Early Years
Early Years
Free Early Education
Information for Funded Entitlements for Early Years Children can be found here: Funded Entitlements for Early Years Children | Early Years Service
2 year-old children who were previously in care (PCiC or PLAC) can also receive 15 hours of funded childcare or early education for 38 weeks. Information including how to apply for this can be found here: 2-year-old-funding for families receiving additional forms of support | Early Years Service
All 3 & 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours funded childcare from the term after their 3rd birthday, you do not need to apply for it. Your early years provider will ask you to complete a form stating how many hours you want them to claim on your behalf and they submit the claims to Gloucestershire County Council who will send the payments to them. They will reduce your invoices by the number of eligible funded hours each term. Information can be found here: 15 hrs funded childcare for all 3 and 4 year-olds | Early Years Service
Early Years Pupil Premium
3 and 4 year olds previously in care are entitled to Early Years Pupil Premium to help them reach their potential. This is paid directly to your education provider.
It is up to parents or carers to show evidence of previously looked after status to the provider if they wish for this Pupil premium to be accessed.
Information on Early Years Pupil Premium can be found here: Early years pupil premium: guide for local authorities - GOV.UK
Priority Admissions
All children who have been previously in care should now receive priority for school admissions. Please view P10 on the DofE School Admissions Code: September 2021 for clarification on the rights of PCiC and priority admissions: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf .
This means you don’t have to live within the school catchment area to be able to get into the school. All schools must publish their admissions criteria/policy which should be available on their website. Do check individual school details.
Even faith schools generally have some places which are not reserved for their denomination and previous children in care should be high on the list for the remainder of places. Check individual school admission policies as there can be differences, especially with Academies.
To contact GCC Admissions, please ring: 01452 425407 or email school.admissions@gloucestershire.gov.uk Do tell them that your child was previously in care.
PEP Meetings
Children awaiting a change of care status through the courts, are legally still in care. They will continue to have Personal Education Plan meetings to review progress and discuss use of the Pupil Premium Plus for Children in Care.
At this stage, the Pupil Premium Plus will be administered through the Virtual School of the Local Authority where the child was taken into care. The PEP is the responsibility of the social worker as it is part of the care plan. In Gloucestershire, an Education Advisor from the Virtual School will support with the PEP process, but they are not responsible for ensuring it takes place.
Once the change in legal status order comes through, the statutory PEP meetings stop. However, parents can request a more informal review meeting with school staff whenever they feel it appropriate. Whilst these meetings are not statutory, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines recommend that children with attachment difficulties should have an educational review meeting at least once a year.
A non-statutory Education Plan Template for Previous Children in Care and Kinship Care can be found here: ‘PCiC Education Plan Template’
Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
Money to fund therapeutic interventions is now available to families with children previously in care through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). Sometimes a child may receive play therapy or a creative therapy on the school premises even though it is funded by the ASGSF.
In order to access the funding, parents need to request an Assessment of Need from the appropriate Local Authority Team. This may be the Kinship Care Team or Adoption Team. If it is under 3 years after the adoption order, this will be through the Local Authority that placed the child, thereafter it is the Local Authority where the parents or carers live.
Until the end of March 2026, the ASGSF will have a single fair access limit of £3,000 per child per year. Specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 per child will be considered, but only within the overall £3,000 fair access limit.
The ASGSF can be claimed for young people up to the age of 21 unless they have an EHCP in which case they can claim up to the age of 25.
For further information, please click here.
School Transitions
Moving schools, or even classes, can be very unsettling for children who have spent time in care and they may need extra consideration and visits. It can be helpful for the young person to be involved in the making of a school transition booklet in school which they can then look at over the holidays. This can include photos and details of what will stay the same and what will be new.
If there are particular concerns around a child’s transition, it would be helpful to hold a transition meeting to include representatives from the old and the new schools, as well as parents.
Further information on supporting transitions can be found under the Resources section.
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