It follows publication of statutory guidance on the duty, which was introduced by the Children Act 2004 and comes into force on 1 July 2005.
Lord Filkin, parliamentary under secretary of state for children and families, wrote to local authority directors asking for feedback on the draft guidance.
His letter said: "We do not
expect authorities to spend more in order to achieve a better outcome. We believe that improvements in the educational achievement for looked-after children can be achieved through better use of existing resources and by developing more effective ways of working."
But Ian Johnston, director of the British Association of Social Workers, said: "Social workers are aware of their responsibilities and are acutely conscious of those situations where they are not able to provide the degree of support they'd like because of heavy workload."
David Hawker, vice-chair of the Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services, said he was also sceptical that improvements could be "cost neutral".
John Coughlan, chair of the Association of Directors of Social Services' children and families committee, welcomed the guidance but said there was a need to look "more structurally" at why the educational achievement of looked-after children remained so regrettably low. "We want to ensure maximum opportunities for children in education," he added.
The guidance breaks down the responsibilities of local authorities.
For example, councils must ensure that their Children and Young People's Plan shows what actions will be taken to provide tailored packages of services to support looked-after children's education.
Authorities should also ensure that social workers "actively promote" opportunities for children to engage in "high-quality learning experiences" and draw up pre-school personal educational plans for under-fives in partnership with carers and health workers.
Local authorities must ensure children's homes and fostering services, including those in the independent sector, have clear, written education policies.
The Government says bringing the educational achievements of looked-after children in line with those of their peers will be a measure of authorities' success in implementing the duty.
A 2003 Social Exclusion Unit report, A Better Education for Children in Care, identified five key factors behind the underachievement of looked-after children: spending too much time out of school; placement instability; insufficient help with education if they fell behind; primary carers not equipped to offer sufficient support for learning and development; and unmet emotional, physical and mental health needs.
- www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations.
