Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Paragraph: 26
It is welcome that the Department has announced a further year of funding for the...
Conclusion
It is welcome that the Department has announced a further year of funding for the extension of Virtual School Head duties to include all children with a social worker. Children with a social worker face significant barriers to education, but unlike looked-after children, have not had the benefit of a Virtual School Head to champion their progress and outcomes. Virtual School Heads will be able to make a difference by intervening early in the child’s life to address barriers to poor education outcomes and support their progress.
Paragraph Reference:
26
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The extended role of the Virtual School Head (VSH) was a key recommendation and commitment from the government’s 2019 Review of Children in Need13–a recommendation made all the more important given the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on this group of children and young people.14 It was introduced on a non- statutory basis in September 2021, supported by £16.8 million of new annual funding for local authorities. Longer-term plans for the extended role, including whether to put it on a statutory footing, are under active consideration, but we recognise that the role is still relatively new, having been implemented for one full academic year. We need to ensure (as noted by Ofsted in their evidence to the Committee) that the role “is not to the detriment of looked-after children” and further build the evidence base–including understanding in greater detail the activities and responsibilities undertaken by VSHs, as well as the funding needed, to enable the role to be established effectively. The government’s decisions will be informed by the work of our independent research partner, the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford, who have been commissioned by the department to evaluate the programme. Research findings from the first phase of delivery will be published shortly and we will consider the Committee’s report and recommendations for the future of the role in the round. Further detail on the role of Ofsted in inspecting local authority children’s services (ILACS) is included in response to the next recommendation (from para 8, pg 45 of the Committee’s report), below at paragraph 22.