Growing About Us
What we do
The Virtual School is the team with the statutory duty for monitoring the attendance, attainment and achievement of young people in the care of Cheshire West and Chester authority. We also provide advice and guidance for schools, families and professionals working with young people who have previously been looked after (adopted children, those living with special guardians or Kinship Carers.) We are also the educational link with Children’s Social Care with the aim of ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for children with a social worker.
The aims of the Virtual School are:
- to support schools and settings to provide high quality educational provision for all children and young people in the care of Cheshire West and Chester and for those with a social worker
- to support high aspirations
- to improve personal and educational outcomes
- to increase opportunities to access further and higher education
To achieve our aims we will provide:
- support to ensure that every child and young person in care, from birth to 18 has an up to date, good or better termly Personal Education Plan that is written to the child in trauma informed language in line with Our Way of Working
- advice and guidance in securing appropriate education provision for children and young people in the care of Cheshire West and Chester
- training opportunities for Designated Teachers/Practitioners and school support staff, foster carers, social workers and other appropriate professionals
- advice on education issues and sign posting to other relevant education teams
- advice on transition of children in the care of Cheshire West and Chester
- up to date information on the educational achievements and progress of children and young people in the care of Cheshire West and Chester Council
