Who's eligible
Under the Children Act 1989, a child is legally defined as 'looked after' if they are:
- Provided with accommodation by the local authority (LA) for a continuous period of more than 24 hours
- Subject to a care order (to be placed in the care of the LA)
- Subject to a placement order (to be placed for adoption)
How allocations are calculated for 2023-24
Allocations for looked-after children for the 2023-24 financial year will be:
- Provisionally based on the March 2022 children looked-after data return
- Confirmed based on the March 2023 children looked-after data return
This is outlined in section 3.4 the technical note for 2023-24.
The virtual school head (VSH) of the LA that looks after a child is responsible, in consultation with the school (likely the designated teacher for LAC), for ensuring that the pupil premium grant is used to support looked-after children's educational needs as described in their personal education