Agenda item

The Virtual School annual report provides an overview and analysis of the impact of the virtual school’s work during the academic year 2022/2023, and the key priorities for the following year.

Amelia Steele (Head of Virtual School) presented the summary version of the Virtual School Annual Report 2022/23, outlining the main achievements that had been created to share with young people. She also presented videos and slides which included the feedback, performances and experiences of the young people.  In some cases, an animation had been used as a visual representation, but the voices were all H&F’s children and young people.

Councillor Mercy Umeh appreciated the great presentation and thanked Virtual School’s efforts in bringing wonderful experience for the children and young people.

Echoing the sentiment, Nadia Taylor noted the powerful message coming from young people’s own voices and gave credits to the education service providers, local authority, mentors and teachers. 

In response to Nandini Ganesh’s enquiry about the Hub, Amelia Steele advised that it was a Care Leavers Hub which provided the space for care leavers to engage in networking while transforming to independent living.

Councillor Aliya Afzal-Khan considered it wonderful to hear the positive impacts of the Virtual School’s work.  She asked about the “Attachment Aware Schools’ programme”. Amelia Steele advised that a pilot “Attachment Aware Schools’ programme” in partnership with the Educational Psychology team was launched with 10 schools last year. It had included centralised training on emotional coaching and relational practice, and individual school support through a link practitioner. This programme had enabled the building of stronger relationship with schools and the provision of a clear bridge between education and social care.

On the Chair’s concern about the nature of collaboration with the University College London (UCL) and the source of funding, Amelia Steele noted that H&F had participated in the Promoting the Achievement of Care Leavers knowledge exchange programme run by UCL.  While the work of this programme had raised the profile of H&F’s care experienced young people, it aimed at creating an infrastructure to support young people across the borough into education and employment. It was led by the Virtual School, People and Talent and the Economy, which worked together to enable young people to access opportunities made available by local businesses matched by the Economy.  She added that H&F’s participation did not require additional funding.

Councillor Lucy Richardson appreciated the work of the Virtual School in delivering compassionate services and meeting the needs of young people.  Regarding her question on the number of children and young people being served and the Council’s capacity for expansion, Jacqui McShannon (Strategic Director of Children’s Services) said that there were currently 213 children who would be cared for until the age of 25.  Amelia Steele added that as of September 2021, the Department for Education had extended the duty of the Virtual School Head to include promoting the education of children who had currently or previously had a social worker within the last 6 years.  The Virtual School had successfully recruited an Advisory Teacher for Children with a Social Worker to provide support and guidance for the schools and parents of this cohort. 

In reply to the Chair’s further question, Amelia Steele explained that the Personal Education Plan was statutory and needed to be reviewed three times a year.  Although the Enrichment Programme was not statutory, the Virtual School considered it a right thing to do and hence was committed to providing enrichment opportunities enabling children and young people to participate in extra-curricular activities which had given them informal ways to learn and achieve.

Amana Gordon (Operational Director, Children and Young People Services) remarked that the Virtual School focused on supporting young people to be successful in education and training enabling them to go on to be successful adults. She also highlighted the impacts of the enrichment activities held in the summer, including organising residentials, weeklong projects and encouraging young people to join after school clubs.  They had enabled young people to share different levels of experience.

Concluding the discussion, the Chair appreciated the work of the Virtual School and considered the stretched efforts should be articulated into sustainable values to shape future service delivery.

RESOLVED

That the Committee noted and commented on the item.