At Nexus Fostering we supply an education support service for all of our foster carers and children.
Our Education team supports our carers, children and young people throughout and after their school life. They give advice and support on:
How we support education for children in foster care.
At Nexus Fostering we supply an education support service for all of the foster carers and children.
De-code the educational jargon with our quick acronym lookup tool.
Get to know more about the service and what you can expect from the service.
These usually last 30-60 minutes, can be face to face or online and cover:
Andy has a thirty-year career in education, working in primary, secondary schools and a sixth form as a Teacher, Head Teacher and Consultant. Many of these years were spent working in special schools for looked after children. Watch our interview with him to find out how he and his team support our foster carers to support the children in their care.
All looked after children have a care plan. A PEP is a statutory requirement to ensure that a record is maintained regarding the child’s educational progress and thus it forms an integral part of the child’s overall care plan. The PEP should detail what needs to happen in order for the looked after child to fulfil their potential. The Local Authority are under a duty to ensure that the PEP fully reflects the educational needs of the child, remains relevant to the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and is implemented effectively.
Schools in England must provide support to children with special educational needs (SEN) as part of their standard offer to children. This is called SEN support. Schools are deemed to have £6000 of national funding within their existing budgets to support children at the SEN Support level.
Where a child requires additional support that goes beyond what a school, college, or nursery can typically deliver from their own budgets or staffing then they may need an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) –
An EHC plan is a legally binding document outlining a child or teenager’s special educational, health, and social care needs. The document has to list all of the child’s special educational needs, provision to meet each of the needs and that provision has to be specific, detailed, and quantified. The plan names the school/setting which is to provide the provision and the plan is legally enforceable.
This is for pupils who are currently Looked After or have been previously looked after by the Local Authority for at least 1 day.
Pupils receive either the Pupil Premium or the Pupil Premium Plus, not both.
Pupil Premium Plus is higher to recognise the extra challenges faced by children who are, or have been, looked after. It is approximately £2,400 in primary and secondary school, between years Reception to year 11.
Like Pupil Premium it aims to help pupils make progress but its focus is improving social and emotional well-being.
For pupils currently in care, the Pupil Premium Plus is managed by the responsible Virtual School Head. The money can go directly to the school or the VS Head can use some of it in other ways which will benefit the child.
The Virtual School acts as a local authority champion to promote the progress and educational attainment of children and young people who are or who have been in care so that they achieve educational outcomes comparable to their peers. Ensuring that they receive a high quality education is the foundation for improving their lives.
The school does not exist in real terms, or as a building. Children do not attend it - they remain the responsibility of the school at which they are enrolled. The Virtual School is simply an organisation which has been created for the effective co-ordination of educational services at a strategic and operational level.
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your help and support in school. You have been so supportive and informative with the training and guidance towards my staff, this has made a significant impact on those staff who work with the child concerned.
We would love to hear from you. Get in touch with us today
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