Transcript Virtual Headteacher Presentation

Sarah Rivers
Headteacher of the Virtual School
for Looked After Children
November 2014
Initiated by Care Matters, Time for Change, all Local Authorities are advised
to support raising the educational attainment and achievement of their
Looked After Children through the overarching support of a Virtual School.
The responsibility for each child’s education, target setting, learning and
teaching remains with the schools and settings where they are enrolled.
However, it has been found that where another “Virtual” School is able to
keep an overview and support Looked After Children’s education, as if they
also belonged to that ‘Virtual School’ it has additional, positive benefits for
their educational outcomes.
Staffordshire established a Virtual School in 2011
Children and Families Act 2014
Section 99: Promotion of educational achievement of children
looked after by local authorities
This Section inserts new subsections into Section 22 of the Children
Act 1989, placing a duty on each local authority in England to appoint
an officer to promote the educational attainment of looked after
children.
The provision will have the effect of putting these virtual school heads
on a statutory footing and require any local authority who has not
already appointed one to do so.
Staffordshire Virtual School Structure
• Virtual Head Teacher
• 2 Education Co-ordinators
• 4 Education Mentors.
Governance
• Located within Families First, Looked After Children and Disability
service
• Has a Governing Body that is being developed further to mirror
school governance arrangements, this includes representation from
an Independent Reviewing Officer, Principle Social Worker, School
Improvement, Foster Carers.
• Voice of Children in Care through the Children’s Voice team.
• Foster carers education sub group
• Reports bi annually to the County Corporate Parenting Panel
Inspection of services for children in need of help and
protection, children looked after and care leavers
Inspection date: 14 January 2014 – 5 February 2014
Judgement Good
“Educational achievement of children looked after is now near the
average for all Staffordshire children, which itself is better than
average performance nationally. Most looked after young people
attend good schools at a level equal to that of all Staffordshire
children, although this remains below the national average. The small
number of looked after children not in school have access to suitable
alternative education, with good support to assist in re-integration into
mainstream schooling. Looked after children in Staffordshire are less
likely to be absent or excluded from school than looked after children
nationally.”
Priority Action: Further improve the proportion of care leavers aged
19 in education, employment or training
Virtual School Priorities 2014-15
• To reduce the educational attainment gap between looked after
children and other children
• To increase the proportion of care leavers moving into education,
employment, training and university/ HE
• To improve the attendance of looked after children in partnership
with LSTs
Outcomes that will be measured
•
•
•
•
Increase in the number of PEPs completed within timescales
Quality assurance of PEPs show improving trends
Improved outcomes at end of reception, KS1, KS2 and KS4
Increased number of children attaining 2 National Curriculum sub
levels of progress
• Improved rates of attendance
• Decreased rates of fixed term and permanent exclusions
Key data
Staffordshire
Data 2013
National Data
Non LAC 2013
National LAC
data 2013
15%
52%
Not available
KS1 Level 2
Reading
Writing
Maths
64%
52%
64%
89%
85%
81%
69%
61%
71%
KS2 Level 4
Maths
Reading
Writing
Grammar
64%
69%
53%
44%
85%
86%
83%
74%
59%
63%
55%
45%
KS4 GCSE
A* to C in Eng /Maths
5 A* to C inc eng/maths
19%
19%
59%
58%
16%
15%
EYFS Good level of
development
Other Key Data
40% of Looked after children have positive scores on strengths and
difficulties questionnaire
61% of children have special educational needs (SA, SA+, Statement)
8.84% have at least one exclusion (National Av 11.36%)
3.5% absence rate over 6 terms (National Av 5%)
18% NEET.
Admissions
.• When a child becomes Looked After, it is imperative that their school place
is maintained. School offers stability and familiarity, which is vital at this
often catastrophic time.
• There are occasions when circumstances necessitate a move of school.
When this happens, everything should be done to assist in securing a new
placement.
• Time is of the essence so as to avoid the child becoming disengaged from
education.
• Schools, including Academies, need to consider how they can best support
the admission of Looked After Children and their admissions policy should
reflect this.
Admissions
Current legislation supporting the admission of Looked After Children
requires that:
• A school place should be found as quickly as possible.
• Schools’ admission authorities are required to give Looked After
Children the highest priority in their admission arrangements and
oversubscription criteria; from September 2013 this extends to those
who have been adopted, have a Special Guardianship or Residence
Order.
• Schools to continue to treat any pupil placed as an exception to infant
class size, as an ‘excepted’ pupil until they leave Key Stage 1 or the
number on roll in the affected year group returns to its admission
number.
• LAs have the power to direct schools’ admission authorities to admit
Looked After Children.
Promoting the Education of Looked After
Children: Statutory Guidance June 2014
• The local authority, as a corporate parent, does not tolerate drift and
delay where children the authority looks after are without an
education placement that is appropriate to their assessed needs.
This includes using their powers of direction in a timely way rather
than delay issuing a direction as a result of protracted negotiation
• The choice of school requires skilled working between relevant
people. It should be based on a discussion between the child’s
social worker, their carers and, if appropriate, birth parents.
• The VSH should normally be consulted to avoid choosing a school
that is unlikely to meet the child’s needs. Delegated authority about
choice of school should be addressed explicitly in the child’s
permanence plan, which is part of their wider care plan.
• Good and outstanding schools should be prioritised
Admissions Staffordshire Social Care Processes
• Any change of school placement Social Workers should consult with
the Virtual School
• Agreement of a county manager if they plan to change a child’s school
in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11
• A Personal Education Plan (PEP) meeting needs to take place within
14 days at any change of school placement.
Looked After Children from Other Authorities
There should be timely communication and effective co-operation with
the VSH from other local authorities, particularly in relation to possible
education placement changes, school admissions, achievement and
exclusions.
Promoting the Education Attainment of Looked After Children
Statutory Guidance June 2014
Pupil Premium
• £1900 per LAC Pupil
• Previously could be accessed after 6 months of being LAC, now
from day 1 of being LAC
• No longer paid directly to school budget, paid to Virtual School
• £500 per term paid to schools. A Pupil Premium Provision Plan
outlines how the funding is used and the impact on achievement
• Central funding is held to support Looked After Children in
exceptional circumstances e.g. at risk of exclusion, emotional
wellbeing around transition etc
Virtual School Website
http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/Pupil-Support/SEN-andVulnerable-Children/Children-in-Care/Children-in-Care.aspx