Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education.

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Children's Social Care and Education that provided information on the Sefton Virtual School and submitting the Sefton Virtual School Annual Report 2019-20.

The report indicated that Sefton Virtual School existed as a collaborative endeavour to ensure that the education of Sefton’s Looked After Children (LAC) was a key priority for all professionals in line with the “One Council” focus on improving the lives of the most vulnerable. The aim of the Virtual School was to meet Sefton’s Pledge to Children in Care to ensure that each child was supported to fulfil their potential in school. The report presented an overview of the Virtual School; pupils by Year Group at both the Primary and Secondary School; placement of pupils from Sefton and placement of pupils by local authority; information provided by Ofsted; attendance figures; Virtual School arrangements and duties; Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) spending; understanding pupil progression; and 2021 Key Stage 4 data.

The Sefton Virtual School Annual Report 2019-20 was attached to the report.

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised issues on the following:

·       Help and support provided by the virtual school for young people post-16

·       Looked after children information once they had left school

·       Data and information regarding Career Connect’s work with looked after children

·       How the virtual school contributed to Education Health and Care Plans

·       Placement of pupils who were educated out of borough

·       Placement of pupils in lower Ofsted graded schools

RESOLVED: That