Nicola BlakeMulti Agency Team Manager (CLA)

Implementing the statutory guidance: the roles and responsibilities of the designated teacher for looked after children

The designated teacher’s journey so far…

A feature of good practice in schools since implementation of the guidance on education of looked after children published in 2000

Most schools have someone performing the designated teacher role but status and provision has been varied

The regulations placing the role on a statutory footing came into force on 1st September 2009

Gives regulation making powers to the Secretary of State about who does the role

Introducing the Statutory guidance

The statutory guidance includes sections on:

Statutory framework The role of the governing body The role of the designated teacher in school The role of the designated teacher in

developing the PEP The relationship of the designated teacher to

others beyond the school

The Statutory Framework:The Designated Teacher (Looked After Pupils etc) (England) Regulations 2009

From 1st September 2009 the governing bodies of all maintained schools are required under the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 to appoint a designated teacher to promote the educational achievements of looked after children and care leavers on the school roll

Applies to governing bodies of maintained schools (foundation, community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled, foundation special, community special and maintained nursery school)

Requires governing bodies to ensure that the person appointed to this role has the prescribed qualifications and experience

Covers all pupils on the school’s roll who are looked after

The statutory framework

The Designated Teacher (Looked After Pupils etc) (England) Regulations 2009 require that the person designated is:

A qualified teacher who has successfully completed an induction period and is working as a teacher at the school or

A head teacher or acting head teacher of the school or A person who has been carrying out the role of the

designated teacher for at least six months before the regulations come into force and who is taking steps to become a qualified teacher and is likely to be so qualified by 1 September 2012

The role of the governing body

The governing body must ensure that the designated teacher undertakes appropriate training

The governors must consider an annual report by the designated teacher

The governing body and school leadership team should consider the report and act on issues to support the designated teacher to maximise the impact of the role

The role of the governing body

A strategic role in making sure that the role is effective

Does the school have a clear overview of the educational needs and progress of looked after children on roll?

Are the school’s policies effective in reflecting the needs of looked after children?

Are resources allocated to support the designated teacher carry out this role effectively?

Has the designated teacher undertaken appropriate training?

A monitoring of the role (not the person)

The role of the DT within school

The annual report should include reference to:

Workload issues arising as a result of numbers of looked after children on roll

Level of progress made by looked after children Patterns of attendance and exclusion Process or planning issues arising from PEPs Whether any children are identified as gifted and talented or as having

special educational needs (SEN) and how these needs are being met Training provided for the designated teacher in order to impart

knowledge and understanding to colleagues

The role of the DT within school

Lead responsibility for helping all school staff understand the world of being a looked after child

Promoting a culture where everyone:

has high expectations of looked after children is aware of the emotional, psychological and social effects of being

looked after and treats looked after children as individuals is aware of the need to be ‘sensitive’ about care status issues understands the central importance of the personal education plan

(PEP) in creating a shared understanding of needs Has a working knowledge on a ‘need to know’ basis of how the PEP

fits into wider care planning.

The role of the DT within school

The designated teacher him/herself should:

Contribute to the development and review of whole school policies/procedures to make sure they are ‘looked after children’ friendly

Lead the process of target setting and promote a culture in which looked after children take responsibility for their own learning

Be a source of advice for teachers at school about differentiated teaching strategies appropriate for individual pupils

Make sure looked after children are prioritised in one to one tuition and challenge where this is not happening

Promote good home school links Have lead responsibility within school for the development and

implementation of the PEP

The role of the DT in developing the PEP

Some guiding principles to keep in mind

Ownership of the PEP is shared between the school and local authority which looks after the child. DT leads once the PEP is received from the local authority

It’s not for the school to deliver everything mentioned in the PEP nor for the designated teacher to write everything it contains

Think of the PEP as a way of keeping the ‘collective memory’ about the child’s educational history and achievements

The PEP is a living document which everyone feeds

The relationship of the designated teacher to others beyond the school walls

Remember the PEP is a vital part of a child’s wider care plan DT makes sure there is a central point of initial contact within

school Preparing the ground for how the school engages with social

workers, foster carers, residential carers, educational psychologists, SEN and other services.

Most local authorities have a dedicated team (like the multi agency team in Richmond) and most have appointed a virtual school head, a senior local authority manager with lead responsibility in the authority for improving the educational achievement of looked after children

DT is key to building relationships with other professionals and making sure there are agreed processes in place for how the school works with others beyond the school.

The designated teacher’s involvement in the care planning process

DT plays a key role by:

Being at the table as the ‘education champion’Finding ways to make sure that the latest information

about educational progress, primarily through the PEP, is fed into the statutory review.

Providing advice about the likely impact of disrupting education and how this might be minimised.

Making sure that when a looked after child moves school that the new school and the LA looking after the child gets her/his records (including the PEP) quickly.

Developing the role of the designated teacher…

The guidance includes a checklist of questions on good practice. It is important to consider:

What would I feel like if I were a looked after child? What would I want from my designated teacher? What would I want to make me feel secure and enjoy

learning? Does the young person mind it being known s/he is

looked after? Have you discussed with them who might

need to know in school and why?

Self evaluation: Support for looked after young people

Through out the day we are going to explore the nine key qualities exhibited by effective schools. These are identified in the guidance on improving attainment in primary and secondary schools

As an initial task, please evaluate the effectiveness of your current practice using the grid on page 25. We will return to this exercise at the end of the day.

Secure relationships matter‘First and foremost it’s not about laptops or tutoring – it’s about that daily contact and intensive support from dedicated adults in the school.’ (Headteacher)

‘We keep a watchful eye on our looked after young people – discreetly behind the scenes. We don’t make a big fuss. We know they are disadvantaged and underachieve, but we treat them as normal. We look out for them and make sure their needs are met.’ (Designated teacher)

‘It is about having a feel for urgency, being able to read situations so you know when to offer help and when to step back for a while.’ (Headteacher)

‘Flexibility is the key. We never give up on them – we just keep trying different approaches’ (Designated Teacher)

… and someone to trust

‘My mentor pushes me in a nice way’ (Pupil)

‘She listens. She is one of those special people – like a mum. She looks after you’ (Pupil)

‘Jane is better than a teacher – she can talk just to me – my teacher has the whole class to look after’ (Pupil)

Consistency counts…

‘I work closely with the carer to ensure we are consistent. We don’t want any mixed messages. It’s not a soft option. I say the hard things, and sometimes he kicks back’

(Mentor)

…and support and sensitivity

‘You can’t just throw support at these children. You have to be sensitive to where they are, the approaches that are most likely to work and when they will work’ (Assistant Headteacher)

‘Exclusion is just another form of rejection. They don’t need it’ (Designated teacher)

‘The speed of the support is important. If the time is right for the child, you have to be able to provide it straight away. The virtual school helps us to do this’ (Headteacher)

The teachers never give up on you, even when you feel like giving up yourself. They always want you to do better’ (Pupil)

Acknowledgement

Slides and pictures on the last four slides taken from a presentation by Barbara Miller from the DCSF on Improving the attainment of looked after children in primary and secondary schools held on 20th November 2009