The virtual school is a statutory service which exists to support and challenge all those involved in the education of children in care.
It is not a physical school space, learning tool or digital learning environment and does not exist in real terms as a building. The responsibility lies with the school in which children and young people are enrolled.
In the simplest terms, the role of the virtual school is to work in partnership with the child or young person’s educational setting to ensure that they are supported to fulfil their potential at all stages of their education and to act as a champion to promote their progress and educational attainment – thus, supporting children and young people who are (or who have been) in care of the local authorities to achieve educational outcomes comparable to their peers.
What is the role of the virtual school head?
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities in England to have a virtual school Head (VSH) who monitors looked after children, previously looked after children and those children with a social worker as if they were in one school, the virtual school. In June 2021, the role of the VSH was extended to include non-statutory responsibility for the strategic oversight of the educational attendance, attainment, and progress of children with a social worker as well as looked after children. This role includes identifying the local authority’s looked after children and those with a social worker, and being the lead responsible officer for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve their educational experiences and outcomes.
Virtual school heads offer advice and guidance to schools and have responsibility for managing pupil premium and pupil premium plus funding. In maintained schools and academies, the designated teacher should work with the VSH to discuss how funding can be best used to support the progress of the child and meet the needs of the child’s personal education plan.
VSHs are also responsible for managing early years pupil premium (EYPP). They oversee allocating the premium to the Early Years providers that educate children under the care of the local authority who are taking up the free early education entitlement for 3 or 4 year olds. A Personal Education Plan (PEP) is required which details a clear breakdown of how the EYPP is to be used to support outcomes for children.
Ofsted requires VSHs to report on the management of pupil premium and EYPP funding, evidencing how the spending of funding has supported the achievement of children looked after by the local authority.
However, VSH’s have the potential to play a wider and more active role in the attendance, attainment and achievement of children in care or have a social worker.
This might be by:
- Ensuring appropriate training is in place for those responsible for promoting the educational achievements – for example, carers, adoptive parents, school staff or social workers
- Ensuring that all looked after children have a robust and effective Personal Education Plan (PEP) in place
- Building links with other services to support the looked after child, such as mental health services, educational psychologists, learning advocates and mentors, post-16 support officers or education welfare officers
- Offering advice and information to workforces that have relationships with children with social workers – VSHs should identify and engage with key professionals such as designated safeguarding leads, SEND coordinators, headteachers or governors
- Ensuring strong communication with designated teachers to identify looked after children who are absent without authorisation
- Championing the needs of looked after children across their local authority.
Children who have left care through adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangement orders, or who were adopted outside England and Wales, still fall under the care of the VSH who will promote their educational achievement through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators and others who the VSH considers necessary.