Issue - meetings

To provide a provisional summary of GCSE results achieved by Children in care and to note training offered to Haringey staff by the Virtual School.

Local Authorities were required to have a “Virtual School” of Children in Care with specific responsibility to track, monitor and raise education attainment. Details of the staffing establishment of Haringey’s Virtual School, which  had been in place since April 2010 was noted. In considering this report the Committee was pleased to note that the Virtual School had been short listed  under 4 categories of the forthcoming  Children and Young People Now  magazine awards.

Provisional GSCE results were given for the 48 children in Year 11 who had been in care continuously for a period of more than 12 months. All 32 young people who sat GCSE exams achieved a level one qualification or above. It was pleasing to note that the four young people who had attended the Pupil Support Centre achieved one or more  GCSE’s at level one (grades D- G) and all of them have secured college placements. Six young people achieved A and A* grades. It was noted that the extension of the Virtual School to post 16 would allow these young people’s progress to continue to be monitored beyond secondary school. The committee learned that,  the 31% of Looked after Children gaining 5 A*-C grades , had been  the subject of early intervention work at key stage 2 and therefore it was especially pleasing that this  extra  assistance had resulted in good grades for these children. The committee further requested circulation of supplementary information about the numbers of LAC  passing A levels  and those progressing onto university. Noted that the continuation of the Virtual School to provide post 16 services would enable this information to be held.

Details of training delivered to all designated teachers, social workers and foster carers between April – July 2010 was given together with an evaluation of a DT conference held in July 2010. Officers were pleased to note that there had been significant positive feedback on the training event by teachers on promoting rapid  and accelerated educational progress of children in care. This was evidenced by good sign up to online training which should in turn help  support better completion of Personal Education Plans.

The committee recommended that the good news on LAC attainment should be shared with the School Standards committee to continue raising the expectations about what Looked after Children can achieve.

RESOLVED

1. The committee  congratulated the young people  for their achievements  and thanked the Virtual School project team for their hard work and commitment.

2. Agreed that invitations be sent  to the Corporate  Parenting Advisory Committee members for the forth coming awards ceremony for LAC taking place on the 30^th September 2010.