Education settings are expected to have a designated teacher who is responsible for ensuring children and young people who are cared for or previously looked after are supported to make holistic and academic progress. Designated teachers need to be qualified teachers or headteachers. 

We understand that schools and settings frequently have other arrangements where other staff support the designated teacher to undertake their role and, in this capacity, these staff are involved in PEP meetings and can access Virtual School resources and training. However, the designated teacher is noted on every PEP document for reference as they are responsible for the education of the children we care for in their setting.  

The statutory guidance for schools carrying out duties for looked after and previously looked after children can be found below: 

Designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children - GOV.UK 

Additionally, further information about the local processes for designated teachers working with Milton Keynes Virtual School can be found in our Designated Teacher Handbook (currently being updated and will be available in September 2026).  

The Designated Teacher Handbook outlines our Personal Education Plan (PEP) procedures and expectations. PEPs are completed termly for children we care for. They are working documents which outline the agreed education that children are receiving, their academic SMART targets and their overall holistic progress.  

Completion of the PEP is through the Milton Keynes Professionals Portal Secure login - step 1

Additional documents to support you with completing the child or young person’s PEP can be found below: 

SMART PEP Targets

Gathering the Voice of the Child Guidance 

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire for 4-17 year olds. Virtual School Officers will delegate the SDQ via the Milton Keynes Professionals Portal. Guidance about the completion of the SDQ can be found below:  

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Guidance

If you are supporting Separated Migrant Children in your settings, you may wish to consider some of the strategies noted below. 

These are intended to support their engagement and induction into the school environment.  

• Vertical timetabling for some subjects – for example Art, PE/Games, Food Technology, Design Technology (this may require some pre-teaching of key terms) 
• EAL sessions with EAL team/teacher/department as part of the child’s agreed timetable 
• Nurture group placement in core subjects 
• Assigning a “buddy” who speaks the same language to support for time-limited social time or as a desk buddy in limited lessons 
• Independent study time to use online language acquisition programmes 
• Shadowing other selected students to support with learning routines and school orientation 
• Partnering with local Further Education college who offer ESOL provision and supporting the child to attend their site 
• Specialist ESOL tuition/lessons commissioned as face-to-face sessions or online ESOL tuition/lessons – there are many providers currently available 
• Sport sessions – for example boxing or swimming 
• Specialist language acquisition programmes which are intended to increase reading ages 

Funding to support these activities may be available from the Virtual School utilising Pupil Premium funding. Additionally, you may wish to refer to the Education Endowment Foundation website which has further suggestions of support for this cohort. English as an additional language (EAL) | EEF)

Pupil Premium Plus is a government grant intended to boost the educational outcomes of children who are currently looked after or have left care through adoption, special guardianship orders or child arrangement orders.  

Pupil Premium Plus grant funding for looked after children is managed by the Virtual School Head in consultation with the child’s school. For previously looked after children, the grant funding is paid directly to schools who must use it to support the child’s educational needs. 

Information about the use of Pupil Premium for children we care for can be found here.  

MKCC Virtual School Pupil Premium Plus Arrangements 2026-27

Additional information about using Pupil Premium can be found below: 

Using pupil premium: guidance for school leaders - GOV.UK) 

The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium | EEF)

To enable monitoring of the effectiveness of looked after children and previously looked after children in their school, governing boards should receive an annual report from the designated teacher. This report will support governing boards when making overall judgements about the designated role in the context of wider planning. 

Milton Keynes City Council Virtual School also monitor and plan support for schools, we therefore request the report is made available to the Virtual School Head. The report provides a broader picture of looked after children and previously looked after children in schools as it requests information on all looked after children, not just those in the care of Milton Keynes LA. This is a suggested pro forma however schools can provide this information in any way they feel appropriate.  

 Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children - Report to Governing Boards

Previously looked-after children (PLAC) are a distinct group of children who may continue to experience the long-term impact of early childhood trauma, neglect, loss and attachment difficulties, despite no longer being in care. Designated teachers play a key role in ensuring these children receive appropriate educational and pastoral support. 

 A child is considered previously looked after if they: 

- Were in local authority care in England or Wales and then became subject to:  

• an Adoption Order 
• a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) 
• a Child Arrangements Order (CAO) 

- Or were adopted from state care outside England and Wales 

Unlike children currently in care, PLAC are no longer looked after by a local authority, and therefore do not have a social worker or Personal Education Plan (PEP) as part of statutory care arrangements. 

 For PLAC, the designated teacher should: 

• Promote high aspirations and educational achievement 
• Act as a central point of expertise within the school 
• Ensure staff understand the impact of early trauma, attachment disruption and adverse childhood experiences 
• Monitor attendance, attainment, progress and wellbeing 
• Support effective transitions between schools and phases of education 
• Work closely with families and relevant professionals 
• Champion inclusion and prevent children from being disadvantaged because of their care experience 

It is important that Designated Teachers are aware that the lived experiences of this group of children can affect their emotional regulation, relationships with adults and peers, executive functioning, memory and concentration, behaviour, attendance and academic attainment. It is important that behaviour is viewed through a trauma-informed lens rather than simply as deliberate non-compliance.   

Parents and carers are usually the experts on their child and as such, it is important that designated teachers undertake the following: 

• Build trusting relationships with families.  
• Listen to parental concerns.  
• Respect confidentiality regarding a child's care history.  
• Ensure sensitive handling of personal information.  
• Involve families in planning support and reviewing progress. 

The Virtual School have developed the following documents to support Designated Teachers to undertake their responsibilities to PLAC and their families:  

PLAC Education Tracker 

PLAC Tell It Once Profile  

Previously looked-after children are eligible for Pupil Premium Plus funding. This is received directly by schools, if the child’s PLAC status has been noted on the school census, and is intended to improve educational outcomes. With regards to Pupil Premium Plus funding, the designated teacher should:  

• Help identify eligible pupils  
• Ensure funding is used effectively 
• Monitor the impact of interventions 
• Base support on individual need rather than applying a standard approach 

Some useful links for Designated Teachers are noted below.  

Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children (PAC-UK resource) - 

Meeting-the-needs-of-adopted-and-permanently-placed-children-A-guide-for-school-staff.pdf 

Adoption Barometer (Adoption UK) - Adoption Barometer 2026

If you are new to the role of designated teacher, or would like refresher training, our next ‘New to the Role of Designated Teacher’ training session is:  

4pm - 5pm on Thursday 24 September 2026 

This session will be held on Microsoft Teams. You can register your interest in attending here: New to the role of Designated Teacher training session - September 2026

Our Designated Teacher Forum dates for the coming academic year are: 

8am on Thursday 22 October 2026 

3:30pm on Wednesday 24 February 2027 

8am on Thursday 24 June 2027 

Further details on these Forum sessions will be shared via our termly newsletters throughout the year.  

 Our previously published Virtual School Newsletters for designated teachers can be found below.  

Newsletter 1 | Newsletter 2 | Newsletter 3 | Newsletter 4 | Newsletter 5 | Newsletter 6 | Newsletter 7 | Newsletter 8

The Virtual School are able to provide bespoke training in ‘Trauma and Attachment’ to education settings. These can be one off sessions delivered to small teams or full INSET sessions. Please contact the Virtual School Head to discuss your setting’s requirements in more detail – Katy.Enser@milton-keynes.gov.uk.