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Contents

1. The Roles of People who can Help You
2. Oxfordshire Schools
3. Education of a Looked After Child when they are brought back into Oxfordshire, have been out of Provision for a Period of Time and are a Mid-year Admission
4. Schools in Other Counties
5. Getting Advice from the Virtual School
6. Contact Details
7. General Information

1. The Roles of People who can Help You

Admissions Officer

Each school has an attached admissions officer who manages all placements.

The Head Teacher and Secondary/Primary Coordinators at The Virtual School

These colleagues can give advice on choice of school or the right actions to take if there are delays. 

The Social Inclusion Officer

This person provides advice to all parties including social workers; helps to resolve problems and delays where children are changing schools mid-term; and ensures that the in-year Fair Access Panels are fully informed. NB They do not have a role with regard to children with statements other than the provision of general advice.

The SEN Officer

The SEN Officer manages all requests to the Panel which allocates places for statemented students.

2. Oxfordshire Schools

In all circumstances except a mid-year change of school:

• Involve the learner and the carer in the decision about which school is appropriate.
• Do not approach the school direct.
• Contact the relevant admissions officer (see guide attached and in manual)
• Complete and submit the appropriate form (see guide attached and in manual) as soon as possible.
• If the child has a statement involve the SEN officer.

If a change of school takes place mid-year; i.e. any time other than the beginning of term one in September:

• Follow the guidance above and in addition contact the Social Inclusion Officer (see below.) Schools receive an additional resource for looked after learners transferring mid-year. The Social Inclusion Officer refers the transfer to the area in-year Fair Access Panel. This should not delay the child’s admission and their place in the school should be credited to the school by the panel if it meets after the child is already on roll.
• Remember the CAPF (Common Admissions Preference Form) is the only valid means of applying for a place in a school.
• If in any doubt as to the appropriate school, contact The Virtual School for advice.
• If a child has a statement of Special Education Needs contact the relevant officer (see below) for advice.

3. Education of a Looked After Child when they are brought back into Oxfordshire, have been out of Provision for a Period of Time and are a Mid-year Admission

In all circumstances

• Seek advice from the Social Inclusion Officer and/or Virtual School staff
• If a child needs a place in a special school, speak to the SEN Officer immediately (details below).
• Start the process early: looked after children returning to Oxfordshire are entitled to six weeks outreach support from Meadowbrook College. In practice this may mean a significant degree of home-based learning which does not suit all children. It is essential to start the process of identifying an appropriate school as soon as a decision to return to the county is taken; ideally the school should be identified alongside the care placement and the child should not return to the county without a school place.
• Even if a placement is temporary, seek a school place immediately. Some children have ended up out of provision for many weeks because ‘short term’ placements have lasted two terms.

4. Schools in Other Counties

In all circumstances

• Contact the Local Authority admissions team immediately for advice. Not applying for a school is not an option; even if the child needs alternative provision (e.g. placement in a college engagement programme, enrolment in an ESOL programme, private alternative inclusion provision) it is likely that they will have to start on roll at a mainstream roll.
• Use the local knowledge of the carer.
• If you have difficulty in making contact or getting advice from the LA contact, the Head Teacher or the appropriate Coordinator in the Virtual School in Oxfordshire, there is a developing national network of Virtual Heads who can work together to resolve problems.
• Ensure that a PEP meeting takes place within 20 days of arrival in the school – see Education of Looked After Children Guidance.

5. Getting Advice from the Virtual School

Please find below a discussion pro forma for Social Care and Virtual School Staff about school provision when a looked after child is being brought back into Oxfordshire. The proforma forms an agenda for discussion.

How to use the pro forma:

1. If appropriate, complete and send to us in advance of a discussion.  Please send it to:

Early years to 10	11 to 16 year olds
Kelly.beauchamp@oxfordshire.gov.uk	Venetia.mayman@oxfordshire.gov.uk or lucy.wawrzniak@oxfordshire.gov.uk

2.	If the discussion needs to take place quickly it may form the agenda for a phone meeting and be completed by Virtual School staff during the discussion. As far as possible use the proforma as a checklist for information you will need to bring to the discussion. It is in not in any sense an application and is simply there to help you ensure all issues are explored at the earliest opportunity.
3.	Click here to view School Placement Discussion and Advice Pro Forma.

6. Contact Details

Inclusion Officers

South Sharon Oliver T: 01865 816280 Central Darren Utonagan T: 01865 815138 North Elishia Meadn T: 01865 810658

Special Educational Needs Officers

South

Abingdon/Berinsfield/Kingfisher/Icknield/John Hampden/St Joseph’s/St Andrew’s/Tetsworth Kathryn Smith T: 01865 816221 Didcot/Henley/Sonning Common/Woodcote/Wallingford/Bishopswood/Lord Williams’s/Aston Rowant/Barley Hill Catherine Byrne T: 01865 810612 Wantage/Faringdon/Grove/Fitzwaryn Cheryl Hickson T: 01865 816225

Central

Wheatley/Headington/Woodeaton/ John Watson Jo Bass T: 01865 328041 Iffley/Cowley John White T: 01865 815790 (St Gregory’s) Cath Calvert T: 01865 810644  (Oxford School & Isis Primaries) North Oxford/Cumnor/Botley/Northern House Alicja Jardine T: 01865 815508 (Cherwell & Matthew Arnold) Cath Calvert T: 01865 810644 (Northern House) Oxford South East/Mabel Prichard/Northfield/Iffley Mead John White T: 01865 815790

North

Banbury/Frankwise Bridget Moore Bicester/Kidlington/Bardwell Wendy Prue Carterton/Burford/Chipping Norton/Springfield Wendy Prue Witney/Eynsham/Woodstock Janet Ayers

7. General Information

• Denominational schools have different criteria to county schools and these are set by the governors.  Some will place looked after children as the highest priority.
• Schools are required to admit looked after children even if the appropriate year is already full.
• Area Panels discuss the placement of looked after children and other vulnerable learners with a view to ensuring that they are more evenly placed across an area than is current.  This will not delay the admission of a child.
• For a pilot period of one year from 1 April 2009 secondary schools receiving looked after learners in the middle of the year (i.e. at any time other than the beginning of the September term) will be allocated between £2000 and £3500 depending on age and need.  Each area group of heads will determine how best they will deploy the resource; this may include joint provision for vulnerable learners. Approaches to schools should not be delayed by waiting for panel meetings; schools will be credited post hoc for each vulnerable learner meeting the agreed criteria admitted. For a pilot period of one year from 1 April 2009 secondary schools receiving looked after learners in the middle of the year (i.e. at any time other than the beginning of the September term) have been allocated between £2000 and £3500 depending on age and need. Each area group of heads determine how best they will deploy the resource; this may include joint provision for vulnerable learners. Approaches to schools should not be delayed by waiting for panel meetings; schools will be credited post hoc for each vulnerable learner meeting the agreed criteria admitted.
• Places will not always be available at a preferred school as the intention of the area panels is to make placements of vulnerable learners more even.  A placement will be offered but it may not be in the preferred school.
• Apart from reception year and foundation one children, schools are required to take a looked after child, even if this takes them one over the specified number for that year.  This also applies to academies.
• Oxfordshire Secondary Head Teachers have agreed to enter into dialogue with the Social Inclusion Officer within two days of a place being requested if the request for a place is an in-year one.
• Details of Meadowbrook College (PRUIS) provision are on the College link on the intranet with guidance and all relevant forms.  Simply put the college name into site search.
• Students returning to the county without a school place are always referred to the Rapid Response and Integration Team at Meadowbrook College (MBC) first.  The team will assess the student, provide education and recommend the necessary referrals to secure a permanent school place.  KS4 pupils can be referred to the termly panels to apply for a place at MBC. This is subject to the availability of places and the criteria published on the MBC website.
• If a child has a statement, early discussions will need to take place with the SEN Officer as a priority.

End