Cheshire East Virtual School

The Virtual School for Cared for Children is responsible for:

• supporting the education of all cared for children and young people in Cheshire East
• taking the lead in ensuring that all cared for children and young peoples have the best educational opportunities
• providing training, advice and support to foster carers, designated teachers and social workers
• contributing to the broader goal of corporate parenting

• promoting high aspirations and seeking to secure the best outcomes for children and young people.

Local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to safeguard and promote the welfare of a child looked after by them. This includes a specific duty to promote the child’s educational achievement.

What we offer

In order to ensure we are promoting the education of cared for children we offer:

• a dedicated virtual school advisor
• support through cared for children learning mentors
• annual training programme across all partners and key stakeholders
• educational progress and attainment monitoring
• attendance monitoring
• guidance and support for schools/settings carers and social workers.

The Virtual School actively supports education providers from aged 3 to 18 ensuring suitable arrangements for each child are in place, including supporting with transition.

Ofsted's 2021 inspection praised the Virtual School's effective support for children's education.

Corporate parenting

Corporate parenting means doing everything we can for every child in the council’s care – and every care leaver. We give them the opportunities that children who are not in care get.

In 2017 the Children and Social Work Act introduced a set of Corporate Parenting Principles for children in care and care leavers up to the age of 25 years.

We are committed to these principles and have developed this strategy to support all our services to address them:

• To act in the best interests, and promote the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children and young people
• To encourage children and young people to express their views, wishes and feelings
• To take account of their views, wishes and feelings
• To help them gain access to, and make the best use of, services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners
• To promote high aspirations, and seek to secure the best outcomes, for those children and young people
• For those children and young people to be safe, and for stability in their home lives, relationships and education or work
• To prepare children in care and care leavers for adulthood.

Report and guidance documents

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Page last reviewed: 07 August 2024