Breaks in the chain: using theories of social practice to interrogate professionals’ experiences of administering Pupil Premium Plus to support looked after children

ABSTRACT

In England, Pupil Premium Plus is additional funding to help address the educational attainment gap experienced by looked after children. This paper explores the experiences of virtual school heads and designated teachers (n = 140) as they access Pupil Premium Plus-related information, guidance and training to support their practice; navigate the complexities of the Personal Education Plan (PEP) process; and measure the impact of Pupil Premium Plus-funded interventions. We explain professionals’ experiences using insights from social practice theories, and argue that the process of supporting the educational outcomes of looked after children via Pupil Premium Plus is made up of context- and audience-dependent ‘social practices’. When the social practices are aligned, virtual school heads and designated teachers may be effectively able to support looked after children, whereas barriers may emerge when social practices become disjointed. We conclude this paper by arguing that for Pupil Premium Plus to support educational outcomes of looked after children effectively, professionals need to reflect on their own cultures and practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Pupil Premium Plus
• looked after children
• virtual school head
• designated teacher
• social practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this research project comes from the National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH): ‘Effective use of Pupil Premium Plus to improve educational outcomes for looked after children’. NAVSH had no involvement in the writing of this paper, and so may not necessarily support nor endorse the arguments raised by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Stuart Read

Stuart Read is a Research Fellow in the School of Education, Bath Spa University. Stuart is a disabled activist researcher, and his research interests intersect disability studies, social justice, and education. He is particularly interested in research topics exploring disabled people’s lived experiences of inclusion and exclusion, and inclusive and activist research methods. Stuart is currently working on the “We Are the People” Disability Research Collective programme, funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Anne Parfitt

Anne Parfitt is a Research Fellow in the School of Education, Bath Spa University, UK. Her primary interests are teacher education and professional development in schools. Her research centres on issues of inclusion, specifically factors affecting marginalised learners in schools. She is currently undertaking fieldwork to understand different perspectives regarding schooling in peripheral communities.

Mel Macer

Mel Macer is a Children & Young People’s Network Co-ordinator within the third sector. She was previously a Research Team Leader in the School of Education, Bath Spa University. Social justice and equity have underpinned Mel’s academic work as a researcher in the field of education, as it continues to do in her new role within the third sector. Her interests lie at the intersection of education, health and well-being with a particular focus on collaborative approaches to co-production. Her work values the assets that diverse voices offer, and she works creatively to produce environments where all experiences, opinions and ideas can be expressed and heard.