Agenda item

  Report CEF23004

The report presented the annual update on the performance of the Virtual School for children in care and children previously in care, currently adopted or cared for under a Special Guardianship Order, identifying progress made against the outcomes identified in the Corporate Parenting Strategy.

The Chairman was pleased to note the Virtual School’s role in promoting the education of all children with a social worker and queried the potential to support further vulnerable groups, such as children who were refugees.  The Headteacher of the Bromley Virtual School advised that the Virtual School had a statutory role in supporting certain vulnerable groups and that this included children who were unaccompanied asylum seekers.  The Virtual School also worked in partnership with London South East Colleges on its provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages to refugees.  A Member expressed concern at the attainment levels for Mathematics and English at Key Stage 4 for the 2021/22 academic year and the Virtual Headteacher explained that this partly reflected the return to more stringent assessment methods in the post-COVID period but that attainment at Key Stages 4 and 5 was also impacted by a small cohort, many of whom faced complex challenges.  The Virtual School worked to support every child to make progress in their learning through bespoke support, such as a post-16 years pilot scheme on the Bromley campus of London South East Colleges where staff delivered on-site support to young people. 

A Member noted the use of Pupil Premium to fund interventions and support for Children Looked After.  The Virtual Headteacher explained that Education Advisors scrutinised the use of Pupil Premium for each child to ensure it met the needs of their Personal Education Plans, including for enrichment activities where appropriate, and that additional funding could be provided where there was an escalation of need.  A portion of Pupil Premium was retained centrally to fund a Senior Education Psychologist as well as laptops or other specialist equipment for children and young people.  In response to a question from another Member, the Virtual Headteacher confirmed that Personal Education Plans were in place until the end of Year 13 and that this included work to keep young people engaged with education, employment or training, including the “Fresh Start” scheme, mentoring and careers advice.  A Member was pleased to note that six Care Leavers had embarked upon Higher Education in the 2022/23 academic year, and the Virtual Headteacher advised that bursaries were in place to support Care Leavers attending university and that some universities offered further top-up bursaries.  The Local Authority was currently working with Cambridge University to deliver a London-wide Higher Education event specifically aimed at young people in care, with a higher education mentoring programme in place from Year 10 onwards.  Support was also offered to young people interested in training or apprenticeship opportunities. 

The Chairman requested that a glossary of terms be included in the Bromley Virtual School Annual Report for future years.  Additionally, a Member noted that attainment figures provided in the cover report at 13.6 did not match those within the Annual Report at 8.4.7: Statistical Release Data Comparisons (Year 11).  This would be reviewed following the meeting with clarification provided to Members.

RESOLVED: That progress made towards the actions identified in the Corporate Parenting Strategy be noted.