Funding for Post looked after children.
You may be aware that schools receive additional funding for children in receipt of Free School Meals which is called Pupil Premium Funding. The Government also provides additional income for schools to support children who have been adopted from care. This funding is called Pupil Premium Plus.
Unfortunately, unlike Free School Meals eligibility, the school is not given information on whether or not students have ever been in care. We therefore need parents to let us know that they have adopted children from care so that the school can claim the funding available for the next financial year.
Because this is a sensitive issue, it is the parents choice whether or not this information is disclosed to the school. All information received will be treated in strictest confidence.
This additional funding is only eligible for students who:
- left care under a Residential Order on or after 14 October 1991 (under the Children Act 1989)
- left care under a Special Guardianship Order on or after 30 December 2005 (under the Children Act 1989)
- were adopted from care on or after 30 December 2005 (under the Adoption and Children Act 2002)
If your child fits into any of the above categories and you are willing to let the school know that this is the case, please contact Mrs Cottam or Miss Bailey. You may be asked to provide supporting evidence, i.e. the Adoption (Court) Order. In order to claim the funding for the next financial year the school need to include information in the census return that they send to the DfE in January each year.
Pupil Premium Plus funding is designed to provide specific support to raise attainment and address the wider needs of children in this vulnerable group. Children who have spent time “in care” have usually experienced grief and loss, many have had traumatic experiences in their early lives caused by abuse or neglect and this can have a lasting impact even after many years of adoption in a loving home.
There is no obligation for you to share this information with us, but doing so will help both your child and the school benefit from this substantial additional funding. If you would like a confidential conversation about how this information will be held in school, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Cottam.