Information about Pupil Premium Plus
For Parents and Carers
As you will know, with the right support in place children and young people previously in care can do very well in education. Yet across the board, there is a gap between the educational outcomes of this group of children and their peers - they will often require extra support and an approach which responds to their early life challenges.
Key Information
Information and Advice line to promote the educational achievement of children previously in care:
Please contact the Information and Advice line if you have an education-based query and work in an education setting (early years, school, post 16) or another related professional setting: infoadvicePiC@brighton-hove.gov.uk or 07808 717796. We also welcome enquiries from parents/carers of children previously in care.
Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for children previously in care:
The Previously in Care PEP (a condensed version of the ‘in Care’ PEP) is intended to assist in developing a detailed and comprehensive plan to enable the monitoring, review and ongoing planning of progress/attainment/support needs. It is designed to be led by staff in the setting and co-constructed with parents/carers and the child/young person (as appropriate) and other relevant professionals. Although it isn’t a statutory process, we know that a child’s needs don’t change overnight when they leave ‘Care’ and it will also be particularly relevant to address the impacts of Covid-19. PEPs provide a mechanism to involve parents/carers, children and young people in planning forward and to define how the Pupil Premium Plus grant, or Early Years Pupil Premium, will be/has been used, if applicable. Please contact us for an example PEP proforma for use in early years settings, schools and post 16 provision.
Workshops – free for Parents or Carers of a child/young person previously in care:
The Virtual School has commissioned TouchBase to run the following free* Workshops. They will be facilitated by Michael Reeves, an Integrative Child Psychotherapist and Specialist Teacher on both the TouchBase therapy and
education teams. All Workshops are on Mondays 1 - 2.30pm and are currently run online. Please click on the below button to find out more about workshops are currently available.
Adoption (and SGO) Support Fund:
The Adoption Support Fund is a national fund to help pay for therapy services for families through adoption
and those granted an SGO for a child previously in care (and potentially carers with a Child Arrangement
Order).
To access the fund Parents and Carers should contact Front Door For Families (FDFF) by email
FrontDoorforFamilies@brighton-hove.gov.uk or by telephone 01273 290400 to ask for an assessment of
support needs in relation to the Adoption/SGO Support Fund. The assessment will be carried out by an
adoption or kinship care social worker. If an application to the ASF is pursued, the social worker will apply on
the family’s behalf.
Reviews - children and young people previously in care:
Working with the Education Support Worker, reviews provide an opportunity for early years, schools and
post 16 providers to explore how you support this group of children/young people, as well as to discuss the
existing Virtual School offer of support, access resources and plan ahead. Contact sarah.lindfield@brighton-
hove.gov.uk to book a Review.
Please do contact us at the Virtual School to follow up any of the information above: Sarah Lindfield -
Education Support Worker, Previously in Care, sarah.lindfield@brighton-hove.gov.uk Tel: 07808 717796