Agenda item

VIRTUAL SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered the Bromley Virtual School Annual Report 2016/17 which outlined the activity and impact of Bromley Virtual School during the academic year.  The report included full details of the educational outcomes of Bromley Children Looked After and identified areas of future development to achieve improved outcomes for Bromley Children Looked After.

 

The Bromley Virtual School Head Teacher introduced the report and highlighted that in future years the Annual Report would be presented to the Sub-Committee in November with the caveat that data was subject to change as it would not have not been formally ratified by the Department for Education (DfE).

 

The Virtual School Head Teacher emphasised the difficulties in planning the Service resulting from the fluctuation in year group numbers which grew significantly during the year.  The Sub-Committee also heard that it was difficult to quantify the impact of the  Social Work Act on the Virtual School but that it was clear that the new legislation would undoubtedly have an impact.  Virtual School Head Teachers were working to standardise the approach of Virtual Schools across London in order to provide greater consistency when children moved to different boroughs.  In addition to this a pan-London position statement had been issued which would be effective until such time as guidance on the new legislation was issued.

 

Bromley Virtual School was proud that it rested in the top 5-10% in terms of GCSE results but recognised that the Service could not stand still and that there was still more that could be done to support children looked after to have greater success at 16+.  The Virtual School was also reviewing the quality of Personal Education Plans (PEPs) and working with Social Workers to deliver improvements in quality.  The Virtual School Head Teacher also noted that the Virtual School was having to deal with increasingly complex issues as well as provide support to a much wider age range (from 2 years to 25 years).

 

The Head of CLA and Care Leavers emphasised that the impact of the Virtual School in planning and placement moves could not be under estimated.  The Virtual School was now being drawn into every aspect of care planning.

 

Members of the Sub-Committee congratulated Bromley Virtual School on the number of children in their care that went on to complete A-Levels, apprenticeships, and university degrees.  The Head Teacher of the Virtual School highlighted that staff supported children to look at the subjects and make appropriate choices.  A great deal of work was being done with the current Year 8 cohort as in Bromley children were expected to make their GCSE choices in Year 8.  As this posed a significant challenge for this cohort of children, the Virtual School had developed a programme in partnership with Greenwich University which was specifically targeted at these Year 8 children to help influence GCSE choices.  The programme aimed to widen the horizons of the children, and expose them to life experiences that, due to their circumstances, they may not otherwise have.  These experiences included amongst other things trips to the theatre and museums.  It would not be possible to assess the impact of the programme for a number of years but it was hoped that the experiences would have a positive effect on the children’s future prospects.

 

In response to a question the Virtual School Head Teacher confirmed that mental health issues were managed on a case by case basis.  There was a need to constantly monitor any issues that arose and ensure that appropriate support was provided where necessary.  In a lot of cases there was often a need to rethink the way in which education was provided to the young person as they were not able to function within recognised norms.  This inevitably had an impact on resources.

 

In response to a question from the Chairman surrounding whether there had been any indication from the Government that additional funding would be provided to support implementation of the Social Work Act, the Virtual School Head Teacher confirmed that the notes within the legislation acknowledged that there would be an implication for resources but as yet there was no indication that any further assistance would be forthcoming.

 

Members of the Sub-Committee stressed the need to ensure that the positive impact of the work of the Virtual School formed a key part of the Member Induction Programme following the Local Elections in May 2018, suggesting that all Members of the Council, as Corporate Parents, needed to maintain and awareness of the role and purpose of the Virtual School.

 

RESOLVED: That the Bromley Virtual School Annual Report 2016/17 be noted.

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