Adopted children, regardless of the complexity of their background, are children – and each one is unique. It is important to acknowledge that some adopted children will have lived experience of hardship, trauma or turbulence.
School processes and routines might be difficult for students who have experienced significant trauma. While it is vital for schools to maintain positive expectations of all students, it is invaluable for teachers to remember that children are complex human beings and prone to making mistakes.
A sound understanding of adoption is important when serving children and families with lived experience of adoption.
Understanding adoption
Adoption is the legal process where a child or siblings who cannot be raised with their biological family become permanent and legal members of a new family.
Child adoption had no legal framework in this country until the Adoption of Children Act in 1926. Until this point, child adoption was largely an informal and discrete activity. Adoptive parents and children had very little by way of rights or legal protection.
Keating (2005) discusses how until well after the Second World War adoption was given limited attention by policy-makers compared to other aspects of family life and child welfare. It was seemingly perceived as an area which required little intervention from government. We now recognise that adoption demands policy, research and understanding. Consider the following statistics:
- In 2023 in England, around 33,000 children entered the care system (DfE, 2023).
- More than 69,000 children live with more than 53,000 fostering households across the country (DfE, 2023).
- There are currently more than 2,000 children waiting for adoption in England alone (Coram-I 2023).
These statistics provide schools with a lens through which to understand the current picture of adoption. However, it is important for teachers and school leaders to understand the ways in which adoption has changed in recent decades.
To celebrate National Adoption Week in 2023 (see resources), a team of adopted people, from baby boomers to Gen Z, contributed to a video produced by the charity Adoption Matters. These powerful stories of adopted people across age groups shone a spotlight on the positive impact adoption has had on people’s lives.
The film is a powerful and useful reminder for families, students and professionals how adoption narratives have changed in the UK.
Barriers and challenges
Despite government funding and support, a report by Adoption UK (Brooks, 2022) said that the money is not being used well enough to support adopted children and families and also criticised inadequate accountability.
The study highlighted that while three-quarters of adopted young people say they need more support than their peers in school, more than half don’t receive it. Furthermore, almost 80% of adopted children routinely feel confused and worried at school, and two-thirds of those at secondary school report being teased or bullied because of their adopted status.
And the barriers to learning don’t stop at the classroom door or indeed the school gate. The report highlights that adopted children are twice as likely to be NEET compared to their peers.
Another study (Brown & White, 2017) indicates that adopted children are around 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded from school. Involving more than 2,000 adoptive parents, the study also revealed that 23% of adopted children had been temporarily excluded during their time at school and they were 16 times more likely to be temporally excluded during the first three years of primary school.
This is an on-going problem according to the annual reports published by Adoption UK’s Adoption Barometer research (see resources) – exclusion and suspension rates for adopted children remain persistently high.
Wider research indicates that adopted children may face additional barriers and difficulties in relation to:
- Forming trust or attachment with adults and peers (Beckett et al, 2011).
- Executive functioning skills – e.g. planning, focusing attention, or completion of routine tasks (Teicher & Samson, 2016).
- Speech or language difficulties (McCrory et al, 2011).
- Managing with periods of change or developing a sense of place (Brown & Shelton, 2023).
- Exposure to developmental disorders – e.g foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (Catterick & Curran, 2014)
However, it is important for teachers and school leaders to understand that every adoption journey is unique, and the distinct needs of an adopted child need to be identified. It is important for professionals across teams and sectors to understand these needs and for adoptive families to be listened to – regularly.
Strategies and facilitators
These strategies need to be understood and implemented based on the known needs and barriers facing adopted students in a school setting. Therefore, it is important for teachers and school leaders to work in collaboration to identify the barriers and carefully implement those approaches which will likely leverage the best outcomes for students in their context.
Attachment theory
Helping teachers and school leaders to understand attachment theory and its implications is vital. Prior to becoming an adoptive parent, I was convinced that my initial teacher training and academic studies had given me a sufficient understanding. However, I soon discovered how little we actually knew. Understanding attachment theory in greater detail has helped to strengthen my knowledge of pedagogy and effective implementation of whole-school behaviour and attendance policies. It has supported me in my work alongside children and young people with experience of adoption and the care system.
Cognitive science and brain development
Research indicates that trauma and disadvantage can have a neurological and cognitive impact on children. I wrote about this in more depth in a 2022 SecEd article (Harris, 2022). For some adopted children, these experiences and impacts will be all too real.
Careful planning is essential when teaching adopted children. Careful teacher instruction, well-sequenced learning and regular low-stakes retrieval practice can support students who may face barriers to learning due to cognitive or executive functioning.
At Tees Valley Education, a multi-academy trust in the North of England, we include the principles of trauma-informed practice in our workforce and teacher-education strategy. In addition, some of our CPD programmes reference research into poverty, adoption and cognitive development. Teachers use this information to inform lesson-planning and curriculum development.
Sense of belonging
Identity is important to all students. Adopted children in particular might need support in working out who they are and developing a sense of belonging at school. Consider whether these approaches might support adopted children in your setting.
- Language: Consider a positive language around adoption through curriculum and assemblies. Celebrate the positives of adoption journeys but also acknowledge the difficulties and complexities that school staff know students might face.
- Adoptive adults: Colleagues might feel able to share their own personal experience of being adopted or being adoptive parents. I am open with students and colleagues about my own experiences and use this to support the families I serve.
- Key staff: Ensure that adopted children are given regular opportunities to check-in with key pastoral staff and that they have a “go-to” staff member when facing challenges.
- Extra-curricular: Ensure that extra-curricular activities are provided equitably and that adopted students have access to these. Emphasise how these opportunities can contribute to a sense of belonging in the school community.
- Curriculum: Our curriculum needs to be inclusive. Consider the ways in which adoption narratives are explored through curriculum and how subjects are used to dispel myths or negative commentary about adoption or the care system.
Partnership with parents
The home environment is especially important for adopted children and close partnership working between schools and adoptive families is vital.
Personal education plans or review meetings are not statutory with parents once adoption orders have been granted. Nonetheless, regular and routine meetings with adoptive parents can be helpful in ensuring that the needs of adopted children are realised and understood by school professionals.
And these do not need to always be “problem-centred” – they can occur at key milestones to help teachers, children and families celebrate academic and personal achievements. Other important focus points might include:
- Personalised reviews of academic performance or any aspects of school life that the child is struggling with.
- Sensitive or personal updates about the child’s background or adoption journey (it is important to take a lead from adoptive parents and the child on these).
- Providing advanced notice to children and families of any known changes to staffing, school routines or policies that may impact the adopted child.
- Building trust and ways of working and communication between schools and adoptive families. This can be especially effective if sought proactively rather than simply relying on a meeting once a child is at crisis point.
- Review extra-curricular opportunities and how schools can support families with the cost (especially important for low-income families).
- In some cases, schools might find it useful to partner with adoptive families to support delivery of CPD or information for teachers.
Final thoughts
The average child spends 15,000 hours at school. This is precious time when we can “walk alongside” adopted children – young people who may have experienced significant neglect, trauma or disruption in their young lives.
Consider the story being told in your school community and in your classrooms, especially for those children and young people who are adopted or have experience of the care system.
Sean Harris is a doctoral researcher with Teesside University investigating poverty and educational inequality in schools. He is also a trust improvement leader at Tees Valley Education, an all-through multi-academy trust serving communities in the North East of England. Follow Sean on X @SeanHarris_NE and read his previous best practice articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/sean-harris
Useful resources relating to adoption
- Adoption Barometer: An annual survey and research report produced by Adoption UK which offers useful insights into trends and research findings. Visit www.adoptionuk.org/the-adoption-barometer
- Adoption & Fostering: A quarterly academic journal dedicated to adoption, fostering and family issues. It has gained an international reputation as a leading source of knowledge for all those concerned with childcare practice and research: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aaf
- Adoption UK: A national charity run by and for adopters. It provides resources, training, and advice: www.adoptionuk.org
- National Adoption Week: An annual event organised by the charity Adoption Matters: www.adoptionmatters.org/naw2023
References
- Beckett et al: Belonging and permanence: Outcomes in long-term foster care and adoption, the British Journal of Social Work (41,4), 2011.
- Brooks: From both sides: Evaluating education support for previously looked after children in England, Adoption UK, 2022: https://tinyurl.com/4wujf5cw
- Brown & Shelton: Coherent lives: Making sense of adoptees’ experiences in education through narrative identity, British Educational Research Journal, 2023: https://tinyurl.com/muncsy38
- Brown & White: Adoption UK’s Schools & exclusions report, 2017: https://tinyurl.com/2s36acv2
- Catterick & Curran: Understanding fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A guide to FASD for parents, carers and professionals, JKP Essentials, 2014.
- Coram-I: Adoption and special guardianship leadership data collection: Headline measures, 2023: https://tinyurl.com/3wu6p297
- DfE: Children looked after in England including adoptions, 2023: https://tinyurl.com/3bz3c794
- Harris: Poverty on the brain: Five strategies to counter the impact of disadvantage in the classroom, SecEd, 2022: www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/best-practice/poverty-on-the-brain-five-strategies-to-counter-the-impact-of-disadvantage-in-the-classroom
- Keating: Chosen children? The legalisation of adoption in England and its aftermath, 1918-1939, University of Sussex, 2005.
- McCrory, De Brito & Viding: The impact of childhood maltreatment: A review of neurobiological & genetic factors, Frontiers in Psychiatry (2,48), 2011.
- Teicher & Samson: Enduring neurobiological effects of childhood abuse and neglect, Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry (57,3), 2016.