Going to School

All young people from the age of five until sixteen have a right to attend full time school. Compulsory school starts from your fifth birthday until the last Friday in June of year 11. Lots of children attend pre-school or nursery provision and most young people either stay on at school after sixteen or attend further education at college. There are plans in the future for the school leaving age to be raised to seventeen and then eighteen, this will not mean that you will have to stay at school, but you will need to be participating in further education or training.

When you come into care every effort is made to keep you at the school you are familiar with. Everyone understands how important your school and your school friends are to you, sometimes this might mean that you have a longer journey to get to your school and if the longer journey is something that you find difficult you must discuss this matter with your social worker, or during your Personal Education Planning meeting.

If it is not possible to keep you at your school, and you have a new school to attend, your social worker or advisory teacher or carer will make sure that you are helped as much as possible to make the transition. There will be a designated teacher for children looked after at your new school that will help you to become familiar with the new school surroundings, new timetable and help you meet other young people in your form.

The education support service for children in care and care leavers will allocate an advisory teacher to you once you are in care, who will look after your education and try to be at most of your meeting so that if there is something you particularly want to do (for example: music lessons) or if you are having difficulties in school or could be helped to do even better in your studies, they will make sure the necessary organisation takes place.

To help you with your school work the education support service may invite you to projects, residential courses or trips where you will meet other young people in care and learn more about opportunities that are available to you e.g. apprenticeships or going to university.