Every local authority in England must appoint a Virtual School Head (VSH) to champion the education of looked-after children. The VSH oversees Personal Education Plans (PEPs) — statutory documents recording each child's needs, targets and support — and distributes Pupil Premium Plus funding to schools to fund targeted provision.
Who is a Virtual School Head and what do they do?
Despite the name, a Virtual School Head does not run a physical school. They are a senior local authority officer who:
- Monitors the educational progress of every child looked after by the council, including those placed in other local authorities' areas
- Works with schools, foster carers, social workers and the Designated Teacher (DT) in each school to ensure looked-after children receive effective support
- Holds the Pupil Premium Plus funding (currently £2,570 per pupil per year for looked-after children) and distributes it to schools based on need
- Chairs or oversees PEP meetings to check that every looked-after child's plan is in place and being acted on
- Supports the school's Designated Teacher and challenges schools where a child's educational progress or attendance is poor
The VSH must be a qualified teacher. They report to the Director of Children's Services and to elected councillors responsible for children in care.
What is a Personal Education Plan (PEP)?
A Personal Education Plan is a statutory document that every looked-after child must have. It records:
- The child's educational history and current school
- Their strengths, interests and any additional needs (including SEN)
- Short and longer-term targets for achievement and personal development
- The provision and support the school will put in place
- How Pupil Premium Plus funding will be used for this child
- Information shared by the child about their wishes and feelings regarding their education
The PEP is reviewed at least three times a year — within 20 working days of the child entering care or changing schools, and then at regular intervals aligned with the care plan. It forms part of the child's overall care plan and is reviewed alongside it at each looked-after child (LAC) review.
What is the Designated Teacher?
Every school must have a Designated Teacher (DT) for looked-after children, and for previously looked-after children (those who have left care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders). The DT is usually a senior teacher or deputy headteacher who:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| PEP coordination | Ensures the PEP is completed and updated on time; leads PEP meetings |
| Pastoral oversight | Acts as a point of contact for the child's social worker and foster carer |
| Pupil Premium Plus | Works with the VSH to agree how the funding is spent on this child |
| SEND liaison | Ensures any SEN is identified and supported |
| Transition support | Manages moves between schools to minimise disruption to learning |
If your child is looked after or previously looked after and you need support from the school, the Designated Teacher is the person to contact.
What happens at a PEP meeting?
A PEP meeting brings together the key adults in the child's educational life. Attendees typically include:
- The child (whose voice is central)
- The foster carer or residential worker
- The social worker
- The Designated Teacher or SENCO
- A representative from the Virtual School (sometimes the VSH directly)
- Any specialist support workers involved, such as a speech and language therapist
The meeting reviews progress against the previous PEP, updates targets, agrees how Pupil Premium Plus will be spent, and records the child's views. The resulting document is a living plan — changes should be made whenever circumstances change significantly, not only at scheduled reviews.
What is Pupil Premium Plus and how does it help?
Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) is additional government funding given to local authorities for every looked-after child in their care. The VSH holds this money and distributes it to schools to fund targeted support — for example:
- One-to-one or small-group tuition in core subjects
- Mentoring support
- Therapeutic or counselling services
- Specialist resources for pupils with SEN
- Extra-curricular activities that support the child's wellbeing and engagement
The PEP document must record specifically how PP+ is being used for each child and what impact it is having. This transparency is deliberately built in — looked-after children historically experienced well-intentioned spending with little monitoring of outcomes.
What about previously looked-after children?
Children who have left local authority care through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements orders are entitled to support from the school's Designated Teacher and from Pupil Premium funding (at a lower rate than PP+, but still significant). Parents and carers of previously looked-after children can request support through the school's DT without involving the local authority's Virtual School directly.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to disclose their care status to their school?
No — a looked-after child or previously looked-after child is under no obligation to disclose their status to peers or most staff. Only the people directly involved in supporting them — the Designated Teacher, the SENCO where relevant, and key pastoral staff — need to know. Schools should handle this information sensitively and with strict confidentiality.
What if the school is not following the PEP?
Raise concerns directly with the Designated Teacher first. If the plan is not being implemented, the next step is to contact the Virtual School Head at the local authority — they have authority to challenge schools and can intervene where a school is not meeting its duties. If you are an adoptive parent or special guardian and the issue persists, your child's social worker or adoption support worker can also help escalate.
What happens to the PEP when a looked-after child moves school?
The PEP must transfer with the child. The outgoing school's Designated Teacher should brief the receiving school, and a new PEP meeting must be held within 20 working days of the child starting at the new school. The VSH coordinates this transition and should make direct contact with the new school's Designated Teacher immediately.
Can a looked-after child access a grammar or selective school?
Yes. Local authority care-leavers and looked-after children are given the highest priority in oversubscription criteria for all state-funded schools in England, including grammar schools, by law. If a school is oversubscribed, a looked-after child must be offered a place ahead of all other categories of applicant, regardless of whether they meet selective entry criteria. This does not automatically apply to independent schools, though many have bursary arrangements.
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