How virtual schools support kinship children and carers

Who virtual schools can support

Each local authority has a virtual school. It is not an actual school, but a service to promote the educational achievement of:   

• children looked after by the local authority  
• children previously looked-after by the local authority  
• children who have a social worker 

They give information and advice about the needs and educational progress of children who are or have been in the care of children’s services to schools and social workers. 

They also give information and advice to some kinship carers: 

• special guardians, even if the child was not previously in the care of children’s services 
• carers with a child arrangements order (CAO), even if the child was not previously in the care of children’s services 
• kinship foster carers 

Their duty starts from the term after the child turns 2, until the child has finished compulsory education. 

Informal kinship care

Virtual schools aren’t expected to give advice or information to informal kinship carers. If you are an informal kinship carer, speak to your kinship child’s school directly for support and advice. 

How virtual schools can support you

Virtual schools can offer a range of support. The level of support depends on whether your child: 

• is looked after by the local authority, or has a social worker
• has been previously looked after by the local authority
• is under a special guardianship order (SGO) or a child arrangements order (CAO)
• is in kinship foster care

but could include information about: 

• your kinship child’s behaviour
• support to avoid exclusion at school 
• school admissions 
• your kinship child’s progress at school 
• your kinship child’s personal education plan (PEP)
• moving schools
• information about schools in your area 
• your kinship child’s attendance at school 
• how schools spend funding to benefit your kinship child, for example pupil premium plus 
• special educational needs and disabilities support 
• support and resources on issues affecting kinship children, for example: 
  • attachment 
  • trauma 
  • emotional issues
  • bereavement
  • anxiety
  • challenging behaviour
• other services that can offer support 
• training about school-specific topics, for example: 
  • attendance 
  • special educational needs (SEN)
  • homework 
  • GCSE options
  • further education and employment

Speak to your virtual school about your specific circumstances. You can find their details using our Kinship Compass tool. Put in your postcode and look under ‘your virtual school information’. 

The virtual school head’s role

Each virtual school has a virtual school head (VSH). They are a point of contact for schools, carers and social workers. They: 

• make sure that all relevant children have a personal education plan (PEP) 
• track attendance, exclusions, progress and personal achievements of children looked after by the local authority 
• give training to designated teachers in schools 
• manage funding for the schools in their area for: 
  • pupil premium
  • pupil premium plus
  • early years pupil premium
• make sure that all relevant children have support for: 
  • mental health needs 
  • special educational needs 
  • disability needs 

How to contact your child’s virtual school

The quickest way to contact them is to use our Kinship Compass tool. Put in your postcode and look under ‘your virtual school information’.  

You can also find their details by visiting your local authority’s website. Their page is usually found in their schools, education and learning sections. 

If your child has a Personal Education Plan (PEP), you should find their details in the plan. 

If your child’s virtual school is hard to contact

Make sure you’ve tried both email and phone if you’re struggling to speak to someone. They sometimes have fewer people available to take phone calls, so try calling at different times of the day. 

If you are still finding it hard to get a response from them, you can contact the National Association of Virtual School Headteachers (NAVSH) for support. You can email them at info@navsh.org.uk.

Virtual school support with moving schools

If your kinship child is looked after by the local authority, the virtual school can support with moving to a new school. They’ll work with your child’s social worker to find a suitable place.

Our moving schools page has more information on preparing to move schools. 

Moving schools mid-year

If the virtual school can support your child, they will help to place them in a high-quality school in the area. They will prioritise schools rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. 

Moving from primary to secondary

When your kinship child needs to move from primary to secondary school, or year 6 to year 7, your virtual school will support you by: 

• giving you information about secondary schools in the area 
• prioritising your kinship child in getting a place at a high-quality school, rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted 

Support from Kinship

Here at Kinship, we offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including:

• free online and in-person workshops
• online advice and information
• online and in-person peer support groups

To find services, information and support in your local area – including information about your local children’s services – use our Kinship Compass tool.

You can also contact the Kinship advice team for free, non-judgmental advice and information if you live in England or Wales.