Bromley Virtual School

What we offer

The team is responsible for and oversees all aspects of the education of Children Looked After (CLA), including:

• Attending Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings
• Attending Education Health Care Plan Reviews
• Support with any concerns around a child’s academic achievement
• Support with any concerns around a child’s behaviour in school that is affecting learning
• Working with schools to adjust learning where appropriate for a child
• Challenging and supporting school improvement around vulnerable children including training and development for
• Senior staff such as the Designated teacher for CLA and Designated Safeguarding lead.
• Delivering whole staff training on attachment, trauma and closing the gap for vulnerable children
• Undertaking new school suitability assessments
• Supporting transition
• Issues relating to SEN and Education Health Care Plans
• Distribution of Pupil Premium spending for that child
• Aspiration and achievement support
• Arranging tuition alternative provision

In line with statutory duties, a PEP meeting must be organised within 10 days of a child becoming looked after, within 20 days of starting a new school, or if there has been a change of placement. Where possible, a Bromley Virtual School team member will attend all PEP meetings when:

• a child has become looked after
• a CLA has started a new school
• where there has been a change of placement

There can sometimes be a delay in notifying the Virtual School when there has been a change of circumstances, so it is important that you contact the team with any changes or new information as soon as possible, so that we can begin to support the child’s education.

Promoting the education of previously looked after children

The role of the Virtual School Head (VSH) for previously looked-after children (PLAC) is to promote their educational achievement through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators and others who the VSH considers necessary.

Support is available from the point at which the child becomes eligible for free early education, which is currently the start of the term following a child’s second birthday, and concludes when they have completed statutory education. The duty relates to previously looked-after children who are in an education provision in the area served by the VSH irrespective of where the child lives.  Support is available to adoptive parents or those who have parental responsibility for the child, providers of early education, schools and colleges as well as the adoption team.

Promoting the education of all children with a social worker

From September 2021, the Virtual School Head’s role has been extended to include the strategic leadership of promoting the education outcomes of all children and young people with a social worker and in March 2024 this was extended again to include children in Kinship care arrangements. It covers all children who were assessed as needing a social worker at any time due to safeguarding and/or welfare reasons, which includes all those subject to a Child in Need plan or a Child Protection plan. This includes children aged from 0 up to 18 in all education settings.

Although we are unable to do case work on individual children, we can:

• offer advice and signpost schools and educational settings to additional services and ensure that they receive the support required to help their cohort of children with a social worker
• offer training opportunities to develop schools and educational settings understanding around attachment and trauma
• support schools and educational settings and social workers on how they can work together to support improvements in attendance, punctuality and behaviour to avoid exclusion
• training on interventions
• offer advice on educational issues to social workers to include: attainment data, SEND processes, attendance, exclusions and reduced timetables

Further information and guidance can be found on Bromley Education Matters.