Looked After Children

We have a special duty to safeguard and promote the education of Children in Care and to help them achieve their full potential.  We recognise that there are crucial educational issues for Children in Care.  We recognise that there are many barriers that prevent them achieving their full potential and we will do our best to reduce the barriers to achievement.  

Children in Care are those children:

  • who are subject to a care order where the local authority shares parental responsibility with the natural parents and is expected to act in partnership with them.
  • who are accommodated where the local authority is caring for the young person either by agreement with, or at the request ofthe natural parents.  Their parents retain full parental rights and must be consulted fully on all issues.

 Children in Care:

  • may live in foster care
  • may live in a residential children's home
  • may live at home with their parents or extended family

Aims

  • To provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment for all children and young people which maximises the abilities of all children in order to release their potential.
  • To ensure that our Children in Care make appropriate progress and achieve in line with or above their statistical targets.

 

We will:

  • Have high expectations of Children in Care.
  • Actively encourage parents to remain involved in their child's education, where this is possible.
  • Actively encourage carers to be involved in their child's education.
  • Listen to and acknowledge the child's views.
  • Respect confidentiality around information about Children in Care.
  • Work in partnership with other agencies and services to support children's education.
  • Ensure that while appropriate support is provided for children, they are never made to feel different from other children in school.
  • Be sensitive to the background of Children in Care in teaching, especially around work on families and family trees.
  • Challenge negative stereotypes.
  • Recognise that Children in Care who are members of ethnic minority groups, or who have a disability may be especially subject to isolation.
  • Ensure that Children in Care are not bullied.
  • Have a named key-worker for all Children in Care.