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The Virtual School

The Virtual School

About The Virtual School

A Virtual School acts as a local authority champion to bring about improvements in the education and outcomes of Looked after Children (LAC) and Young Care Leavers (YCL) and to promote their educational achievement as if they were in a single school.  Our key objective is to ensure each LAC receives a high quality education which will give them a secure foundation as they move into adulthood. 

Brent Virtual School (BVS) does not exist in real terms, or as a building. Children do not attend it - they remain the responsibility of the school at which they are enrolled.  BVS is simply an organisation which has been created for the effective co-ordination of educational services at a strategic and operational level.  On average Brent has around 200 LAC of statutory school age, of which approximately 50 per cent are educated in schools in Brent. 

An extended role

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 set out new duties for local authorities, maintained schools and academies, effective from September 2018. It extended the role of Virtual School Heads (VSH’s) and Designated Teachers (D/T’s) to certain children previously in care. This is because these children may continue to experience educational challenges after leaving care. The new remit extends to those children with:

  • Child arrangements orders
  • Special Guardianship Orders (SGO)
  • Adoption orders

The role of the VSH for children previously in care is to promote their educational achievement. This is through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators and others.

However, virtual school heads are not expected to monitor the educational progress of individual children who were previously looked after children (PLAC), or be held to account for their educational attainment. Any intervention in the education of a PLAC, must be with the agreement of the person(s) who have parental responsibility for the child. They, like all parents, are responsible for overseeing their child's progress in education. Whilst PLAC continue to be eligible to receive PPP the child’s home school also becomes responsible for claiming PPP through the school census.

What the Virtual School does

  • Promotes the importance of a high quality education and high expectations for all LAC and YCL
  • Influences policy and develops and improves services for LAC and YCL
  • Promotes individual achievement and wellbeing by RAG rating our LAC cohorts and ensuring that the right children and young people are targeted with the right intervention at the right time
  • Provides advice, support and training to a wide range of professionals both in education and social care
  • Improves access to specialist services, mental health assessments and treatment
  • Provides access to professional advice and guidance on education, training and employment
  • Provides additional opportunities for out of school learning and enrichment
  • Facilitates access to early education and child care
  • Produces an Annual Achievement Report
  • Reports on outcomes for LAC
  • Organises an annual Celebration of LAC Achievement Event. 

BVS is governed by Brent’s Corporate Parenting Committee.

How is the Virtual School Organised

BVS comprises of the following roles:

Headteacher

Brent’s VSH provides strategic and operational leadership and management to the BVS team ensuring that all statutory duties are met and that all Brent LAC, PLAC and children known to Brent social care receive appropriate information, guidance, advice, support and intervention. They also oversee the allocation of the Pupil Premium Plus (PPP) for children who are LAC.

Advisory teachers and workers

Advisory Teachers track and monitor the progress of Brent LAC in their cohorts, with a particular focus on those RAG rated as RED, co-ordinating and deploying BVS support to raise their attainment according to an assessment of their needs.  They quality assure statutory Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for LAC in their cohorts. They work with social workers, foster carers and the school’s designated teacher (DT), who has a statutory role within schools that mirrors that of the virtual school head teacher, to ensure that high aspirations and challenge is demonstrated in the PEP. They contribute to training for designated teachers, schools, social workers, foster carers and governors, and act as advocates by positively challenging the practice of schools.

Advisory Workers carry out the same role as the advisory teachers apart from contributing to training. Advisory workers do not have Qualified Teachers’ Status (QTS). 

Year 11 life coach

The Life Coach works to support all Year 11 LAC with their transition to post-16 education and training.

Personal advisor for post-16

The Personal Advisor for Post 16 works with the key stage 5 cohort, carrying out PEPs for those in education or training and working with other professionals, in particular social care colleagues, to encourage those not in education, employment or training to re-engage.

Educational psychologist

The Education Psychologist carries out assessments of identified LAC to support applications for statutory assessment.  They also contribute to our training programme.

Finance and Admin Officer

The Finance and Admin Officer is responsible for processing all financial payments for BVS, including the payment of PPP to schools. They also support our enrichment programme and other student focused activity.

Data Analyst

The Data Analyst supports the team, schools and social care colleagues with a wide range of data and information.  This includes the maintenance of detailed LAC Pupil Tracker. 

The Brent Virtual School Extended Duties Team

In September 2021, the Virtual School’s role was extended further to include strategic leadership of promoting the educational outcomes of all children and young people with a social worker. Brent has a model which has both a strategic role and an intervention role. The Team is made up of a Lead Advisory Teacher and two Education Support Officers.

Their role is to raise the profile of children known to social care, narrow the attainment gap, improve school attendance, reduce suspensions and exclusion, support parents/carers/ Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL’s) and to provide training, advice, information and guidance.

This covers all children who have been assessed as requiring a social worker at any time due to safeguarding and /or welfare needs and includes all children and young people aged 0-18 subject to a Child in Need or a Child Protection Plan, in all educational settings.

Resources

Kinship Carers organisation has been commissioned by Adopt London West to offer advice emotional and practical support to Special Guardians and providing post order support in a variety of ways including connecting carers to support networks and sharing of knowledge and information.

Advice line: 0300 033 9851
Email: kinshipresponse@kinship.org.uk.org.uk

Adopt London West: The core support offer available from the post-SGO team at Adopt London West includes:

  • monthly Special Guardianship support coffee morning (currently virtual) to enable peer support and a safe space to share and seek advice
  • access to independent, confidential advice and counselling run by an independent charity PAC-UK
  • referral to Kinship -- the UK leading kinship care charity, offering support and advice to all kinship carers
  • a Special Guardianship support assessment of need to consider from what supports the family might benefit
  • therapeutic support via an Adoption Support Fund funding application, where the child was looked after previous to a SGO granted
  • consultation with ALW’s Clinical Psychologist or via an Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Social Worker regarding the most appropriate therapeutic intervention
  • training on further developing the Special Guardians therapeutic parenting skills via support seminars
  • advice and support around education, employment and training for young people
  • a 9-week “Foundations for Attachment” virtual training to develop carers’ understanding of how trauma affects children. ALW will endeavour to ensure carers are offered a place within the first-year post order
  • advice and guidance to the carers around life story work with their child
  • regular newsletters and mailouts, with articles and training events taking place locally, as well as changes in legislation and new initiatives; and
  • an annual fun event (Covid permitting) to enable special guardians and their children to get together with other special guardians and their children.

For any queries in relation to financial matters or allowances, special guardians should email postordersupport@brent.gov.uk for support.

2nd NW, Perceval House
Ealing, W5 2HL
020 8825 5241
adoptlondonwest@ealing.gov.uk

Additional resources

Last updated 28/01/25

Further information

Please contact our team for more information.