Regulation 8: The Education Standard: Education, PEPs, EHCPs, Attendance, Exclusions & Educational Progress

1. The single question behind Regulation 8

Regulation 8 asks whether children are supported to learn and make progress in education. The standard is not about the home providing education itself. It is about the home's role in supporting children to attend school, engage with learning, overcome barriers, and achieve their educational potential. For many children in residential care, education has been disrupted by placement moves, exclusions, or experiences that made learning difficult. The home's job is to help rebuild a positive relationship with education.

The DfE Guide says the home should work closely with the child's school, the Virtual School Head, the designated teacher, and the social worker to support the child's education. The home is part of a team around the child, not the sole provider of educational support. But the home has a critical role: it is there every day, it sees the child's engagement and struggles, and it can advocate for the child when the education system is not working.

Child-centred question

Does this child have a school place, attend regularly, and make progress? If not, what is the home doing about it?

2. The home's role in education

The home's role in education is practical and daily. It includes: making sure the child gets to school on time; providing a space and time for homework; supporting the child to engage with learning; attending school meetings; maintaining contact with the school and the designated teacher; helping the child with practical things like uniform, equipment, and trips; and celebrating the child's achievements, however small.

The home is not expected to teach the child. But it is expected to create an environment where education is valued and supported. A home where education is treated as something that happens elsewhere, and where staff do not engage with the child's learning, is not meeting the standard. A home where staff take an active interest in the child's education, support homework, and celebrate progress is.

3. PEPs and the Virtual School Head

Every looked-after child should have a Personal Education Plan, usually called a PEP. The PEP is the key document that sets out the child's educational needs, targets, and support. The DfE Guide says the home should contribute to the PEP and should follow the actions in it. The PEP should be reviewed regularly, and the home should make sure it reflects the child's current needs.

Virtual School Heads are responsible for promoting the educational achievement of looked-after children in their area. The home should know who the child's Virtual School Head is and should work with them to support the child's education. The Virtual School Head can help with additional funding, support, and advocacy if the child's educational needs are not being met.

4. EHCPs and special educational needs

Some children in residential care have Education, Health and Care Plans, usually called EHCPs. An EHCP is a legal document that sets out a child's special educational needs and the support they require. The DfE Guide says the home should be aware of the child's EHCP and should work with the school and the local authority to make sure the support in the EHCP is provided.

Children with EHCPs may need additional support that is not available in a mainstream school. The home should work with the Virtual School Head and the local authority to make sure the child's educational placement is appropriate for their needs. If the child's needs are not being met, the home should escalate through Regulation 5.

5. School attendance and absence

Regulation 8 requires the home to support children to attend school. The DfE Guide says the home should help children attend regularly and should follow up promptly when a child does not attend. A child who is not attending school is not making educational progress, and the home should treat non-attendance as a concern that needs active response, not just a record.

There are many reasons a child may not attend: anxiety, bullying, exclusion, illness, or a placement move that has disrupted schooling. The home's response should address the underlying reason, not just the absence. A child who is anxious about school needs support with the anxiety, not just pressure to attend. A child who is being bullied needs the bullying addressed, not just encouragement to go in.

6. Children without a school place

Some children arrive at a home without a school place. This may be because of a placement move, an exclusion, or a delay in finding an appropriate placement. The DfE Guide says the home should work with the local authority and the Virtual School Head to secure a school place as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the home should provide educational activities and support the child to continue learning.

A child without a school place is a child whose education is being disrupted. The home should treat this as urgent. It should not simply wait for the local authority to find a place. It should escalate, advocate, and document. If the delay is prolonged, the home should consider whether the child's needs are being met and whether further action is needed through Regulation 5.

7. Suspensions and exclusions

Some children in residential care experience suspensions or exclusions from school. The DfE Guide says the home should work with the school to support the child's return and should help the child understand what happened and what needs to change. The home should also be involved in any meetings about the exclusion and should advocate for the child's educational needs.

An exclusion is not just a school matter. It affects the child's daily life in the home, their routine, their sense of themselves, and their educational progress. The home should support the child during the exclusion, provide educational activities to prevent the child falling behind, and work with the school and the local authority to plan for the child's return or for an alternative placement.

Children with EHCPs have additional protections around exclusion. The home should make sure the school and the local authority are following the correct procedures, and should escalate if the child's needs are not being met.

8. Alternative provision

Some children may need alternative provision rather than a mainstream school. This might be because of anxiety, additional needs, or a history of exclusion. Alternative provision can include specialist schools, online learning, or other forms of education outside a mainstream setting. The DfE Guide says the home should work with the local authority and the Virtual School Head to find appropriate provision.

Alternative provision should be a positive choice that meets the child's needs, not a default for children who are difficult to place. The home should make sure the child is receiving enough education and that the provision is appropriate. A child who is receiving a few hours of online learning per week may not be having their educational needs met, and the home should escalate if this is the case.

9. Education after placement moves

Placement moves can disrupt education. A child who moves to a new home may need to change schools, which means new teachers, new peers, and potentially a different curriculum. The DfE Guide says the home should work to minimise disruption and should support the child to settle into a new school as quickly as possible.

The home should make sure the child's educational records, including their PEP and EHCP, are transferred promptly. The home should also make sure the new school is aware of the child's needs and is prepared to support them. A child who arrives at a new school with no information about their needs is being set up to struggle.

10. Homework, internet and equipment

Regulation 8 requires the home to support children to develop learning and independent study skills. This means providing the practical things children need: a quiet space for homework, internet access, a computer or tablet, and school equipment. The DfE Guide says the home should provide these things and should support children to use them.

This is not just about providing equipment. It is about creating a culture where learning is valued. A home where homework is treated as an interruption to the evening is not supporting education. A home where homework is part of the routine, where staff are available to help, and where achievement is celebrated is.

11. Post-16 education and employment

For older children, Regulation 8 covers post-16 education and employment. The DfE Guide says the home should support children to understand their options, to access further education or training, and to develop the skills they will need for work. This connects to the broader requirement under Regulation 6 to help children prepare for adulthood.

A child approaching 16 should be supported to think about their next steps: college, apprenticeships, training, or work. The home should help the child understand their options, visit colleges, and make applications. The home should also help the child develop practical skills: managing money, using public transport, and understanding the workplace. These are educational outcomes, not just life skills.

12. When education is delayed

Regulation 5 runs across all the Quality Standards, and it is particularly relevant to education. Children in residential care often experience delays in education: waiting for a school place, waiting for an EHCP assessment, waiting for alternative provision, or waiting for additional support. The home cannot deliver these things itself, but it should not simply accept the delay.

The home should escalate, advocate, and document. It should contact the social worker, the Virtual School Head, the IRO, and the local authority. It should record what it has done and what response it has received. If a child's education is being disrupted by delays, the home should treat that as a matter requiring active advocacy, not passive observation.

13. What Ofsted may explore

The SCCIF evaluates the overall experiences and progress of children. Inspectors may explore Regulation 8 through conversations with children about their education, observation of how the home supports learning, and reading of educational records. They may look at whether children are attending school, making progress, and receiving the support in their PEPs and EHCPs.

Evidence may include: children's own accounts of their education; attendance records; PEPs and whether they are followed; EHCPs and whether the support is provided; the home's response when education is delayed; and whether children are making progress. Inspectors may also consider how the home supports children who are not in mainstream education.

14. Questions for the Registered Manager and Deputy

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