Islington Virtual School for care experienced children and young people

Islington Virtual School provides information, advice and support to improve the education, learning and life chances of children and young people who are or have been in care.

What is the Virtual School?

All local authorities are required by law to have Virtual School Head (VSH) and in most local authorities, including Islington, the VSH manages a team called the Virtual School, which carries out the duties, roles and responsibilities assigned to the VSH.

The Virtual School does not exist in real terms as a building, and children and young people do not attend. The education provision at which they are enrolled are responsible for their education.

The Islington Virtual School’s core purpose is to promote the education and wider life chances of the following groups:

  • Children looked-after (children in care)
  • Care Leavers
  • Previously children looked-after
  • Children with a Social Worker (Children in Need)

These children and young people have been identified as a group who face significant barriers to education, employment, and training because of experiences of adversity, most commonly abuse and neglect.

Historically, these groups of children and young people have achieved poorer education outcomes and life chances than their peers. The role of the Virtual School is to use its knowledge and expertise to bring services and professionals together, to understand the challenges these children and young people face and put in place the support and interventions children and young people need to improve their outcomes and life chances.

While the core purpose of the Virtual School is the same for each of these groups, the different duties of the Virtual School mean the way we carry out these functions is different for each group of children and young people.

Children Looked-After 

The Virtual School Head is the lead officer for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of Islington’s children looked-after, including those living in another borough. 

The Virtual School ensures that there are effective systems in place to:

  • Maintain an up-to-date roll of its children looked-after, and gather information about their education placement, attendance, and educational progress.
  • Ensure that social workers, designated teachers and schools, carers and Independent Reviewing Officers understand their role and responsibilities in promoting and supporting each child’s education and life chances.
  • Ensure that every child has an up-to-date, effective, and high-quality Personal Education Plan (PEP) that focuses on educational outcomes and the support children need to fulfil their potential.
  • Ensure that the educational achievement of children looked-after by Islington is seen as a priority by everyone who has responsibilities for promoting their welfare.
  • Report regularly on the attainment of children looked-after through Islington’s corporate parenting structures.

Islington Virtual School does this by:

  • Ensuring the VSH has sufficient seniority, status, and influence within the local authority
  • Has robust systems in place to track and monitor children’s education, as if they attended a “single school”
  • Promotes multi-agency working to ensure improving education, and wider life chances, is a priority
  • Ensuring all children looked-after have a dedicated Advisory Teacher, who takes responsibility for promoting the child’s education, works effectively with social care and education settings, and ensures all children have a termly Personal Education Plan
  • Ensures the Pupil Premium is used effectively to support the child

Care Leavers

The Virtual School does not have a legal duty to promote education, employment and training of care for experienced young people over age of 18.

However, Islington believes the expertise of the Virtual School can be used to ensure young people up to the age of 25 continue to receive support around their education, employment, and training.

Islington Virtual School does this by: 

  • Having two Education, Employment and Training Advisers within the Virtual School. These advisers can provide information, advice, and guidance to young people regarding their education, employment, and training
  • Having a specialist Progress Adviser within the team who can work with young people to develop and implement a Careers Action Plan
  • Providing education, employment and training advice and support to Islington Leaving Care Team (Independent Futures)
  • Developing and implementing partnerships with services within and outside the council that can promote young people’s education, employment, and training

Previously children-looked after

Previously children-looked after refers to children who have been in the care of the Local Authority but have gone to be adopted, live with a Special Guardian or live with an adult who has Residence Order.

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

Islington Virtual School does this by:

  • Responding to parental requests for advice and information, for example, advice on school admissions in their area. Where appropriate, the Virtual School will signpost parents to other services that can offer advice and support
  • Responding to requests for advice and information from providers of early education, designated teachers in maintained schools and academies, and providers of alternative provision in their area in respect of individual children supported by the local authority. In particular, the VSH should develop/ build on existing good working relationships with designated teachers for previously children looked-after in their area
  • Making general advice and information available to early years settings and schools to improve awareness of the vulnerability and needs of previously children looked-after.  This should include promoting good practice on identifying and meeting their needs, and guidance on effective use of the Pupil Premium

Children with a Social Worker

In September 2021, VSHs became strategic leaders for children who have been assessed as being in need under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 and currently have a social worker and those who have previously had a social worker.

The term ‘children with a social worker’ includes all children who have been assessed as needing or previously needing a social worker within the past six years due to safeguarding and/or welfare reasons. It includes children who have been subject to Child in Need Plan or a Child Protection Plan.

Islington Virtual School does this by:

  • Appointing a Deputy Head post in the Virtual School, who is the strategic lead for this area of work
  • Making visible the disadvantages that children with a social worker can experience, enhancing partnerships between education settings and local authorities, including with children’s social care, to help all agencies hold high aspirations for these children
  • Promote practice that supports children’s engagement in education, recognising that attending an education setting can be an important factor in helping to keep children safe from harm
  • Levelling up children’s outcomes and narrowing the attainment gap so every child can reach their potential. This will include helping to ensure that children with a social worker benefit from support to recover educationally from the impact of the pandemic

The Virtual School Team

The current Virtual School Head is Matthew Blood.

The Virtual School has two Deputy Head posts; one with strategic lead for children looked-after and one with a strategic lead for children with a social worker.

The team also includes Advisory Teachers, Education, Employment and Training Advisers, a CAMHS clinician and an Educational Psychologist. 

Who to contact

Contact Name
Matthew Blood
Contact Position
Virtual School Head for care experienced children and young people
Telephone
07712 235 665 07712 235 665
E-mail
Matthew.Blood@islington.gov.uk

Location

Address
3 Elwood Street
London
Postcode
N5 1EB

Time / date details

Opening times/date
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Other Details

Cost Details
Free of charge
Who is this service for?
The service is for looked-after children who are in the care of the local authority; previously looked-after children who have previously been in care but are now adopted or placed on a Special Guardianship Order; and care leavers aged between 18 and 25 who have left care but continue to receive support from us.
Can I refer myself?
Referral required
Referral Details

All young people in care to Islington are on the Virtual School's roll and their education tracked and monitored throughout their time in care.

Additional Languages
None

Last Updated

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