Navigating the education system can feel overwhelming, especially when managing the legal, financial, and emotional complexities of kinship care.
This fact sheet answers key questions about support available to Kinship families in England around:
- childcare
- school admissions
- support for trauma or special needs
- financial aid.
Early Years & Childcare
1. Am I eligible for free childcare or pre-school education?
Yes. Depending on your child’s age, your work status, and your legal order, you can access several schemes:
- Universal Offer: All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours per week of free pre-school education, regardless of your working status or household income.
- Working Parents Scheme: If you work and meet specific income thresholds, you may be eligible for up to 30 hours per week for children aged 9 months to 4 years.
- Extra Support Scheme: You may get 15 hours of free childcare for 2-year-olds if you have a low income, or if the child is (or was previously) looked after in the care system.
School Admissions & Attendance
2. Do children in kinship care get priority for school places?
It depends entirely on the child's legal status.
- Highest Priority (LAC/PLAC): Children who are Looked After (in foster care) or Previously Looked After (who moved into kinship care via a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order directly from local authority care) are given priority under the School Admissions Code.
- Informal Arrangements: If you care for the child under an informal family arrangement, they do not receive automatic priority. Admissions will be decided based on standard local criteria, such as catchment area or distance from the school.
- What are the legal requirements for school attendance?
Children must receive full-time education from the school term following their 5th birthday until they turn 18. While most children attend standard schools, you are legally permitted to choose elective home education (home schooling).
Targeted Support at School
4. What is a Virtual School Head (VSH), and can they help me?
Every local authority has a Virtual School Head (VSH). Their role is to champion and track the educational progress of children who are in care or were previously in care.
- Formal Carers: If you have a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), Child Arrangements Order (CAO), or are a kinship foster carer, the Virtual School can offer you advice and signpost educational resources.
- Informal Carers: Virtual Schools usually can offer you advice and sign post you to support available locally.
5. What is Pupil Premium Plus (PP+), and how do I get it?
Pupil Premium Plus is government funding worth £2,630 per year paid directly to schools in England to support the emotional and academic needs of eligible children. Note that not all children will be eligible for this and because the funding is not ring-fenced, the school determines how the funding is spent, not the carer.
- Eligibility: It applies to children who left care via an SGO, CAO, or Adoption Order.
- Action Required: It is not automatically obtained. You should consider informing the school of the child’s legal status and provide a copy of the legal court order, if your comfortable doing so, to allow them to claim the funding.
Trauma, Attachment, and SEND
6. The child has experienced trauma and is struggling. What can the school do?
Many kinship children experience trauma, separation anxiety, or attachment disruption. Schools can implement trauma-informed and attachment-aware strategies. Speak with the school's Designated Teacher—the staff member responsible for supporting care-experienced children—to discuss adjustments like a designated "safe adult," quiet spaces, sensory breaks, referral to counselling or support from ELSA (Emotionally Literacy Support Assistant) staff.
7. What if I think the child has Special Educational Needs (SEND)?
Around half of children in kinship care require additional learning support.
- First Steps: Contact the school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) to start an "Assess, Plan, Do, Review" cycle.
- No Diagnosis Needed: Your child does not need a medical diagnosis to receive SEN support in school.
- EHC Plans: If the school's standard support is not enough, you or the school can request an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment from your local authority.
Decision Making & Parental Responsibility
8. Can I sign school permission slips or contact social services myself?
Your ability to make major educational decisions depends entirely on your legal relationship to the child:
If in doubt contact the kinship care team who can advise you by email or telephone: 020 8227 5555 during office hours or kinship.adoptionteam@lbbd.gov.uk
Funding & Therapeutic Help
9. Is there financial support for therapeutic needs or higher education?
- Therapeutic Support: If the child is under an SGO (and was previously in care), you can access the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). This fund provides up to £3,000 per year and can be used for any of the following: special assessments; psychotherapy and counselling; creative and play therapies; therapeutic parenting training; life story work and short breaks. (Adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) - GOV.UK)
Further/Higher Education: Young people who grew up in formal kinship care often qualify for specialized bursaries, grants, and free accommodation options at colleges and universities. Further information can be found at Propel yourself into higher education - Become
Further Support and Information
If you have questions that are aren’t covered but you need help to find the answer please contact Adela Kay in the Virtual School, adela.kay@lbbd.gov.uk. Whilst we can’t take on casework we can signpost.