Ten years of impact for care experienced learners celebrated with launch of new national job profile for Virtual School Head Teachers
Scotland’s Virtual School Head Teachers are today (5 June) marking ten years of positive impact for care experienced children and young people with the launch of a new role profile to promote high quality practice across the country.
Virtual School Head Teachers (VSHTs) are senior members of local authority education staff who work at a strategic level, with their focus on improving the educational experiences and outcomes of all care experienced children and young people their local authority area is responsible for. There are now 18 local authorities in Scotland with a Virtual School Head Teacher, or equivalent, in post.
To mark the evolution of this approach over the last decade, CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, which hosts the Network of Virtual School Head Teachers in Scotland, brought members of the Network, local authority leaders and local and national education staff together for an event in Glasgow to reflect on the progress made and explore how this innovative role continues to drive improvements in educational experiences and outcomes for care experienced learners.
Developed with practitioners, researchers, and policy makers, and published by CELCIS with support from the KPMG Foundation, the new role profile sets out, for the first time, a role description and definition for the work of all Virtual School Head Teachers in Scotland. Underpinned by a rights-based approach and a commitment to keep The Promise of the Independent Care Review, this provides a practical guide to support local authorities in implementing consistent, high-quality support that meets the needs of children, young people, and their families across the country.
Since the role was first introduced in Scotland in 2015, Virtual School Head Teachers have established new and innovative ways to support care experienced learners, from developing after-school activities and volunteering opportunities to utilising data to inform better services for children and young people. Evaluation shows that the Virtual School model can contribute to learners feeling happier and more included in school, and the support from a Virtual School Head Teacher can lead to improved attendance, educational outcomes and better life chances.
In 2019, CELCIS established the Virtual School Head Teachers’ Network, a national forum which brings together all local authorities involved in this work. Through the Network, Virtual School Head Teachers are able to build connections and share knowledge and experiences to respond quickly to the evolving needs of children and young people in their learning and experiences of education.
Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise said:
"This programme is a great example of good practice being shared across Scotland to help deliver The Promise and improve educational outcomes for care experienced children and young people.
"The Scottish Government continues to provide £100,000 annual funding to support the facilitation of the network. This work is having an impact and playing a key role in improving engagement, attainment and positive destinations for care experienced children and young people."
Linda Peat, Education Lead at CELCIS said:
“We are delighted to be celebrating ten years of Virtual School Head Teachers in Scotland. The difference that this role has made to not just the educational experiences and outcomes of care experienced learners, but also children and young people’s rights and wellbeing is what continues to drive everyone involved in this important work. The launch of the new role profile underpins this further, setting out a consistent framework for Scotland and defining what a Virtual School Head Teacher is and what they can do most effectively to support children, young people, their families and carers.”
Read more about Scotland’s Virtual School Head Teachers’ Network