Agenda item

·        98.6% of looked after children have an up-to-date Personal education plan (PEP). The Head advised that in 2014 30% of PEPs were up to date and carried out within the statutory timeframe of 6 months. This is a great achievement.

·        Arrangements were in place for the termly review of PEPs.

·        Actions and activities recorded in the PEP were carefully monitored, ensuring they are implemented without delay. All PEPs are held on a live system called Welfare Calls, which provides good monitoring of attainment and progress.

·        Where a Required improvement school is used the Virtual school head is confident of the school’s ability to support the child.

·        Attendance was monitored and evaluated (through the welfare call system). There ae regular meeting with Social care partners to plan for individual children and to put in place system changes when needed.

·        Progress and attainment are monitored and evaluated (through welfare calls and schools submit a weekly attendance records)

·        Attainment, progress and attendance are reported regularly to the Governing Body. The virtual schools is held accountable and this is good practice.

·        Details of all educational settings are up to date (this is a statutory responsibility)

·        The Pupil premium + policy is published.

·        Appropriate training was available for: Designated teachers school staff, social workers and carers and Independent reviewing officers. The Virtual Head advised that attendance at the training has increased during the pandemic with the move to virtual training.

·        In the event of an suspension (exclusion), arrangements for the child’s on going education are made. If more than 1 day, the virtual schools will arrange for a tutor, and the Board were advised that we believe Middlesbrough Virtual schools was the only virtual school in the Country to have a dedicated CLA intervention centre. 

·        There have been no expulsions (permanent exclusions)

Main areas of developments:

·        Continue to improve the quality of PEPs- when Ofsted came Middlesbrough were 55% good or better in quality of PEPs and the virtual head advised that every month she will do a random audit of 20 PEPs and Middlesbrough were 68-80% good or better in quality. Middlesbrough has also tweaked the quality assurance tool for PEPs which is robust and challenging. Middlesbrough was looking at introducing additional quality assurance for PEPs  e.g. Paula Jemson and they were looking at introducing another Virtual school head to audit the PEPs as an external eye. The Virtual Head also advised she was looking to introduce a peer review from the National Association of Virtual school Heads , as this was a key area of development.

·        In an emergency placement ensure the PEP is initiated within 10 working days of a child becoming Looked After. The Head reported that Middlesbrough Virtual schools was now the best in the Country at sighing off PEPs in good time scales.

·        In emergencies ensure a new educational placement is provided within 20 school days and avoid drift and delay in providing suitable education. Covid has brought challenges in terms of bubbles in schools, however the virtual schools have introduced online learning so there is no gap in learning for that child.

·        For 16 – 18 year olds, liaise with the child’s Personal Advisor to ensure educational goals and needs are understood. There is now a new post 16 policy in place.

·        Ensure all children are receiving their appropriate entitlement to education, and continue to work creatively with SEND and Social Care to help achieve this.

·        Work with partners including social care to improve school placement stability.  Middlesbrough now have a school move process, however we have issues when the case is in Court.

·        Work creatively with schools and carers to continue to improve academic outcomes at all key stages. Virtual schools work more collaboratively with foster carers by attending foster carer coffee mornings and there is a virtual school foster care pack being developed.

·        Increased attendance at training for social workers. There has been an issue in the past with caseloads of social workers, however we are now seeing more social workers attending training and the new Virtual Head was working closely with the Principle Social Worker to put a programme of training in place.

·        Improve attendance and reduce ‘Persist Absenteeism’.

·        Reduce the number of fixed term exclusions. Over the past few years there has been a steady decline.

·        Increase the number of children accessing mainstream schools. It is becoming apparent that when children get to Key stage 4, they are going into alternative provision where GSCEs are not available and therefore the Virtual school is looking at further ways to keep them in mainstream school.

·        Decrease the number of NEETs.

The virtual head further went to provide an update in relation to covid; which covered 3 main areas:

·        Attendance: at the start of the third lockdown there was contradictory guidance issues; on the one hand the Government was encouraging vulnerable children to attend, and on the other offered parents the option of keeping them at home.

In the case of looked after children Middlesbrough's expectation was that all children looked after should attend unless there was a very good reason not to (medical_, and this reason had been discussed and agreed with the social worker and Virtual School.

·        Laptops- all Foster Careers were contacted to ensure children have appropriate ICT equipment.

·        Foster carer support- it was evident that for those children at home with foster carers, it was important to support the foster carers during this time. Due to this, the following occurred:

1.      Weekly coffee mornings have recommenced.

2.      Regular “in the know posts” including how to support mental health needs are available (via social media)

3.      Virtual School contact reminder and support offer has been sent to all Carers.

4.      Updated online recourses available.

Following the presentation, a board member asked what mechanisms were in place by the virtual school to challenge exclusions. In response, the Virtual School Head eluded to a young person who had been excluded for smoking in a teachers face and they were suffering from anxiety surrounding returning to school after lockdown. The school excluded the young person for 5 days, the Virtual schools challenged the school/governors and provided them with the virtual school protocol to ensure they were provided the correct support for that young person. Following that challenge, the exclusion was reduced and it avoided a permanent exclusion. Schools are aware of the Virtual School policy and if a child looked after is excluded for more than 5 days, the Virtual School Head will notify the schools governing body.

A question in relation to children being placed out of the area for school was also raised and the Virtual School Head advised that their education and support would not differ and the main focus was to ensure the educational wellbeing of that child. The Virtual School Head that when a student is placed in an emergency it can be a challenge to identify and go through the admission process of finding a new school out of area, however education via 1:1 tuition will always be provided until the student is on a school roll. School transport was also raised and the Virtual school head outlined that when a child required transport, the service would contact 'home to school transport' and ensure this was arranged appropriately.

The Chair thanked the Virtual school head for her presentation.

AGREED- That the report be noted.