The Durham Virtual School - supporting our looked after and previously looked after children and young people

Our Virtual School promotes the education of looked after children and previously looked after children and young people.

See our Durham Virtual School (for looked after children and young people) - support for carers page for support with online learning if you have chosen to keep your child at home.

Our Virtual School offers support and guidance to:

Looked after children and care leavers up to the age of 25.
Parents and carers of looked after children, previously looked after children and care leavers.
Schools and other organisations providing education for looked after children, previously looked after children and care leavers.

Our aspirations for our children are that they:

attend a school which best meets their needs
attend school regularly
make progress and achieve similarly to their peers based on previous assessments
receive the same support from their foster carers as they would from a good parent
have a voice that positively impacts on the services they receive
have stability in care and their education placement
receive good advice and guidance to make sure they can progress into further education, employment and training and, where appropriate, university
receive recognition for their achievement and have their successes celebrated

What is a Virtual School?

The Virtual School is not a physical building that children and young people attend.

The role of the Virtual School is to promote the educational achievement of looked after and previously looked after children. We support schools and education settings so that they can support looked after and previously looked after children to enjoy school, engage with it and achieve. We are a team of specialists who understand the needs of children and young people in care.

We work with schools, other educational settings and partners to make sure that all looked after children and young people and those previously looked after:

are placed in a school which best meets their needs
have a high quality plan for their education - this will be a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for those who are looked after
make good progress and attainment
receive additional support in overcoming any challenges or barriers that impact on progress
are supported by Pupil Premium Plus
make a good transition into post-16 education or training.

The Virtual School Head and team

The Virtual School Head (VSH) and team support looked after children very closely to make sure they make good progress and make the best of the opportunities on offer.

The role of the Virtual School Head for looked after children

All councils have to appoint a Virtual School Head to be the lead responsible officer for making sure that arrangements are in place to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of looked after children, including those placed out of county.

The role of the Virtual School Head for previously looked after children

The role of the Virtual School Head for previously looked after children is to promote their educational achievement through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators and others who the Virtual School Head considers necessary.

The Virtual School Team is led by the Virtual School Head and Deputy Head

The Virtual School Head and Virtual School Deputy Head provide the strategic direction and operational lead for the virtual school in improving outcomes for looked after children through:

championing their educational needs
ensuring access to full-time education, appropriate to their needs
tracking and analysing their progress
facilitating access to appropriate interventions and support
monitoring and challenging school admissions, achievement, attendance, personal education plans, exclusions
finance and budget control including quality assurance of pupil premium plus
working with headteachers to address areas of underachievement
quality assurance of the PEP process
providing training for carers, designated teachers, other services and governors
Virtual School self-evaluation
reporting to the Corporate Parenting Panel and to the sub group which provides the governance for the virtual school
engaging with children and young people in care
working with health and social care teams
working with Virtual Head Teachers on a regional and national basis to resolve issues between schools and authorities

Caseworkers

Every child in our care who is of statutory school age has an allocated caseworker who acts as an advocate for them through:

ensuring a high quality PEP is in place
ensuring that pupil premium plus funding is used for maximum impact
ensuring their voice is heard
monitoring their progress and achievement
implementing appropriate academic or social and emotional intervention and therapeutic support
arranging academic inclusion according to need
leading the statutory assessment process and review for those who have special educational needs
liaising with their carers and schools to remove any barriers to learning
guiding the care team on educational decisions
monitoring their progress as they move to post 16 provision through links with wider services and providers

The wider team

The work of the virtual school is supported by the following teams:

Find out more information on Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and our Local Offer.

Governance is provided through the Corporate Parenting Panel, with the sub group of this committee acting as a management committee to challenge and support us.

Durham Virtual School support for previously looked after children

Find out more about how we support previously looked after children.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 extended the role of the Virtual School Head and Designated Teachers to promote the education of previously looked after children. The statutory guidance Gov.uk: Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children details the additional responsibilities of virtual schools to promote the educational achievement of previously looked after children and comes into force September 2018.

The 2018 guidance defines previously looked after children as those who are no longer looked after by a local authority in England and Wales because of:

adoption
a special guardianship order
a child arrangements order

The government provides pupil premium plus funding to schools for those previously looked after children identified on the January census. If there is uncertainty about whether a child meets the eligibility criteria, please contact the Virtual School Head. This funding is intended to be used to support schools in improving the educational achievement of previously looked after children. Head teachers identify the best use of the funding to support both individuals and the whole cohort.

Other children who were adopted from 'state care' outside England and Wales are entitled to the advice and support but do not attract Pupil Premium Plus funding. 'State care' is care provided by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other organisation whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

At Durham Virtual School we will:

Respond to parental/carer/guardian requests for advice and information about education such as on Apply for a primary or secondary school place, appropriate and effective use of pupil premium plus, School attendance, Exclusion of pupils, SEND including Durham Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Advice and Support Service, access to therapeutic support, Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and our Local Offer. This may include signposting to the designated teacher and referring to the school complaints procedure.
Respond to requests for advice and information from schools and other educational settings, including early years provision link to early years provision and alternative provision with regards to individual children and whole school approaches to support previously looked after children.
Support schools and settings including early years providers with, and signpost to, advice, information and training to increase awareness of the vulnerability and needs of previously looked after children. Provide guidance on the effective use of pupil premium plus.

In line with the new guidance, at Durham Virtual School we will provide advice and guidance to the parent/carer of any previously looked after child who attends a Durham school regardless of where they live or where they were adopted or left care.

As a virtual school, we are not required to monitor the educational progress and achievement of previously looked after children, and are not accountable for this. However, with the agreement of the person with parent responsibility, we may intervene in the education of the child to support them to achieve and make progress.

Durham Virtual School is a team which support schools to support looked after and previously looked after children to be happy at school, to engage with it and to achieve.

Education for previously looked after children with a special guardianship order (PDF) [236KB]

Toolkit for schools

We have developed an online toolkit to support schools in their work with looked after children.

Useful documents for schools and virtual schools

Useful documents for schools and virtual schools.

Guidance for other Virtual Schools seeking to place a child in a County Durham school

Our schools have high numbers of looked after children on their rolls. Durham Virtual School offers advice and support to other Virtual Schools to ensure every child is placed in a setting which best meets their needs and to resolve any concerns or issues.

Please contact the virtual school head or deputy head directly before agreeing a school placement.

Procedures, protocols and practice for in-year school transfers for looked after children

Procedures, protocols and practice for in-year school transfers for looked after children (PDF) [273KB]

Useful links

A list of useful links to further information.

Guide for schools:

Guide for parents/carers:

Adoption UK: Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children - a guide for parents and carers

Statutory guidance for Local Authorities 2017:

Gov.uk: Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children

Attachment and Early Trauma Awareness:

Support for carers, guardians and adopters

ACEducation has released videos to help you support your child through the changes caused by Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic:
Anna Freud: resources for parents and carers
Special Guardianship Order - telephone support line (PDF) [229KB]
Kinship care and support - access to support and services (PDF) [156KB]

SEND and Inclusion course directory

The SEND and Inclusion courses page includes details of courses currently available. The courses are mainly for school staff but parents, child care providers, health workers can also book onto these courses if appropriate.

Contact Durham Virtual School