Who we are
The role of the Virtual School Headteacher became a statutory role for local authorities across England at the direction of Edward Timpson, the Children's Minister, in 2013.
The role was created to:
- champion the education of all children looked after within the local authority
- address the considerably lower educational performance of children in care compared to their peers
Since that time, the development of the Virtual School - the headteacher and related staff - has grown. The model has also been adopted in other countries, such as Australia.
No two Virtual Schools are identical. The number of young people in care and the local authority context determine the number of staff employed and the roles they hold.
| Role | Brief summary of responsibilities |
|---|---|
|
Virtual School Headteacher Lisa Smith |
The Virtual School Headteacher (VSH) leads and manages the Virtual School Team. Together with the team managers, the VSH sets the strategic direction for the Virtual School on behalf of Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children's Trust: this includes the management of the Pupil Premium Plus grant, making sure that it is used to effectively promote educational outcomes for looked after children. |
| Virtual School Team Managers |
Our Virtual School Team Managers make sure their teams' work is child focused, timely and leads to improved outcomes for our young people. They provide management and oversight for the team. Each have strategic oversight of key areas of work which are as follows: Team Manager 1 provides strategic direction on planning, resourcing, team delivery and evaluation of impact for our young people within the areas of :
Team Manager 2 provides strategic direction on the planning, resourcing, team delivery and evaluation of impact for our young people aged 14 to 19. Team Manager 3 provides strategic direction on the planning, resourcing, team delivery and evaluation of impact for our children from Early Years to the end of Key Stage 3. |
| Area Education Officers |
Our Education Officers work directly with schools to provide support and guidance in relation to improving educational outcomes for children in care. This involves:
|
| Education Support Advisors |
Our advisors work with a class list of young people getting to know the child/young person to enable effective personalised education planning that will raise the aspiration and attainment each child in care. This includes:
|
| Virtual School Placement Officers |
Our school placement officers work to make sure that every looked after child receives a high-quality education, both within and outside of Birmingham. They:
|
| Virtual School Advisor for children with previous care experience | Our Virtual School Advisor develops and provides guidance and signposting on education to support children, young people and families who have had previous care experience. |
| Virtual School Development Officer for Arts, Culture, Sports and Therapeutic Services |
The Virtual School Development Officer for Arts, Culture, Sports and Therapeutic Services' role is to develop Birmingham Virtual School's centralised offer for children in care in the areas of arts, music, sports, cultural capital and therapeutic services. They plan, coordinate and ensure delivery and evaluation of all the arts, cultural activities and sporting events/activities planned through the West Midlands Virtual School CiC Foundation. |
Page last updated: 15 May 2024
