- Funding boost to help level up opportunities for children and
young people in social care
- Virtual School Heads role extended to support children with a
social worker
- £3m additional funding to support children in care and care
leavers in post-16 education pilot
Children with a social worker in England will benefit from
further dedicated support in school and at college to help level
up their outcomes in education and reach their full potential.
The Government has today (Wednesday 16 June) announced more than
£16 million for councils to extend the role of Virtual School
Heads from September this year, meaning there will be a local
champion for children with a social worker in every local
authority in England. This will ensure that more focus is placed
on children with a social worker, targeting support earlier on in
these young people’s lives and helping improve how they engage
with education.
A further £3 million in funding has also been confirmed for a new
pilot, where Virtual School Heads will support looked-after
children and care leavers in post-16 education. Launching in
October, the pilot will enable Virtual School Heads to expand
their work into further education settings.
Both programmes will build on the existing role of a Virtual
School Head, who help champion and improve the educational
outcomes for children in or on the edge of care, enhancing
relationships between schools, colleges and local authorities so
that pupils receive support from professionals that will help
them develop and progress throughout their time in education.
Children and Families Minister
said:
“Every child or young person should be given opportunities to
fulfil their potential regardless of their background. For
children in care, or those who are known to social care teams, it
is absolutely vital we help them to overcome the barriers they
can face in education so that they have the best chance to
succeed in life.
“Our Virtual School Heads are already doing a phenomenal job
supporting children in care, and working closely with schools and
delivering significant improvements to their educational
outcomes. That’s why we are extending their role, so that their
leadership and experience can benefit other children with social
workers, boosting their attainment and attendance and ensuring
they can access support that meets their needs.”
Extending the role of Virtual School Heads delivers on a key
recommendation of the Government’s Children in Need review in
2019, which looked at what further support children in need of
help and protection may require. The enhanced role will also be
central to ensuring that the Government’s education recovery
package reaches and benefits children with a social worker, with
Virtual School Heads able to advise on the best use of the
Recovery Premium to meet their needs and how access to the
National Tutoring Programme can improve their outcomes.
Their newly extended role will include additional
responsibilities, such as increasing awareness among schools,
colleges and social workers, of how education plays a crucial
part in the care of these children, improving the visibility of
support services for children with a social worker and ensuring
Virtual School Heads champion this group in local authority
planning. Further guidance is now available which sets out the
role and activities expected of Virtual School Heads [LINK].
Patrick Ward, chair of the National Association of
Virtual School Heads (NAVSH), said:
“It is particularly pleasing to note that sufficient additional
resources have been allocated to deliver on the aims identified.
It has been refreshing to work in partnership with the Department
for Education and colleagues from the Association of Directors of
Children’s Services to make this happen. I hope this successful
way of working continues in the future.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union
NAHT, said:
“Educational outcomes for all children are obviously a priority
as we look at recovery post-Covid, and many children, including
those with a social worker, may require more support than others.
NAHT has pressed for an extension to the role of the Virtual
School Head to provide a source for schools to access additional
support and advice for these children. This additional funding is
a positive step towards increasing the capacity of the support
services our children and families urgently need.”
The pilot programme for looked-after children and care leavers in
post-16 education will run in a selected group of local
authorities for six months. Local authorities interested in the
pilot will be able to apply through an expression of interest
(EOI) process to be launched next month.
Virtual School Heads have made a significant impact since the
role became statutory in 2014, bringing expert leadership to the
system that has seen a reduction in exclusions and absences, and
improved educational progress. In 2019 the permanent exclusion
rate for looked-after children was almost the same as for all
pupils and much lower than Children in Need, whilst the
persistent absence rate for looked-after children was lower than
the rate for all pupils.
