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4.5.1 Education of Looked After Children

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was amended in July 2011 to take account of the changes made by the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and Associated Guidance, in relation to information to be included in the PEP, timing and avoidance of disruption in education.

There is a dedicated Children’s Homes manual and it contains a chapter on this subject that is intended for the sole use of staff in Residential Children’s homes - see Bradford Children's Homes Procedures Manual, Education Procedure.


Contents

  1. Who should have Personal Education Plans (PEP)? 
  2. Responsibility for Personal Education Plans
  3. When a Child becomes Looked After
  4. Compiling the First Personal Education Plan 
  5. Reviewing and Updating Plans 
  6. Celebrating Children’s Achievements 
  7. Avoidance of Disruption in Education
  8. When a Child is Absent from School 
  9. School Exclusions
  10. When a Young Woman becomes Pregnant


1. Who should have Personal Education Plans (PEP)?

The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is the central platform for the education of Looked After Children, which should be incorporated within each child’s Care Plan.

All Looked After Children of nursery school age and over must have a Personal Education Plan. Nursery age children and those in Reception classes should have an Early Years plan which serves the same purpose as a PEP.


2. Responsibility for Personal Education Plans

Also see Section, Section 4, Compiling the First Personal Education Plan.

Social workers should liaise with Designated Teachers or other identified members of staff in schools to ensure that Personal Education Plans are complied with and kept up to date.

The social worker is normally responsible for arranging and chairing any meetings associated with the plan, unless other meetings/reviews need to coincide; in which case the social worker should liaise, in advance, with the person convening or chairperson as to how responsibilities can be discharged.

A Personal Education Plan must be based on accurate and up-to-date information. Everyone relevant should be consulted about both their views and their ability to contribute to the child’s educational progress.

The social worker must also ensure that parents are involved in these events as far as is appropriate, and that copies of the child’s school reports are sent to the parents.


3. When a Child becomes Looked After

Parental Consultation

Whenever it is possible, parents or those with Parental Responsibility should be consulted about the choices of school available. In particular, their religious persuasion should be taken into consideration.

Notifying the School, Education Authority and Finding a School

All Looked After Children of school age should have a school place, preferably before they become Looked After. Finding a school place is primarily the social worker’s responsibility but may be delegated to or shared with others by agreement (e.g. the carer, a local education authority officer).

If it is proposed to Look After a Child who does not have a school place, the social worker should liaise with the Lead Officer in the local education authority for the area where the child is placed and ask for a placement to be offered. If the Child is Looked After in an emergency, before a school place is found, a school placement should be offered within 20 days of the Looked After placement starting.

If the child already has a school place, the social worker should, as soon as possible, notify the Head Teacher or Designated Teacher in the school and the Lead Officer in the local education authority for the area where the child is placed of the Looked After placement.

The notifications should initially be by telephone, confirmed in writing.

Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs

School placements for a Looked After Child with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be sought via the Special Needs Section of the education authority maintaining the statement.  Any change of school will require the agreement of the relevant local education authority, which will need to approach the school and to arrange for the child’s statement to be amended. This needs to be arranged as early as possible as it can cause long delays.


4. Compiling the First Personal Education Plan

The first Personal Education Plan should be initiated as part of the Care Plan before the child becomes Looked After (or within 10 working days in the case of an emergency placement), and be available for the first statutory review meeting. Once the child's PEP is completed the Social Worker should update ICS.

A planning meeting must take place as soon as possible with the school (preferably the Designated Teacher), the carer and the social worker; and should involve the child as far as is appropriate and possible.

If the child has no school place, the Lead Officer for the local education authority for the area where the child is placed should be invited to attend.

The purpose of the meeting is to draw up the first Personal Education Plan, which should be taken to the child's first Looked After Review.

Information to be included in the Personal Education Plan (PEP)

  1. Chronology of education and training history which provides a record of the child's educational experience and progress in terms of National Curriculum levels of attainment, including information about educational institutions attended and the reasons for leaving, attendance and conduct record, academic and other achievements, any special educational needs, an indication of the extent to which the child's education has been disrupted before entering care or accommodation.
  2. Existing arrangements for education and training, including details of any special educational provision and any other provision to meet the child's educational or training needs and promote educational achievement.
  3. Any planned changes to existing arrangements and provision to minimise disruption
  4. The child's leisure interests
  5. Role of the appropriate person and any other person who cares for the child in promoting the child's educational achievements and leisure interests.


5. Reviewing and Updating Plans

Convening Meetings

Second and subsequent Personal Education Plans should be updated in time for further Looked After Reviews, and the social worker should arrange planning meetings not more than four weeks before planned Looked After Reviews (or at the end of the Summer term, if the Review is due during the school holidays) to facilitate this.

The Purpose of PEP Reviews

The purpose of PEP Reviews is to:

  1. Ensure that the Personal Education Plan is accurate and up-to-date
  2. Check that any previous decisions and recommendations have been implemented
  3. Acknowledge and celebrate the successes achieved by the child;
  4. Address current concerns;
  5. Agree new decisions and recommendations accordingly.

Invitations, Consultations and Chairing PEP Meetings and PEP Reviews

How best to consult with the child must be considered, and support or advocacy arranged if necessary.

The meeting should involve the child, carer(s), the Designated Teacher,  other Education Department officers, if appropriate, and parents, if appropriate. The meeting should usually be chaired by the social worker.

Merging with other Reviews/Meetings

If the meeting is merged with other reviews or meetings such as an Annual Review of a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or the drawing up of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the social worker should agree with other participants, in advance, how responsibility for the meeting is to be discharged.


6. Celebrating Children’s Achievements

Children’s educational achievements should be acknowledged and celebrated at one or more of the following times:

  • At PEP reviews
  • At Looked After Reviews;
  • At school-based meetings;
  • After school reports;
  • After exams;
  • As and when achievements need to be recognised.
  • At the annual Bradford celebrating children’s educational award ceremony. This is managed by Education Bradford and any adult involved in the life of a looked after child can nominate a child who may be presented with a certificate and a gift token.

This might involve the carer, the school and/or the social worker.


7. Avoidance of Disruption in Education

The Nominated Officer must approve any change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4, except in an emergency/ where the placement is terminated because of an immediate risk of serious harm to the child or to protect others from serious injury.

In those circumstances, the Local Authority must make appropriate arrangements to promote the child's educational achievement as soon as reasonably practicable.

Before approving a change of placement affecting a child in Key Stage 4, the Nominated Officer must be satisfied that:

  • The child's wishes and feelings have been ascertained and given due consideration;
  • The wishes and feelings of the parent(s) have been ascertained where the child is accommodated (where possible) and where appropriate where the child is subject to a Care Order.)
  • The educational provision will promote educational achievement and is consistent with the PEP;
  • The Independent Reviewing Officer has been consulted;
  • The designated teacher at the child's school has been consulted
Other than in Key Stage 4, where the Local Authority proposes making any change to the child's placement that would have the effect of disrupting the arrangements made for education and training, they must ensure that other arrangements are made for education or training that meet the child's needs and are consistent with the PEP.


8. When a Child is Absent from School 

The carer must notify the school and the social worker immediately if the child does not attend school for any reason.

In any case where the child has been absent from school for more than 6 school days, the social worker should liaise with the school, the child, carers and others to address the reasons for the absence, how to ensure the child returns to education as soon as possible, whether and how the child can be helped to catch up on what s/he has missed.

On measures to be taken if a child is absent from his or her home, see Absent Children Procedure and Missing Children Procedures contained in the West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures, 5.8 Children and Families who go Missing must be followed.


9. School Exclusions

Where a child is excluded from school for a fixed period, the school will provide work for the child. The social worker must liaise with the carer about suitable arrangements for supervising the child doing the schoolwork during the day.

The school will communicate the reasons for the exclusion to the carer and the social worker.  Whoever is the most appropriate one to do so will discuss this with the child.  The social worker should inform the parents.

The social worker must seek advice as to whether to appeal – a permanent exclusion should always be appealed unless there are clear reasons not to.

When a child is permanently excluded but is remaining in the same placement, the social worker will liaise urgently with the Lead Officer in the local education authority for the area where the child is placed to find an alternative school placement. 


10. When a Young Woman becomes Pregnant

Becoming pregnant is not in itself a reason to stop attending school, nor to cease education.

Where a young woman becomes pregnant, the social worker must ensure that the young woman remains in education if at all possible and arrange for her to receive support from the local education authority for the area in which she lives and/or the local education authority of the school she attends.

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