Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hello and thank you very much what I'm hoping was a kind introduction.
I'm so sorry that I can't be there with you in person today
but I know that you will have an enjoyable and productive day.
I would like to thank Bath and North East Somerset local authority
for organising today's event and Bath Spa University for their
generous hosting of this event as well.
I'd like to take this opportunity to draw attention to their
In Care, In School pack which is incredibly helpful
for all of us involved in looked after children's lives and the more people who
read these resources and profit from them, the better.
I am particularly sad to miss today's conference because virtual school
heads, and hope this doesn't come as a shock to anyone,
are a bit of a passion of mine. In my early life, growing up with many foster children
and adopted siblings and later as a family barrister often representing children
in care, I saw firsthand how education can transform the lives
and futures of children in the care system.
As chair of the All-party Parliamentary Group for looked after children
and care leavers, I had the great pleasure of visiting virtual school heads,
looked after children, teachers, schools, local authorities and leaders of children
services all over the country.
I saw then and continue to see now, as Minister, some remarkably dedicated people,
doing a remarkably difficult and valuable job. Which is why the very first
recommendation in that APPG's report on improving the educational attainment of
looked after children was and I quote 'to put virtual school heads on
a statutory footing'.
One of the first things I achieved as a new minister
was to get the requirement into the Children and Families Bill currently going
through Parliament.
It's worth noting that at the moment there are just five statutory posts required
in every local authority.
Across all their areas of responsibility, across every facet of local government,
five posts which are seen as absolute non-negotiables.
This will be only the sixth, which shows how important this
government and the Secretary of State and I, consider your role to be.
You have the advantage of me here because I'm recording this message a few weeks
before today's event, before the bill has entered committee stage and before
the wrangling over every word and line has even begun.
I'm glad to say that this particular measure
boasts cross-party support right across the political spectrum.
That support is due to all of you and to the brilliant
example that you set every day. Like in East Sussex were a
virtual school head has boosted results by working closely
with and across primary/secondary and special schools,
supporting the progress of children in secondary schools through one to one
tuition, tailored resources, mentoring and revision courses.
Of course I know that there are countless more examples
right around the country, but it's frighteningly easy for a vulnerable child
to get lost in the system.
For their attainment and achievement to be forgotten or ignored.
I'm sure that we all know of instances where this has happened,
particularly where children are placed outside their authority and often in
the past too little emphasis was put on the educational attainment of
looked after children, something which I'm glad to say is now changing, thanks to
the hard work and dedication of virtual school heads. One person
can make all the difference. Someone with elbows just as sharp, and
ambitions just as high as any other parent. Someone with the right
and the reason to stand up for that young person, to take their side
and encourage them to aim higher. I think that David Simmons, chair of the LGA's
Children and Young People Board put it best,
as he said 'Councils must be ready to offer children in care
whatever support they need, like Mums and Dads in the same situation'.
Ofsted's recent inspection of virtual schools proved beyond any doubt
that many virtual school heads are making a real difference to looked after
children's educational progress, even improving the stability of their
placements and their emotional health.
All of you are doing this already, often in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
Services are still patchy and we can't afford for
any child in care to be left behind, simply because of where they live.
That's why we're putting your role on a statutory footing.
With your help we can start to narrow the gap in attainment between
children in care and their more fortunate peers.
Working closely with fostering agencies, I have written to every foster carer
in the country, highlighting how important it is for
them to help the children in their care
to flourish educationally as well as emotionally.
We've launched the Fostering Information Exchange - an online resource
developed with the sector, in response to overwhelming demand,
providing valuable information and advice for foster carers.
We have also published an education aide memoire for
those who support foster carers, setting out clearly and concisely
the information they need about how the education system works.
But, and I know you don't need a minister to tell you this...there is more to do.
In particular, many of you have pointed out that you need more support
and that schools should have a better understanding of the specific needs
of looked after children.
Others have asked for closer collaboration with local networks of
school leaders.
We're working with the National College on how their modular curriculum
can focus more sharply on driving up attainment among looked after children.
Materials in the chairs of governor leadership programme will also need to give
governors a stronger understanding of how they can support the needs of
looked after children and the work of virtual school heads.
Looked after children already attract Pupil Premium funding, which will be worth
£900 per pupil in 2013-14.
I want to make sure that every penny of this extra funding
goes as far as possible. So, the Pupil Premium terms and conditions of grant
letter for 2013-14 is explicit about the need for schools and virtual
school heads to work together to ensure that looked after children
benefit to the full from the way the school uses this funding.
We are also looking carefully at the recommendation in the report from the APPG,
calling for looked after children Pupil Premium Plus as part of the overall
arrangements for Pupil Premium funding in 2014-15.
We still need to go further. In December last year I wrote
to every director of children's services in the country,
as well as lead members, setting out some of the key findings from Ofsted about
what works and asking them to redouble their efforts.
I'd also like to take this opportunity, while I have you as a captive audience,
to remind everyone about the immensely valuable Ofsted report on virtual
schools. As it found, local authorities need to support and challenge
their virtual schools, need to help target support to those who
need it most, need to keep a close eye on the education
attainment of children from the day they enter the care system
so that we can all understand the precise impact of care
on educational performance and need to ensure that children are not forgotten
when their place outside their own authority or when they exceed the current
statutory school-age.
In essence, we need to ensure that the virtual school is at the heart of
the care system and each corporate parent needs to
act like any other parent, using every means at our disposal
to give looked after children the best possible start in life,
at school and at home. Today's programme will, I'm sure,
offer much for us to consider and discuss and indeed
to put into action in the coming weeks and months.
Today is also a real opportunity to highlight the importance of looked-after
children's educational attainment and to reinforce to everyone involved
in these children's lives, not just those at this conference,
that looking after their educational aspirations is just as important
as their health and well-being.
The unique legal status of looked after children means that everyone
involved in their lives has a responsibility to help them reach
their full potential. I'd like to thank you all again
for your role in giving these children a better future and to wish you
and them, every possible success in the future. Thank you