Pupil premium grant: looked-after children

Learn which pupils are eligible for looked-after children (LAC) pupil premium funding, known as 'pupil premium plus', how this funding is allocated and how the spending is managed by a virtual school head (VSH).

Last reviewed on 3 April 2023
See updates
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 7648
Contents
  1. Who's eligible
  2. How allocations are calculated for 2023-24
  3. How spending is managed

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