When I came across looked-after children as a young teacher, I thought that they were just being naughty, and dealt with them accordingly.”

That was at the start of Steve Pendleton’s career. Today, with more than two decades experience under in his belt, he can see where he went wrong.

“I should have taken more time with these children. And frankly, I should have been better trained as to how to deal with them.”

Most teachers are likely to have a looked-after child as a pupil at least once in their careers and will have been at risk of making similar mistakes with these very vulnerable young people.

In his current position, Pendleton is ideally placed to help. He is what is known as “virtual head” - someone responsible for working with all schools across a particular local authority area (Warwickshire, in Pendleton’s case) that is educating looked after children. He is an advocate for these pupils and helps their schools and teachers to meet what can be very particular needs.

Something as innocuous as where a looked-after child sits in the classroom can easily provoke a stand-off that could be avoided with better understanding, Pendleton explains. He says looked-after children sometimes head straight for the back of a class because they are “hyper-vigilant” and have trust issues.

“They want the whole of the classroom in front of them, to make sure that no one can sneak up on them.”

But a teacher may see a child heading straight for the back of the class as potential trouble and will demand that they come to the front, leading to an understandable but avoidable confrontation.

“This is the sort of everyday situation that can happen,” says Pendleton.

He recommends not insisting that the pupil comes to the front. Instead, he says, the teacher could allow the child to stay at the back, but also teach at least part of the lesson from the back to make sure the child is involved.

Looked-after children are those in council care who have been removed from the family home, often because of abuse or neglect. There were 72,670 children in care in 2017, a 3 per cent rise on the previous year, according to the Department for Education.

Poor educational achievement among these pupils, lagging far behind their peers, is well documented. Educational attainment among adopted children also tends to trail behind, often because they are still coming to terms with past abuse or neglect, despite now being in stable homes. They are also far more likely to be excluded from school.

Once in the classroom looked-after and adopted children can exhibit a variety of problems. Adoption UK chief executive Dr Sue Armstrong Brown says: “These children can have difficulty following long sets of instructions. They find it hard to read social cues and have difficulties regulating their emotions. The child may act younger than their actual age.”

Such problems can often be traced back to earlier difficult childhood experiences. UCL psychopathology professor Essi Viding says: “Often these children have grown up in home circumstances where there is a constant fear of violence. To cope with that they become hyper-vigilant to the threat of violence.

“They may misinterpret cues from teachers or students, and this may lead them to lash out if they feel cornered. These children have grown up in a world that is not a safe place. They have issues around trust, and are constantly testing who can be trusted.”

This can lead to these children becoming withdrawn, or, at the other end of the spectrum, aggressive towards other students or teachers. This may come in the form of verbal abuse, but could also amount to physical, or sexual assault at its most extreme. However, there are some practical guidelines teachers can follow to deal with challenging behaviour from looked-after children in the classroom.

Darren Martindale, virtual school head for Wolverhampton, says teachers should make sure they have a close relationship with the virtual school head in their local authority.

The Department for Education, concerned about the educational attainment of looked-after children, began to set up virtual school heads attached to almost every local authority in 2014. Over 150 of these heads are currently charged with supporting schools and students in a bid to boost grades. In addition, every school should have a designated teacher on site, trained to work with vulnerable children.

Martindale says a virtual head should be the first port of call for a school with a looked-after child. The virtual school head’s job is to work with the school getting the right provisions in place to support these students, often acting as a bridge between education and social care. They also manage pupil premium plus funding, currently £2,300 a year, which is an extra payment schools receive for each looked-after child, and previously looked-after child, on their roll.

“This money can be spent on a range of things such as additional maths and English digital training boosters for the child to work through,” says Martindale. “But the money could also be spent on buying a laptop to work on. Or, perhaps it may go towards paying for extra-curricular activities, if we think that will be a benefit.”

Virtual school heads will typically say the most important thing a teacher must bear in mind when dealing with a vulnerable child is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to dealing with these children. Martindale adds that “traditional sanction and reward” approaches may not work. Instead, the teacher may have to set targets in conjunction with looked-children and work alongside them as they learn.

UCL’s Viding adds: “We have found rewarding good behaviour from these children straight away is a good way of working. These children can find a more traditional points system, where good behaviour is rewarded at the end of a week, or a month, harder to focus on.”

When a pupil is struggling, it is important to have a trusted member of staff around who understands the student and can help them with coping strategies, says Martindale.

This could be an inclusion lead, as part of their wider pastoral role; the designated teacher; or it might be a skilled teaching assistant provided they’re given the right tools and support.

Viding says it is best to avoid a public showdown in front of the class, as this can lead situations to escalate. Teachers should bear in mind that this child may have been involved in far more hostile situations in the past, and may not be inclined to back down. Confronting these students over an issue is best done in private. A safe space, such as a spare room, should be used if a child hits a crisis point. And in younger children, a memento such as a favourite toy, or a picture of a trusted carer, may help to calm the situation.

Sharing information is vital. Many looked-after children receive support from a range of professionals, so collaborative working is more crucial than ever. Sharing even the smallest of things is important, including what a teacher may have come to know as the norm, as this might not be considered normal elsewhere.

Getting to know pupils’ foster families can also be useful for teachers. This often leads to a better understanding of the child. It will inform how a teacher shares information and will ultimately improve outcomes for the pupil.

A teacher improving their medical knowledge will help. It is useful to fully understand the associated medical needs and likely progression of any illnesses. Taking the time to find out what to expect will mean a teacher will be better able to offer support.

Teachers should also be aware of peer-to-peer abuse. Looked after children, particularly those with SEND, can be much more vulnerable to bullying from other pupils.

Martindale also advises offering a looked-after child leadership and responsibility.

He says that many disadvantaged students will thrive when given this kind of opportunity - in supporting younger children, for example.

An older child helping to deal with another pupil’s behaviour can help them to view their own actions more objectively, boost self-esteem and build positive friendships.

Experts note that there is plenty of good work already going on.

“I am full of admiration for headteachers in this area,” says Pendleton. “They want to cater for vulnerable children, but will have to balance that against educational targets, harmony across the school, and dealing with parents who are concerned about the effect of disruptive classroom influences on their children.”

And the job is getting harder still, as the ability to help these vulnerable students is threatened by financial pressure across local government. Virtual school heads actually saw their roles expand last year to take on responsibility for adopted children under the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

This means they now have to provide information and advice to children who have left care in order to be adopted, as well as their new families.

But Mike Parker, director of Schools NorthEast, is concerned that they are not being given enough money to do that job: “We have concerns about the ability of virtual school heads to perform their expanded role, given the steep decline in local authorities’ spending power since 2009-10,” he has told Tes.

“There is a sense among school leaders of the virtual school heads’ role being pushed down the agenda when authorities are under significant financial pressure.”

There is no doubt that supporting looked-after children is a tough job. And teachers who do it may also need a support group of their own.

As Pendleton, who in August began a sabbatical year away from his virtual head teaching post, says: “Teaching these children is emotionally and intellectually demanding, because you are working with victims.

“Teachers will need support from other professionals. Talking to their school’s designated teacher is a good starting point to swap ideas and relax. Teachers who work with vulnerable children will at some point need to manage their own emotions.”

Roger Baird is a freelance journalist. He tweets @baird1234