School and Your Education

When you first come into care we will try to ensure that you do not have to change schools, we will look for a placement which will be near to your school or a short journey to your school. This may not always be possible but we will ensure that you are involved in decisions made about your education. If you are in years 10 or 11 we will try very hard to make sure your GCSE’s are not interrupted by moving school unless this is absolutely necessary.

You will have a meeting at your school which is called a “PEP” meeting where we will talk about your educational needs and make a plan tailored to you called a Personal Education Plan. This is to help ensure you are supported to achieve your potential.  The meeting will be chaired by someone from your school and will involve you, your parents (if appropriate), your foster carers / or key worker, your social worker and a support officer from the Virtual School on most occasions. This meeting is held to make sure that you are doing well at school. During the PEP meeting we will also look at your attendance, your behaviour, after school activities, how well you are doing and if you need any additional support in any of your subjects. We will all negotiate some targets for the following year.

The information from the PEP meeting will then create a Personal Education Plan, this includes your current working grades, exam results, future targets which were agreed and will also detail any additional support you might need to receive to make sure you meet your targets.

At your school there is a designated teacher for looked after children, he or she will be informed that you are looked after by your social worker and they will make sure that the PEP meetings are held. The designated teacher will be the main contact for your social worker although some schools may ask your class teacher or head of year to be that contact. The designated teacher is also there for you if you require any help or have any worries about your education or about your care. Make sure you know who he or she is.