As part of our offer to previously looked-after children, we provide a range of support services to children who have left care, their education settings and their parents or carers.
Advice and information
We respond to requests for advice and information from a range of stakeholders:
- Parents, carers and social care staff.
- Providers of early education.
- Designated teachers in maintained schools and academies.
- Providers of alternative provision in the area.
We also provide information to schools to improve awareness of the vulnerability and needs of previously looked-after children by:
- promoting good practice on identifying and meeting their needs
- providing guidance on the effective use of Pupil Premium Plus funding
Behaviour support
We also provide support where a school has concerns about the behaviour of a previously looked-after child that could result in exclusion.
The child’s parents, or the school’s designated teacher, can seek the advice of the Headteacher of the Virtual School on strategies that could help the child avoid exclusion.
Funding eligibility support
We help with requests on whether a child is eligible for funding and support by asking the child’s parents for evidence of their previously looked-after status.
Where parents are unable to provide clear evidence of their child’s status, they will need to use their discretion and discuss eligibility with the designated teacher at the child’s school to agree a consistent approach.
Further information on support for previously looked after children is available on our Pupil Premium Grant page
Training
We provide free training to all designated teachers, schools and education settings that support previously looked-after children.
Information on these resources and upcoming training sessions is available on our training resources page
Any education setting in Bath and North East Somerset that supports previously looked-after children can access these resources.
Personal Education Plan (PEP) support
We also provide support with Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for previously looked-after children.
You can find out more about PEPs and access templates and guides on our PEPs page
Post care support
Our PLAC Advice and Guidance Officer is Sarah Sims.
You can contact Sarah and other members of the Virtual School team through our contact page
Useful websites
There are a range of national services that provide useful advice relating to previously looked-after children: