LAC - Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

One of our key priorities is to ensure that all Merthyr Tydfil LAC finish KS4 with an accredited qualification. It is hugely pleasing to note that within the 2008-2009 Merthyr Tydfil YR 11 LAC cohort, 100% left Key Stage 4 with a recognised accredited qualification, within the 2009-2010 cohort, 94% left with an accredited qualification. We are dedicated to achieving similar outcomes this year. We recognise that there may be a range of barriers to looked after children and young people achieving their full academic potential. Through a screening process of all Merthyr Tydfil Looked after Key Stage 4 pupils we will target individual identified educational/social/emotional needs that impact on learning and achievement. Consideration will be given as to whether each Merthyr Tydfil LAC placed in and out of county could benefit from the following activities as part of the RAISE funding. These include the provision of GCSE study resources (including IT equipment), private tuition through a qualified teacher, social skills and self-esteem building workshops/ 1:1 work with a qualified professional or access to alternative educational providers in order to support maintain a mainstream school placement. We currently commission a bank of qualified teachers and youth workers with a host of skills, including training in counselling and anger management to work on a 1:1 basis with Merthyr Tydfil looked after young people. This service has also been used to offer intensive support to looked after children and young people who have experienced a social care placement breakdown and are awaiting entry to a new school, and to individual pupils who are in danger of exclusion or who are struggling in their current educational setting. Each case will be assessed on an individual basis and a package of ‘wrap around support’ implemented. Privately commissioned Educational Child Psychologist advice will be sought for those pupils identified as most vulnerable in order to support current school and placement arrangements. As an authority we recognise the need to develop long term approaches which embed effective practice. We are currently using initiatives that aim to deliver on a long term basis, an example being training our in house carers to deliver literacy packages to young people they foster. The A.R.R.O.W (Aural Read Respond Oral Write) project is being accessed by carers who are keen to support looked after children and young people in placement who have the disadvantages of dyslexia, poor reading, spelling, listening, memory, speech and communication. We recognise the need to increase participation and enjoyment in learning from as early age as possible. Through the RAISE grant we have designed a number of interactive literacy and numeracy resource packages in an attempt to raise performance at Key Stage 2 and 3, this intervention has worked alongside valuable projects such as the ‘Letterbox Club’ and ‘A book of my own project’. Based on the success of previous events, we continue to offer multi agency training to designated teaching staff, social workers and foster carers through the RAISE grant. This training is run in addition to regular training that is delivered through SENCO forum, Heads Forum and LSA training. This training is determined by current training needs and has previously focused on topics such as attachment disorder and permanency for Looked after Children.