Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I was not saying special educational needs training; I was talking about training appropriate to the role of the designated teacher in respect of looked-after children. Some element of that would have to deal with special educational needs children, but I would not want the noble Baroness to think that they should undergo the same training as SENCOs; rather, they would have to undergo training that is specific to their function as the designated teacher with responsibility for looked-after children. On Amendment No. 76, we agree with the noble Baroness that school governors play a significant role in this area. It is right that they should pay full attention to promoting the educational achievement of looked-after children, but we believe that Clause 17, as drafted, supported by statutory guidance, will ensure that that happens. We intend to make it clear that the governing body should expect to receive a regular report on the work of the designated teacher and on outcomes for looked-after children who are pupils at the school. The noble Baroness, Lady Howe, asked whether we could improve initial teacher training in this regard. There is massive pressure on time in initial teacher training, particularly on the PGCE course, where very little time is spent in a higher education institution, but we regard this as an important area and we will look to see what improvements we can make in initial teacher training to promote awareness of the needs of looked-after children.