Education

For children who have been adopted, the journey through school, college, or university may have unique challenges or needs.

Your child may be entitled to a range of educational support, from early years to higher education which may include:

  • Extra funding in school
  • Priority admission
  • Access to specialist services

We can help you with how to access support including working with your child’s educational setting to get the best possible outcomes. Whether you are just starting on your child’s educational journey or at the teenage years, we are here to support you when you need it.

Please click on the age group to find out more:

Including Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Early years education in England refers to the learning and development support provided to children from birth to five years. This is typically through nursery, a childminder, pre-school and Year R (Reception year). The framework and standards of the Early Years Foundation Stage is set out by the Department of Education.

Adopted children from the age of two years old may qualify for support in an early years setting as well as free childcare, subject to the government’s eligibility criteria.

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding is paid directly to the provider (nursery, childminder, or preschool) to help children with their learning through play and exploration.

More information is available from the Virtual School teams in our local authority partnership:

Key Stage 1-4 (KS1-KS4): Years 1 to 11 (ages 5-16)

Priority admission to a school

Children who are adopted qualify for priority admission to a school. This means they are admitted at the highest priority before any other child including those with siblings or living nearest to the school.

Pupil Premium Plus

Pupil Premium Plus (PPP or LAC Premium) is a Department of Education (DfE) funded grant, to help children improve their educational ability. Currently children who have been in looked-after care for at least one day, qualify for Pupil Premium Plus.

For your school to receive funding, please consider informing the school that your child is adopted.

More information on Pupil Premium Plus can be found on the gov.uk website.

Designated Teacher

All schools with at least one enrolled looked after or previously looked after child, should have a Designated Teacher (DT), an appointed staff member, who is responsible for promoting their educational achievements. The DT will work closely with teachers, parents, social workers, and carers (where relevant) to ensure each child’s needs are understood and supported. They also have oversight on their progress and how to utilise each child’s allocation of Pupil Premium Plus. Their aim is to remove barriers to learning, as well as advocate for extra help if required, coordinate services across education, health and social care.

A school can request its local authority’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team (SEND) (Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton) to carry out an assessment to identify if the child/ren can receive Special Education Needs support in school and/or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which sets out the support annually, a child can receive in an educational setting up to the age of 25 years old.

The DT is responsible for overseeing an Educational Support Plan (ESP), to ensure it reflects the child’s academic progress, emotional needs, and future goals.

The ESP provides a clear process for parents, carers, educators, and professionals to identify the support needs of children from care, adopted or guardianship backgrounds. Developed collaboratively by all four virtual schools (Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton) and Adopt South, the ESP is a recommended approach to improve attendance, engagement, and outcomes through regular reviews and shared planning.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) offer a free, impartial, and confidential service through every local authority in England, providing information for young people with SEND, as well as their parents and carers.

SENDIASS in the Adopt South region:

Key Stage 5 (KS5): Years 12 and 13 (ages 16-18)

Funding towards supporting young people in further education may be provided by the local authority which can include bursaries for 16-19 year olds. For more information, please visit your local authority’s website page below:

If a young person has an existing Educational Health and Care Plan, this will continue up to the age of 25 years whilst in full-time education.

Information on support at university is provided by UCAS, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

A range of financial support may also be available to families with a child/ren who was previously looked after and adopted.

How to contact us

Families at any stage of adoption can contact us for advice, guidance and support.

If you are in Stage 2 of the adoption process, your allocated social worker in the Stage 2 Assessment and Support Team is your main point of contact. They will guide you through your assessment, provide support, and information on workshops and events you can access.

If you are unsure who to speak to or need additional help, please email the Stage 2 Assessment and Support Team on [email protected] and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Please call our friendly Adoption Support Team’s Advice and Support Line on 0300 3000 001 or request a call back from a member of our team.

We are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm (closes at 4:30pm on Fridays). Please note we are closed on Bank Holidays.

Looking for support, advice or connection?

Our Catch Up Call is a chance to talk things through with someone who understands adoption.

Do you have questions, worries, or just need someone who understands adoption to talk things through with? Our annual Catch Up Call service is here for any parent who would like the chance to chat with one of our friendly, experienced team members.

You can use the call to share challenges, explore learning opportunities, get advice, and discover our social activities for adoptive families and young people aged 7+ years. Whether you need reassurance, practical tips, or simply want to feel more connected, speaking with us could make a real difference for you and your child.

To book a Catch Up Call, choose a day and time that works for you, whether this year or later. Complete our Catch Up Call form and we will send you all the details to book through Eventbrite on your web browser or in the app on a device.

Book a Catch Up Call

If you feel you and/or your child/ren are unsafe or you require urgent assistance, there are a number of actions you can take:

During office hours – Adoption Support Team’s Advice and Duty line on 0300 3000 001

If you need help or assistance outside of our office hours, you may wish to contact:

  • Children’s Services Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) – out of hours
  • NHS 111 online - visit 111, available 24/7
  • Samaritans support line - dial 116 123 - available 24/7
  • Text-based crisis support for young people - text HANTS to 85258, available 24/7

For more information on crisis services and support, please visit Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

If you have an immediate safeguarding concern, please call 999 and ask for the appropriate emergency service.