Issue - meetings

          The Board considered the Virtual School Annual Report 2024-25 which covered the educational outcomes and achievement for Halton’s Children in Care, and the school’s wider work across children’s services.

          Highlights included that the school was going through a restructure which was planned for January 2026 due to the increased number of children coming into care. The school’s priorities were a new reading support programme, a Virtual School College to help NEET care experienced young people, improving attendance and reducing exclusions, and supporting vulnerable groups. 

          75 children moved placements, and 26 children moved school, but these moves were structured and planned. Exam results were good, attendance had improved, and exclusions and suspensions had reduced. 73% of year 12 and 13 were in further education or employment.

          The Virtual School works close with social workers as they had more children going through educational plans. There had been an increased number of delegates attending training and the training offer for parents and foster carers had been increased.

          Work was planned to make sure that new school starters were ready for school and officers were keen for children in care and with social workers to perform as well as children not in care. More support around maths was planned as this was a subject that the school’s pupils struggled with.

          It was planned that six new members of staff will join the school and they will help support physical schools and families.

          The following additional information was provided in response to Member’s questions:

• Every local authority must have a virtual school which oversees the education outcomes for children in care. Children still attend a physical school and could go to a school anywhere in the country, but they must be Halton children to be monitored by Halton’s Virtual School.
• The Virtual School works closely with the Youth Trailblazer Project (YTP) and they put plans in place together for young people in the virtual school.
• The Board will receive a full report on NEET at the meeting in January 2026. The Board requested that this report include overlaps with the YTP.
• For the last 12 months, schools have been spoken to so the Virtual School could see what their approach was to teaching children to read so they did not duplicate this.
• Officers linked in with the Literacy Trust and hosted three events for parents and carers to promote reading for pleasure to children. They will check with schools to see how successful the events were.

          RESOLVED: That the report be noted.