Children in Care - The National Teaching & Advisory Service - children | education

Children in Care

Education inclusion for children and young people in care

The National Teaching and Advisory Service was established to promote the education inclusion of children and young people in care. We believe that living in care should not be reason for underachievement and that everyone should hold high aspirations for all young people.

Young people

We hold high expectations and are committed to providing all young people with the opportunity to participate and contribute to society. Our aim is to help young people ‘fit in’ and achieve as much as they can academically.

Carers and Families

We consider young people’s right to dignity and confidentiality as paramount in all we do but also acknowledge that sharing the right information between social services teams, schools and carers is vital to successful joint planning. We work closely with those who care for young people to ensure that their views are heard and that they are involved in decision making. Children and young people are always at the centre of plans.

Schools

We provide advice for schools helping them to understand and support young people living in care. We understand the pressures that schools can sometimes face in welcoming young people who live in complex circumstances or may have missed periods of education and maybe arrive mid term.

Health and Social Care

We work closely with professionals from all statutory agencies bridging the gap between education, health and social care. We advise health and social care professionals about education legislation and the education system as well as contributing to statutory planning.

Success Stories* >>

Tim...

Tim had missed a lot of school before he met his NT&AS teacher during Year 9. He had been in many different foster care placements and three different children’s homes. He was not confident in his academic abilities and he had had some very negative experiences in his last school placement.

NT&AS taught Tim at home while his teacher got to know him, and understand his feelings about himself and his education so far. NT&AS helped him focus upon his ambition to become a successful chef. NT&AS contacted a local school and arranged visits for Tim and his key worker. The school was initially concerned because of previous school reports but agreed to help Tim with NT&AS support.

Tim coped well in school most of the time and also went on a college course in catering. He finished school in year 11 with four GCSEs and a GNVQ in catering.

Andrew...

Andrew was referred to NT&AS when he was placed in foster care in a new city. He had to cope with the separation from his family and the challenge of starting at a new school.

NT&AS searched for a new school for him and made sure that all necessary information was gathered from his previous school and shared with the new local authority. He had a statement of special educational needs so NT&AS helped make sure this was reviewed and amended to reflect his new circumstances.

NT&AS introduced him to his new school, working with the class teacher as well as organising playtime games to help him make friends. NT&AS also helped Andrew improve his reading so that he was able to make progress in all lessons.

Anne...

Anne had always worked hard in school and had been successful. When she moved to her new foster placement there was uncertainty about her future which caused a delay in starting at her new school for Year 10.

When Anne started at her new school NT&AS helped by providing after school homework support. This gave Anne the confidence to succeed in her GCSEs.

*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

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