Primary and Secondary

This Pupil Premium is additional funding from the government given to schools in England for children previously in care. It recognises that children who have spent time in care often need extra support in school because of their early experiences. As of April 2025, the grant is £2630 per eligible pupil per year and is for students from Reception class up to Year 11. To be eligible, pupils must have previously been in care of the state or the equivalent from outside England and Wales. 

To receive this Pupil Premium Plus funding, the school needs to see evidence of a child’s previously looked after status so that they can enter this onto their October census. A sensitive request from schools that parents or carers should declare their child’s previously looked after status to access the grant will help facilitate this. Many provide this evidence by showing the school a copy of their child’s court order as soon as the child joins a new educational setting. Parents or carers can blank out any details they do not wish the educational setting to see. Gloucestershire County Council is not able to verify a child’s change of care status; this must come voluntarily from parents or carers.

Unlike Pupil Premium Plus that was accessed through the Virtual School when the child was still legally in care, Pupil Premium Plus monies for children who have had a changed status through the court is not ring-fenced for the individual child. Schools can pool Pupil Premium Plus monies for numerous children to gain maximum impact from the funding. Every school should have a section about Pupil Premium on their website which explains how they have spent this income and what effect this has had. It is good practice for schools to include parents in discussions around the most effective use of Pupil Premium Plus.  The following are possible ways it can be spent:

•    Whole school or individual training in attachment and trauma
•    Additional teaching assistant hours
•    Small group tuition in targeted subjects
•    Specialist assessments e.g. educational psychologist
•    Start up, or development of, a school-based nurture group
•    Start up, or development of, programmes such as forest school, social groups, mindfulness
•    Resources   
•    Child mentoring
•    Music lessons
•    Independent schools and home educating families cannot access Pupil Premium Plus for their students.

For further information, please see the 'Resources for Schools and Professionals' tab.

Priority Admissions

All children who have been in care in the UK including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England should now receive priority for school admissions. 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 children who have been 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.

The Gloucestershire Schools Admissions office on 01452 425407 or email school.admissions@gloucestershire.gov.uk  are helpful and can advise you about individual cases. 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.

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 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.