Pupil Premium for Kinship Care Children in England

Pupil Premium Plus is worth £2,690 per pupil per year in 2026/27, and children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care — including those who left care through an SGO, CAO or adoption order — are eligible for it. The money goes to the school, not to you. You can tell the designated teacher what support the child needs and ask how the school plans to address it.

Who Qualifies

Pupil Premium Plus applies to children who:

• Were previously looked after by a local authority and left care through an adoption order, Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order
• Are currently looked after by a local authority (in foster care, including kinship foster care)

Children in informal kinship care who were never in the care system do not automatically qualify for Pupil Premium Plus. They may still qualify for standard Pupil Premium (£1,550 per primary pupil, £1,100 per secondary pupil) if they meet the targeted free school meals criteria, including Universal Credit with net earnings of £7,400 or less. From 2026/27, children in all Universal Credit households qualify for free school meals, but the expanded free school meals category does not attract Pupil Premium.

The distinction matters: Pupil Premium Plus is higher and managed differently.

How the Money Is Used

Schools receive Pupil Premium Plus funding and are expected to use it for targeted educational support. Common uses include:

• One-to-one tutoring or small group catch-up sessions
• Emotional literacy support or counselling
• Additional teaching assistant hours
• Educational resources, equipment or trips
• Training for staff on attachment and trauma-informed practice

For previously looked-after children, the school's designated teacher is responsible for ensuring the funding is used effectively. You can ask the designated teacher what the school plans to do with the Pupil Premium Plus for your child and contribute to that plan.

The Virtual School Head

Every local authority in England has a Virtual School Head (VSH) — a senior education professional responsible for championing the educational progress of looked-after and previously looked-after children.

Since the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the VSH's role extends to children who left care through adoption, SGOs and CAOs. They do not teach the child directly, but they:

• Advise schools on how to support previously looked-after children
• Help resolve school placement issues, exclusions or transitions
• Manage Pupil Premium Plus allocation for looked-after children
• Provide training and guidance to designated teachers

If your child is struggling at school and the school is not providing adequate support, contacting your local authority's Virtual School Head is a direct route to intervention. They can advocate for the child and ensure Pupil Premium Plus funding is being used appropriately.

How to Access It

For previously looked-after children under an SGO or CAO, the school needs to know the child's status. Provide the school with:

• A copy of the court order (SGO or CAO)
• Confirmation that the child was previously in local authority care

The school registers the child's status in the school census, which triggers the Pupil Premium Plus funding. If the school is unaware of the child's care history, they will not receive the funding.

For looked-after children in kinship foster care, the Pupil Premium Plus is managed through the child's Personal Education Plan (PEP), which the VSH oversees.

Beyond Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium is not the only school-related support. Kinship carers may also access free school meals, school uniform grants from the local council, free home-to-school transport (if the child lives beyond the statutory walking distance), and breakfast club provision. Each has separate eligibility criteria.

Our kinship financial help guide covers these education-related entitlements alongside the full benefit and allowance framework, so you can see everything the child qualifies for in one place.

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