to-date and effective PEPs that focus on educational outcomes are maintained for all LAC.
• Avoid delays in providing suitable educational provision.
• Ensure the education achievement ofCLAis seen as a priority by everyone who has responsibilities for promoting their welfare.
• Report regularly on the attainment, progress and academy attendance ofCLAthrough the authority’s corporate parenting structures

    The head teacher is responsible for:

• Appointing the designated teacher forCLAand PCLA. At Coop Academy Bebington this is SENDCo.
• Allowing the designated teacher the time and facilities to succeed in carrying out their duties. The PEP and CLA meetings will be attended by Zulkifla Absar TA and overseen by the DT.
• Ensuring all members of staff are aware that supportingCLAis a key priority.
• Promoting actively challenging negative stereotypes of LAC.
• Overseeing this policy and monitoring its implementation, feeding back to the governing body annually on the following:

• The number of CLA and PCLA in the academy
• An analysis of assessment scores as a cohort, compared to other pupil groups
• The attendance of CLA and PCLA, compared to other pupil groups
• The level of fixed term and permanent exclusions, compared to other pupil groups

The designated teacher for CLA and PCLA is responsible for:

• Building relationships with health, education and social care partners and other partners so that they and the VSH understand the support available to CLA and PCLA.
• Promoting the educational achievement of CLA and PCLA at the academy.
• Acting as the main contact for social services and the education department.
• Ensuring CLA are involved in setting their own targets.
• Advising staff on teaching strategies for CLA.
• Ensuring that CLA are prioritised for tuition and support.
• Leading on how the child’s personal education plan PEP is developed and used in the academy to ensure the child’s progress towards targets is monitored.
• Liaising with the SENDCO to ensure all pupil needs are met.
• Working with the child’s VSH and social worker to develop and implement their PEP.
• Working with the head teacher to submit an annual report to the governing board, which details the progress of all CLA and PCLA.

The SENDCO is responsible for:

• Ensuring they are involved in reviewing Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and care plans for CLA and previously LAC.
• Liaising with the class teacher, designated teacher, specialists and parents when considering interventions to support the progress of PCLA.

Staff are responsible for:

• Being aware of CLA and PCLA in their classes and providing them with support and encouragement.
• Preserving confidentiality, where appropriate, and showing sensitivity and understanding the culture of high expectations and aspirations.
• Being vigilant for any signs of bullying towards CLA and PCLA.
• Promoting the self-esteem of CLA and PCLA.

Personal Education Plans (PEPs)

All CLA must have a care plan;

• PEPs are an integral part of this care plan.
• The PEP is an evolving record of what needs to happen for a student to enable them to make the expected progress and fulfil their potential.
• The PEP will reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning which meets the identified educational needs of the child.
• The academy will work with other professionals and the child’s carers to use the PEP to support the child’s educational needs, raise the child’s aspirations and improve their life chances.
• All relevant bodies, such as the LA, the designated teacher and carers, will involve the child in the PEP process at all stages.

The PEP will address the student's full range of education and development needs, including:

• On-going catch-up support, which will be made available for children who have fallen behind with work.
• Suitable education provided by the LA, where the child is not in academy because of suspension or exclusion.
• Transitional support where needed, such as if a child is moving to a new academy.
• Academy attendance and behaviour support, where appropriate.
• Support to achieve expected levels of progress for the relevant national key stage and to complete an appropriate range of approved qualifications.
• Careers advice, guidance and financial information about FE, training and employment that has a focus on the child’s strengths, capabilities and the outcomes they want to achieve. Out-of-school hours learning activities, study support and leisure interests.

CLA & PCLA Students with SEND:

Support for CLA & PCLA  with SEND, who do not need an EHC plan, will be covered as part of the student’s EPEP and care plan reviews. The SENDCO, class teacher, designated teacher and specialists will involve parents when considering interventions to support their child’s progress. If appropriate, the VSH will be invited to comment on proposed SEND provision for CLA and PCLA.

SEMH

CLA and PCLA are more likely to experience the challenge of social, emotional and mental health issues, which can affect their behaviour and education. Designated teachers will have awareness, training and skills regarding a child’s needs and how to support them in relation to behaviour management and mental health.

The designated teacher will work with the VSH to ensure the academy is able to identify signs of potential mental health issues, understand the impact issues can have on CLA and PCLA, and knows how to access further assessment and support, where necessary. The designated teacher will regularly measure the emotional and behavioural difficulties experienced by LAC and previously-LAC, a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) will be used to help social workers and other relevant professionals to form a view about the student’s emotional wellbeing.

Exclusions and Suspensions

Past experiences of CLA and PCLA students will be considered when designing and implementing the academy’s behaviour policy. The academy will have regard to the DfE’s statutory guidance ‘Exclusions from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England’ and, as far as possible, avoid excluding any LAC.

Where the academy has concerns about a child’s behaviour, the VSH will be informed at the earliest opportunity. Exclusions and suspensions will only be considered as a last resort. Where exclusion or suspension is considered, the academy will work with the VSH, and others, to consider what additional support can be provided to prevent exclusion, and any additional arrangements that can be made to support the pupil’s education in the event of exclusion or suspension. The academy will inform carers that they can seek the advice of the VSH on strategies to support their child to avoid suspension or exclusion.

Information sharing:

Appropriate and specific arrangements for sharing reliable data are in place to ensure that the education needs of CLA and PCLA  are understood and met. The arrangements set out:

• Who has access to what information and how the security of data will be ensured.
• How students and parents are informed of, and allowed to challenge, information that is kept about them.
• How carers contribute to and receive information.
• Mechanisms for sharing information between the academy and relevant LA departments.
• How relevant information about individual students is passed between authorities, departments and the academy when students move.

Coop Academy Bebington will ensure that copies of all relevant reports are forwarded to the CLA social workers, in addition to carers or residential social workers. The academy will coordinate their review meetings; for example, hold their annual review of CLA with their statutory care review. The academy will work with other agencies to exchange information such as changes in circumstances, exclusions or attendance issues. Behaviour management strategies will be agreed between the VSH and the academy, to ensure challenging behaviour is managed in the most effective way for that individual child.

Individual plans will be written to reduce any need for restraint or reasonable force if the child is deemed vulnerable in this way. The designated teacher for CLA and PCLA  will communicate with the VSH and child’s social worker to facilitate the completion of the PEP. Through the designated teacher, the academy will work with the VSH, social worker and other relevant agencies to monitor any arrangements in place so that actions and activities recorded in the child’s PEP are implemented without delay.

The designated teacher will communicate with the VSH and agree on how pupil premium (PP) can be used effectively to accommodate the child’s educational attainment and progress. The academy will work with the VSH to manage allocation of PP for the benefit of our cohort of CLA, or PCLA, and according to their needs. The designated teacher will ensure consistent and strong communication with the VSH regarding CLA who are absent without authorisation. The academy will share their expertise on what works in supporting the education of CLA and PCLA.

The Virtual School Head teacher for Wirral LAC is Sarah Dacey The LACES Team link worker for Coop Academy Bebington is Kathy Begley.

The Coop Academy Bebington designated teacher for LAC and previously LAC is Sally Spencer.

The Co-op Academy Bebington TA for LAC is Zulkifla Absar.

Forms

Sample website link form

Sample PDF link form