Education champions join CATCH: A big welcome to Shropshire Virtual School!

Shropshire Virtual School is the education champion within the local authority for children and young people who are looked after by Shropshire, and for those who have been in care, have a social worker, or are in kinship care. Though they aren’t a traditional school, their fantastic team works tirelessly to promote the education, achievement, and wellbeing of their learners. They live by the guiding principle of corporate parenting, constantly asking: “Would this be good enough for my own child?”

Their mission is to ensure children and young people have excellent opportunities to fulfil their potential and improve their life chances. They achieve this by:

• Championing high aspirations: Celebrating achievements across a wide range of activities.
• Targeted funding: Managing the Pupil Premium + budget to target money towards the specific needs of children in care and previously looked-after children.
• Specialist training: Providing essential training for professionals (schools, social workers, carers) on matters like attachment and trauma-informed practice.
• Key support tools: Utilising the personal education plan (PEP) as the key tool to improve attainment and progress for every child.
• Swift response: Offering a prompt response to schools and settings when a young person is struggling, aiming to put preventative support in place quickly.

Shropshire Virtual School’s dedication extends beyond those currently in care to include previously looked-after children and, more recently, taking on a strategic leadership role for children with a social worker and those in kinship care. Their ambition is to raise awareness, share best practice, and ensure all these vulnerable learners can achieve the best educational outcomes possible.

Ray Vernon, Digital Partnership Executive at Parents And Children Together (who created and manage CATCH), commented:

“The work of Shropshire Virtual School is fundamental to a child’s future, and their focus on trauma-informed practice and promoting high aspirations is perfectly aligned with CATCH’s mission. Their partnership is a powerful commitment to improving educational outcomes for some of our most vulnerable children, and we are delighted to work with such a dedicated team.”

We encourage all professionals and parents in Shropshire to explore the invaluable resources and advice Shropshire Virtual School offers.

To find out more about their work, training offer, or to get in touch with their dedicated team, you can visit their website or email them directly at virtualschool@shropshire.gov.uk.