Champions for learning in care

Being a virtual school head can be a lonely job. Each local authority has to have one (although some have less than one and some like to share) and while most have a dedicated team to support the work of improving educational outcomes for looked-after children, a few do not.

It is also one of the few roles that straddles education and children's services, helping teachers and social workers translate decisions, understand the child's needs in context and being the point of contact for all matters relating to the education of children in care.

The virtual school head often sits in the buffer zone, using the pupil premium plus to provide a bit of extra support when things start to get rocky at school, preventing managed moves to maximise stability and providing a "challenge" to school leaders to help ensure their schools are trauma-aware and attachment-friendly. A virtual head has to combine the tenacity of a terrier with the loyalty of a Labrador; we have to be focused on the individual child at the same time as improving the whole system.

Superheroes

When poet and author Lemn Sissay described children in care as "superheroes", he was making reference to the number of fictional characters that were care experienced (for example, Harry Potter, Superman and Batman).

But it is also a reflection on how many children in care do so much more than just survive the hurt they have experienced.

They strive to be their best, they achieve in spite of the decisions made on their behalf and they often define resilience in their ability to just keep going despite the complex lives they lead.

If a virtual school head is going to be any use to these superheroes, they need to be masters and mistresses of disguise, fitting into meetings with school leaders, social work managers, mental health professionals, children in care councils and corporate parenting committees, making sure education is prioritised - what we like to call "looking after learning".

Last week saw the official launch of the National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH). All the regional leads came together in London to discuss the work we do and how we can best support others working with children in care to improve outcomes and the narrative around looked-after children.

We know there is a very big gap to narrow, but we also know it is more complicated than it sounds and that we cannot do it alone. By setting ourselves up as a charitable organisation, with virtual school heads across England as our members (associate membership should be available from next year), we hope to share best practice, commission research and make the education of children in care a priority for those that can really make the difference - the Department for Education, Ofsted, the Association of Directors of Children's Services, academic institutions and charitable organisations.

Educational success

We also need to be clear about what success for a child looks like because all too often it seems to boil down to a brutal and simplistic measure of educational success at the end of a key stage. As we work to change the narrative, we also want to change the outcomes we focus on.

Success for a child is getting up every morning and being greeted by a smiling teacher; it's taking part in an after-school club and having friends round for tea; it's a young person teaching school staff about the care system; it's retaking a maths test at the age of 17 and securing an apprenticeship; it's learning to use a time-out card when it all gets too much; and it is a social worker calling the virtual head when a child gets a good school report. Success for children in care is so much more than a raw score.

Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that the Children and Social Work Bill includes proposals to extend our role to include adopted children and those cared for under special guardianship and child arrangement orders. Although some capacity issues may need to be addressed, it's lovely to feel wanted and we hope we can live up to expectations.

As the role of the virtual school head becomes more established and the association starts to find its voice, we hope that not only will we know more about what makes the difference, but we won't be quite so lonely.

Jane Pickthall is virtual school head in North Tyneside


Guide to virtual school heads