Pupil premium for looked-after children considered

The government is consulting on a pupil premium specifically for looked-after children because they are two-and-a-half times more likely than their mainstream counterparts to have special education needs (SEN), research out today shows.

The Department for Education found that, in January 2009, 52% of the 35,600 looked-after children who had been in care for more than a year had SEN. This compared with about 21% of all pupils.

“We know that entering the care system often leaves children with complex emotional and behavioural problems, which can be diagnosed as a special educational need,” said children’s minister Sarah Teather. “That’s why we’ve been consulting on whether there should be a specific pupil premium for looked-after children.”

Looked-after children with SEN statements are nearly three times more likely than all pupils with statements to have behavioural, emotional and social difficulty, while 20% had SEN without statements compared with 2.7% of all pupils.

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