fer of the official school PEP record 35. The designated teacher is fundamental to helping looked-after children make a smooth transition to their next school or college. This includes arrangements to: achieve speedy transfer of the looked-after child’s school records to a new school; ensure the child’s PEP is up to date; and that the local authority responsible for looking after the child has the most recent version of the PEP. Transfer out of care 36. When children cease to be looked-after, their educational needs are unlikely to have changed significantly simply because their care status has changed. Although they will no longer be required to have a PEP, designated teachers will wish to consider what is best for continuity and meeting the child’s educational needs. This will particularly apply to those who leave care through adoption, Special Guardianship or a Child Arrangements Order, where the designated teacher has a duty to promote their educational attainment. As part of this, designated teachers should maintain links with VSHs who must make advice and information available to them for the purposes of promoting the educational achievement of this group of previously looked-after children. 20 Supporting looked-after and previously looked-after children Voice of the child 37. Listening to the voice of looked-after and previously looked-after children is a vital part of successfully understanding and meeting their needs. 38. In feedback from Staffordshire Virtual School, children in care agreed that knowing and having a good relationship with their designated teacher was one of the most important factors in supporting them at school. Schools successful in Staffordshire’s local Pupil Premium awards consistently showed that looked-after children felt well supported 