Foster Carers

Leicestershire Virtual School is a local authority service whose role is to improve the education of children in care by supporting our family of schools, carers and social workers to help children and young people to do their best.

Education can transform the lives of looked after children, raise their aspirations and be the key to stability and success in later life. Children in care can achieve and succeed with the support and input of all those working with them.

The aim of the Virtual School is to promote educational achievement and positive outcomes for children in care, and we want you to be part of our family, so we help them succeed together.

We support carers through foster carer training; sharing tips and strategies to help you support children you care for, aiming to help you feel comfortable and confident speaking to schools, teachers and other education professionals.

Our team of Senior Education Advisors and Casework Officers request and monitor regular updates from schools about how children are doing at school and make sure they have good quality Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings. The PEP sets out plans for a child’s education and helps carers, teachers and social workers to understand and plan what we can do to offer extra support if and when needed.

We also work with the Leicestershire County Council’s Corporate Parenting team who are involved in organising many of the Participation Events for children in care. These are designed to give children in care the opportunity to get involved in fun and educational activities that can also help their confidence, and we'll let you know when these events are happening.

What we do

• Make sure children in care have a school place and access to education at the most appropriate school for their needs.
• Encourage hobbies and attending fun and educational out of school activities.
• Keep changes of school to a minimum, especially during Year 6 and Year 11.
• Ensure regular PEP (Personal Education Plan) meetings (three times a year) and make sure the Pupil Premium Plus is used effectively.
• Make sure children in care are given the right sort of advice on careers or further education and encourage and support Post-16 learning.
• Support carers and social workers to take an active role in a child’s education.