When a child needs or joins a new school
All children and young people have a statutory entitlement to full time education from the age of four years old. Find information concerning Primary or Secondary admissions, transferring schools or the County's Admissions Policy here.
Choosing and applying for a school place is usually the child's social worker's responsibility but, in some circumstances, may be delegated to you or shared with others. Changes of school should be avoided as this will disrupt the child's education. It should not take place in the middle of a school year or in years 10 and 11 unless this is unavoidable.
If a Young Person has Special Needs, you may wish to visit the North Yorkshire SEND website here for information about the local offer and admissions connected to Special Needs. Furthermore, see the SEND section of our website here and SENDIASS North Yorkshire here for details of support available for Children with Special Educational needs.
The school’s designated teacher's role
The Designated Teacher has a leadership role in promoting the educational achievement of every Looked After and Previously Looked After Child on the school's roll. Do you know who the Designated Teacher is at the school your child attends?
The Designated Teacher should make a positive difference by promoting the needs of every Looked After and Previously Looked After Child, ensuring their personal, emotional and academic needs are prioritised. The role of the Designated Teacher includes:
- Taking the lead responsibility for helping school staff understand the difficulties affecting Looked After and Previously Looked After Children and how positive systems of support can help to overcome them.
- Acting as an advocate for Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
- Developing and monitoring systems for liaising with carers, social workers, health professionals and the Virtual School
- Monitoring the educational progress, attainment and attendance of all Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
- Intervening if there is evidence of individual under-achievement or absence from school
- Liaising with the member of staff responsible for monitoring children on the Child Protection Register, ensuring all Looked After and Previously Looked After children in school are safeguarded
- Making sure that children, for whom they are responsible, are prioritised in one-to-one tuition arrangements and that carers understand the importance of supporting learning at home
- For Looked After Children, taking lead responsibility for the development and implementation of the child's personal education plan (PEP) within the school and effective use of the Pupil Premium.
The Virtual School
Virtual School staff provide training and information for schools, foster carers and social workers. They also ensure resources, including the pupil premium for Looked After Children are distributed effectively and that they have an impact on the educational achievements of children in care. Using the ePEP system, the Virtual School ensures all children and young people in the care of NYCC, have an up-to-date Personal Education Plan and provides direct support for them to support their learning needs.
For further information contact the Virtual School at virtualschool@northyorks.gov.uk or on 01609 533231.
