Looked After Children with SEND

Mrs Victoria Ramshaw the Head of School, SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Lead is the designated person for Children Looked After and it is her responsibility to ensure all teachers in school understand the implications for those children who are looked after and have SEN.

Children Looked After with SEND are supported in the same way as all children in school with SEND through the Graduated Response, the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. The process will start with a Short Note and, following the identification of need, a SEN Support Plan or EHCP to meet the requirements of the pupil will be put in place, alongside a PEP (Personal Education Plan).

When a child becomes looked after his/her social worker must ensure that the child’s needs and the services to meet these are documented in the Care Plan. The Care Plan – of which the PEP is an integral part – is made before the child becomes looked after or, in the case of an emergency placement, within 10 working days. The PEP is a record of what needs to happen for children looked after in order to enable them to fulfil their potential. It must reflect any existing education plans, such as an EHCP, SEN Support Plan or Provision Mapping. The PEP should also reflect the importance of a personalised approach to learning which secures good basic skills, stretches aspirations and builds life chances. The PEP is the joint responsibility of the local authority and the school.