Governors
A looked after child is a child who is being looked after by their local authority, also known as a child in care. A previously looked after child is a child who is the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order, or were adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales.
The latest statutory guidance states that the governing body must appoint a member of staff who is responsible for the educational achievement of both of these groups of children, where previously it has only been looked after children. This person is known as the Designated Teacher.
It is the governing body’s responsibility to ensure that the designated teacher has appropriate training and that both governors and the designated teacher have regard for any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. In the best practice, schools have an allocated governor for LAC and PLAC who liaises closely with the designated teacher.
Please find below links to resources to enable Governors to clearly understand the requirements of their role.
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Statutory guidance
Please ensure you read our Governor's guidance, and School and Governor responsibilities for children in care and post-care as well as the statutory guidance for teachers below.
Below are the links to two key pieces of statutory guidance that clearly outline the roles and responsibilities for every designated teacher. It is essential that every designated teacher has read these in order to fulfil the requirements of their role whether in school or an early years setting. It covers the responsibilities for both looked after children and post looked after children.
Designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children
Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children