Welcome from VSH, Jane Featherstone

Virtual School - real lives & learning

Welcome to the Virtual School website.

This website contains just a glimpse into the work we do and services we provide to support Gloucestershire's Children in Care, our schools, foster carers and other professionals.

This website aims to be a focal point for everyone working with Children in Care, Care Leavers, Children with a Social Worker and Children Previously Looked After. It is a place to access information, advice and guidance, link and share best practice and gain a complete picture of the multi-agency work which goes on in support of our young people.

Education matters to all children, it is crucial to their well-being and improves their life chances. For children in the care of Gloucestershire who have previously faced challenging situations it is even more essential to do all that we can to support them.

Gloucestershire County Council has corporate parenting responsibility for children in care and, like all parents, valuing and supporting children's education is one of the most important contributions the Council can make to their lives. The Virtual School for Children in Care, therefore, has high aspirations for these children to help them maximise their access to education and have the chance to achieve their full potential.

Our Virtual School is not a teaching tool or online learning environment. We do not replace the school or educational provision for children in care. We are a statutory service which exists to support and challenge all those involved in the education of children in care. We work primarily with school age children and use the Personal Educational Plan as a vehicle for raising standards. We also support post 16 learning and early years and have specialist staff leading these areas.

What Do We Do?

As a 'Corporate Parent' for Children in Care, our role is to champion the educational needs of our young people. This involves monitoring progress and attendance, supporting our young people and professionals around them, quality assuring Personal Education Plans (PEP), planning targeted interventions and celebrating achievements. To do this, we work together with schools, carers, social workers, health professionals and education professionals, to help children achieve their full potential.

We aim to offer practical support for children, young people and their carers throughout their education. We are also there to support at specific times such as the transfer to primary or secondary, moving schools, exclusions and gaining appropriate support for any special educational needs.

During the academic year, three Personal Education Plan meetings are held to make sure that everything is in place for the young person to achieve their full potential as their education progresses. These meetings, usually held at the school, involve the young person, the social worker, a representative from the school, the carer and usually the Virtual School allocated worker.

Since September 2020 the Virtual School’s responsibilities have increased to include having oversight of all children with a social worker. The Virtual School  monitors the trends of children in Gloucestershire that have a social worker and offer training for multi-agency partners about education matters for these children and young people.

The Virtual School will challenge and offer support to young people and professionals to ensure that the best possible progress is made by the young person, in the best possible educational placement.

I hope that you will find this website useful and I would welcome any feedback or further contributions as we continue to develop it so that it meets all of your needs.

Jane Featherstone

Head