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Child Looked After Policy

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Children Looked After Policy

This policy was adopted by the Governing Body in

March 2022

This policy is due for review in March 2024

Children Looked After Policy

A school policy document for ‘Children Looked After’ (CLA), adopted by Co-op Academy Delius

Rationale

Co-op Academy Delius believes that in partnership with Bradford Council Children’s Services as Corporate Parents and the Bradford Virtual School for Children Looked After we have a special duty to promote the education of CLA children.

Aim

In line with the Teaching and Learning policy we aim:

  • to provide a safe and secure environment for all pupils where education is valued and there is a belief in

the abilities and potential of all children;

  • to support our Children Looked After and to give them every access to every opportunity to achieve their potential and enjoy learning;
  • to fulfil our role as Corporate Parents by asking the question ‘Would this be good enough for my child?’

Children become ‘Looked After’ if they have been taken into care by their Local Authority, either via a legal route under the Children’s Act 1989 or where a voluntary agreement has been reached with the birth family. Most CLA will be living in a foster home but a number may be in a children’s home, living with relatives or placed back at home with their birth family or friends.

In pursuit of this policy we will:

  • appoint a Designated Teacher for Children Looked After who will act as their advocate. In this school the Designated Teacher is Deputy Head Teacher Rob Cameron. The Designated Teacher is part of the Senior Leadership Team.
  • nominate a school governor (Sally Birkbeck) to ensure that the needs of CLA in the school are taken into

account at a school management level and the support the work of the Designated Teacher, for example annual meetings with CLA designated lead teacher/SLT

  • discuss annual report by the Designated Teacher to the full governing body covering at least the achievements and successes of Children Looked After in school;
  • support the Designated Teacher to carry out the role by making appropriate time available both within school and also outside school to attend any relevant local training to ensure that the school has the most up to date information available;
  • review all policies and procedure at least every 2 years and more frequently if necessary to ensure that they adequately address the needs of Children Looked After and that those children have access to all aspects of education particularly with regard to admissions, curricular and extra-curricular activities, interventions and safeguarding activities;
  • have a clear and consistent plan for attendance at all PEP meetings;
  • unless otherwise agreed the child or young person agreed should attend all or part of the meeting;
  • following a PEP meeting, Targets and Actions will be circulated to all relevant teaching and support staff immediately after the PEP meeting or as soon as Minutes are received from the Social Worker
  • discuss issues relating to attendance and/or exclusions with the Virtual School Head teacher or a member of the Virtual School teaching team to ensure that there is as little disruption to a child’s education as possible. When considering a permanent exclusion, a discussion will be held with the Senior Management of the Virtual School.

Exclusions.

  • The school will take experience of CLA and PCLA into account when implementing the school’s Management of Behaviour Policy.
  • The school has regard to the DfE’s statutory guidance ‘Exclusions from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England’ and, as far as possible, avoids excluding any CLA.
  • Where the school has concerns about a child’s behaviour, the Trust and Virtual School Head (VSH) will be informed at the earliest opportunity.
  • Exclusion will only be considered as a last resort; where exclusion is considered, the school will work with the Trust, 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.
  • The school will inform parents/carers that they can seek the advice of the Trust/VSH on strategies to support their child to avoid exclusion

Pupil mental health 

  • CLA and PCLA are more likely to experience the challenge of social, emotional and mental health issues, which can impact 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 Trust/VSH to ensure the school is able to identify signs of potential mental health issues, understand the impact issues can have on CLA and PCLA, and know how to access further assessment and support, where necessary.

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 pupils 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 school and relevant local authority departments
  • how relevant information about individual pupils is shared between authorities, departments and the school when pupils move.

The Designated Teacher will –

  • be an advocate for any Children Looked After in the school;
  • in conjunction with the Virtual School, maintain an up to date record of all Children Looked After who are on the school roll. This will include:
  • Status i.e. care order or Section 20 accommodation.
  • Type of placement i.e. Foster, respite, residential.
  • Name of Social Worker, area office, telephone number.
  • Daily contact and numbers e.g. name of parent and carer or key worker in children’s        home.
  • SEND Code of Practice where appropriate
  • Child Protection information when appropriate.
  • Baseline information and all test results.
  • Attendance figures
  • Exclusions
  • insure that there is a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for each child/young person which includes appropriate targets the above information. This must be compatible with the child’s/young person’s Care Plan and where applicable include any other school plan, e.g. Individual Education Plan, Health and Care Plan and any associated plans including Transition Plan, Pastoral Support Programme;
  • provide the LA with termly progress and attainment data to enable the Virtual School Head teacher to have clear tracking data for all Looked After Children;
  • ensure that if/when the child transfers school all relevant information is forwarded to the receiving school as a matter of priority;
  • ensure that systems are in place to identify and prioritise when Children Looked After are underachieving and have early interventions to improve this in line with existing school policy including access to appropriate interventions as agreed.
  • ensure that Looked After Children, along with all children are listened to and have equal opportunity to pastoral support in school;
  • ensure that they keep the school up to date with current legislation and its implication for the school in respect of Looked After Children;
  • report to the Governing Body annually on the academic performance, attendance and exclusions of the Children Looked After who are on the roll of the school;
  • insure that the school evaluates the performance data for all Children Looked After and that it is recorded in the school’s self-evaluation documentation.

All staff will –

  • as with all children, have high aspirations and celebrate the educational and personal achievement of Children looked after.
  • ensure entry to examinations for Looked After Children;
  • be familiar with the Guidance on Children Looked After and respond appropriately to requests for information to support the completion of PEPs and other documentation needed as part of review

meetings;

  • liaise with the Designated Teacher where a Child looked after, is experiencing difficulty. These may be academic; pastoral; behaviour and/or attendance issues

All governors will –

governing body;

  • review the effective implementation of this policy, preferably annually and at least every three years;
  • support the local authority in its statutory duty to promote the educational achievement of children looked after.
  • Ensure that appropriate systems and procedures are in place in the school even if there are no Children Looked After on roll at the time and that the Designated Teacher continues to attend training and is up to date in regards to the legal processes.

Signed: Date: Review Date

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