Education Resources

PAC-UK's Education Service have developed a range of resources to support families, schools and local authorities in meeting the educational needs of adopted and special guardianship children.

PAC-UK 'BRIGHTER FUTURE' Publications

From protection to inclusion: A handbook for teachers on children in alternative care and adopted childrenPAC-UK was the UK representative in an international project called ‘BRIGHTER FUTURE’ which was funded through Erasmus+. This 30-month project aimed to directly improve the educational experience of children in care and adopted children, through innovative training for some of the most important people in their lives – their teachers.

Working in collaboration with partners in Spain, the Netherlands and Italy, our consortium produced four publications:

  1. From protection to inclusion: Identifying the challenges
  2. From Protection to Inclusion: A Handbook for teachers on children in alternative care and adopted children
  3. Early adversity experiences and wellbeing at school: A training module for (prospective) teachers
  4. BRIGHTER FUTURE Online Library

These publications can all be downloaded for free on the BRIGHTER FUTURE page on The Autonomous University of Barcelona website.

Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children - A guide for school staff

PAC-UK and Adoption UK have published two complementary education guides, for school staff and adoptive parents respectively, to help ensure adopted children get the best possible educational start in life.

The guides explain why these vulnerable children may need additional support in school, what educational entitlements they can attract and what support is available for them.

PAC-UK’s guide for school staff 'Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children: A guide for school staff' covers a range of topics including: what we know about our children in education, a background to early developmental trauma, whole school approaches, and support for schools and families.

Adoption UK’s guide 'Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children - A guide for adoptive parents'  includes information about Virtual School Heads (VSHs), Designated Teachers (DTs), Priority School Admission, Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) and dedicates two pages to Intercountry Adoption and Schools.

PAC-UK: Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children - A guide for school staff
PAC-UK Cards - 4 up
PAC-UK Case Studies
PAC-UK Flyer - Supporting adopted and permanently placed children in school
PAC-UK Poster - We want you to know

Adoption UK: Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children - A guide for adoptive parents

These guides and resources were published on 19 October 2017. You can read the joint PAC-UK & AUK press release in full here.

Becoming an Adoption-Friendly School

Based on research conducted by PAC-UK, this guide will show school leaders how to develop their adoption-friendly policies and practice, with photocopiable and printable resources. Identifying eight key areas for improvement such as staff training and communication with families, it is applicable to all school settings.

Purchase of the book provides access to an online toolkit, a bank of resources, templates and policies to help schools on the way. The book’s launch took place on 15 May 2017 at the Royal Society of Medicine.

The book can be purchased via Amazon here. For bulk orders and enquiries please contact education@pac-uk.org

Our Adoption Friendly Schools Charter which accompanies the book can be downloaded here and can be freely used by schools to communicate their efforts and journey towards becoming adoption friendly.

A Good Practice Guide for Schools

A Good Practice Guide for Schools clearly explains how attachment difficulties, trauma and loss affect children and young people’s learning, behaviour and social and emotional development. It provides practical, evidence-informed strategies to help enhance the practice of all those working to support and include traumatised children and young people in school.

Published in 2013, our Good Practice Guide for Schools has sold over 4,000 copies.

SPECIAL OFFER - LAST CHANCE TO BUY: A Good Practice Guide for Schools - Understanding and Meeting the Needs of Children who are Looked After, Fostered, Adopted or otherwise Permanently Placed usually costs £10 for one copy and £7.50 each for multiple copies.

… But while final stocks last you can get your copy for just £5. We are also offering bulk order discounts of 25 copies for £99 or 60 copies for just £199!

PAC-UK is a charity and a donation towards the cost of postage and packing would be appreciated.

A Good Practice Guide for Schools - Special Offer



For further enquiries please contact education@pac-uk.org.

Pupil Premium Plus Guide

This is a handy guide for schools and families on effective use of the Pupil Premium Plus.

All about Schools

Our booklet for adoptive parents and special guardians explains educational processes and school systems, for those who may not have recent experience of the education system.

Key Questions for Schools

Adoptive parents and special guardians often tell us that they would like help in identifying the most suitable school to meet their children’s needs. In consultations with families, we have identified some key questions to ask schools when you visit them.

Me & My World

Included in the appendix of the Good Practice Guide for Schools, this document provides a framework for adoptive families, children and young people to share important information about the child’s strengths, needs, triggers and support preferences.

Example Transition Plan and Strategies

Some children find change difficult. Adults can help support children manage change by scaffolding the process and supporting the child’s emotional well-being. The adults around the child may want to consider using a transition plan to help with the process.

Goodbyes & Transitions

We are often asked about activities and resources to help children say goodbye at key transition points. We have put together some suggestions, which you can view here.

Reducing Trip Trauma

We know that school trips can sometimes feel dysregulating for children. Here are some ways families and professionals have shared with us which can help.

The Parents’ Guide to Teaching your Teen Online Safety

A practical guide for parents produced by MyTutor on how to keep teens safe online, including useful summaries of popular internet apps, as well as the types of threats teens could be exposed to online.

Booklist

We have compiled a list of suggested reading about adopted children’s educational needs for schools, families, education and social care professionals. You can download this here.

Adoption UK Education Resources

This page includes a range of resources and training designed to make education a successful environment for children who have suffered early trauma, neglect or abuse.