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<p>Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are ‘looked-after children’ and local authorities
have a duty under the Children Act to promote their education. The government’s statutory
guidance ‘Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children’
attached makes clear that local authorities should have procedures in place to promote
and monitor their educational progress. This includes the statutory requirement for
local authorities to appoint a Virtual School Head (VSH) to discharge their duty to
promote the educational achievement of all looked-after children. The statutory guidance
also stresses the importance of providing stability and continuity in education, particularly
at Key Stage 4. Looked-after children are one of the groups of pupils that attract
Pupil Premium Plus funding. This is additional funding provided to schools to help
improve the attainment of looked-after children and close the attainment gap between
them and their peers. The VSH monitors how this funding is spent.</p><p> </p><p>The
Department for Education has also contributed £1.3 million through the Government’s
Controlling Migration Fund over two years, to enable six local authorities to address
the education needs of unaccompanied children so that their specific needs can be
addressed through their Personal Education Plan. The local authorities are also developing
tools and resources to share with all other local authorities through the National
Association of Virtual School Headteachers.</p><p> </p>
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