To receive an update on the educational attainment of Shropshire Council’s looked after children.

Report to follow

Jo Kelly, Virtual School Head, introduced herself and provided Members with an overview of the Shropshire Virtual School, which currently supports 549 young people in care to Shropshire from the ages of 2-18. The team included the Virtual Head, Assistant Head, a Business Support co-ordinator, Post 16 Officer, Educational Advice and Support Worker and Specialist Access to Education Officer.

Members noted that the GCSE results for the students had been higher than other Looked After Children in the country, and that KS2 results had also been well above the national performance indicators. Focus was now being put on the progress of children with an EHCP.

The Post 16 cohort had been recognised within the recent Ofsted report which was a great success.

Members noted that it is statutory that all Children who are Looked after must have a Care Plan, of which the PEP (Personal Education Plan) is an integral part. The PEP should reflect a personalised approach to learning that meets the child’s identified educational needs, raises aspirations and builds life chances – and the PEP should be used to support achieving these for our children.

Members questioned how the post-16 pupil to staff ratio compared with other areas and the support available to them. Members were advised that the DFE is running a pilot which looks to give more support options for these children as they are not eligible for pupil premium. Shropshire did have a higher ratio of staff to children at approximately 1:98 rather than 1:55 in other areas.

Members expressed their pleasure at seeing such great progress and requested that an update be brought to a future meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the following recommendations be approved:

a)    A proposal to be developed for the Director by the Virtual School Head Teacher re future proofing the Shropshire Virtual School and reviewing the structure to reduce caseloads.

b)    The Virtual School Head Teacher to lead a working group across Social Care to focus on improving PEP quality and effectiveness across the LA - the PEP itself being a joint responsibility and integral part of the Care Plan. Key outcomes will need to be an agreed process, clear roles and responsibilities and agreed standards of quality practice as every child in care deserves to have a good quality PEP. The Virtual School Head Teacher to also consult with Schools on how the new Shropshire PEP will develop ready for a September 2022 start.

c)     The Virtual School Head Teacher to plan for improving Attainment and Progress data capture on the PEP as this will support robust reporting and planning. This would be for roll-out in the new academic year 2022-23 so no current data Is lost on the ePEP system.

d)    The PEP working party to consider how all Year -1 and Year -2 children will have high quality PEPs as a joint responsibility across the LA; this will also be dependent on staffing ratios and capacity at the school (in relation to Recommendation a)

e)    Consideration to be given to how the Post 16 PEP can be developed on to an electronic platform for September 2022 so that it is fit for purpose and robust reporting is able to be achieved.

f)      The Virtual School Head Teacher to review the PP+ Policy for the new financial year 2022-23.

g)    The Action Plan for PLAC and CSW to be rolled out with the support of the new Asst Head.

h)    A celebration event for Shropshire’s Children in Care to be created in consultation with the Participation sub-group. Development of the Children in Care Council to also be a key focus of this group.

i)      The Virtual School Head Teacher to work in conjunction with Health and Social Care in order to develop effective use of SDQ information in relation to supporting positive mental health of our Shropshire Children in Care.