Virtual School

Welcome to the Telford and Wrekin Virtual School page. We hope that you are able to find all the information you require but should you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. This page is regularly updated and so it is worth revisiting from time to time to catch up on the latest news. 

The core purpose of the Telford and Wrekin Virtual School is to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of our children. We are a team of highly qualified, experienced and dedicated educational professionals. We work with all relevant partners in education, health and social care to ensure that our children’s opportunities in school are the best they can be.

What is a Virtual School Head (VSH)?

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires councils in England to appoint a Virtual School Head to discharge the local authority's duty to promote the educational achievement of its children in care.  The Virtual School Head is the lead responsible officer for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of the authority's children in care, including those placed outside the caring authority's boundaries.

The Ofsted inspection framework for local authority services to children in care has very clear expectations of the information that will be available to inspectors, and these expectations influence both the work of the Virtual School Head and the organisation of the Virtual School.

What we do

We offer support, guidance, training and challenge to ensure that educational services are effective in maximising the progress that our children make in school.

We do this through:

• tracking academic progress, attendance, and exclusions of Children in Care
• quality assuring all Personal Education Plans (PEPs)
• providing support and challenge to schools to ensure that academic standards are raised for children in care
• using our tracking data to highlight individuals who are not on target to achieve their predicted outcomes and challenging their settings to provide them with additional education support
• ensuring Special Education Needs or Disability needs are identified and supported appropriately with an integrated plan
• monitoring and challenging schools to make effective use of the Pupil Premium Grant for children in care
• ensuring effective transition between schools or specialist providers
• encouraging a culture that supports our young people to have high aspiration about their futures and removes barriers to further education
• leading training for Designated Teachers, Social Workers, School Governors, Foster Carers and bespoke training for educational settings and staff in schools
• providing advice to social workers and carers to ensure they contribute to the education outcomes of children on their case load or in their care placement
• celebrating children in care achievements
• supporting the delivery of the Voice Care Council and Corporate Parenting Strategy.

Mission Statement

Please our Mission Statement below:  

• children in care receive outstanding education and are prepared for adulthood. They have access to a wide range of opportunities, which prepare them for employment and training
• provide appropriate support to enable our young people, including previously looked after children, to feel happy, safe and to achieve
• champion the needs of children in care and previously looked after children, and where necessary challenge schools and settings to deliver high aspirations
• celebrate all of our children in care successes
• reflect, refine and improve the service that we deliver to ensure that each individual child is at the centre of everything we do.

Last updated: 31/01/2024 09:19