About the Virtual School
The Virtual School aims to raise the educational achievement and school attendance of children and young people in care, and who have left care, including those who are placed outside of Buckinghamshire.
Our aims
We aim to support children and young people in care to achieve their full potential by ensuring:
- There is a Designated Teacher in every school
- Every pupil (preschool to post-16) has a current Personal Education Plan
- No care placement is made without education secured
- No child in care is without education for more than 20 school days
- Pupil Premium Plus is managed effectively and according to need to enhance educational opportunities
This applies to eligible children (including age 16 and 17) and those who have been placed for adoption until the adoption order is in place.
The Virtual School does not replace the school or educational provision. It is an additional resource to support and challenge all those involved in the educational achievement of children in care.
How we provide support
We provide support through:
- Training and advice for education and social care staff
- Efficient tracking and monitoring of children’s educational needs, provision and achievements
- Successful partnership work and support for individual children at risk of exclusion, underachievement or without a school place
Who we support
We support the developmental and educational needs of Looked After Children within the Early Years Foundation Stage. This includes children moving to adoption and special guardianship order placements in and out of the county.
Settings that are eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding will have three and four year old Looked After Children attending. The amount of funding will be £300 per year which will be allocated to the child according to need. We distribute this funding to preschool/nursery settings.
The primary support team track, monitor and assist with the education of Looked After Children in the primary phase.
The aim is to ensure every school has the right information and access to resources that improve educational outcomes for our Looked After Children.
The secondary support team track, monitor and assist the education of Looked After Children in Key Stages 3 and 4 to help raise their educational achievements.
The aim is to promote good relationships with schools, carers and social care to improve outcomes for young people.
We support and guide post-16 and care leavers. This includes assisting them to succeed in further and higher education, training, apprenticeships and employment.
We support previously looked after children in Buckinghamshire to ensure they receive the best possible support in their learning and development.
We work with the Adoption Team to support schools, carers, parents and Social Workers.
The Government’s children in need review recognised the crucial role that Virtual School Heads have in helping education settings and local authorities work together.
They made a commitment to explore the capacity needed to extend this leadership to all children and young people with a social worker.
We will therefore work alongside children’s services, early years settings, schools, colleges and other education providers to promote better outcomes for children with a social worker.
We will:
- enhance partnerships between education settings and local authorities
- make clear the disadvantages that children with a social worker can experience
- promote practice that supports children with a social worker to attend and engage in education
- provide support in identifying the barriers to good educational outcomes, so that every child can reach their potential
- offer advice and support to key professionals to help these children make progress.
For more information visit GOV.UK - Promoting the education of children with a social worker.
We also have a specialist teacher to ensure the most appropriate support is in place for children and young people with disabilities.
Contact us
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01296 387 047