The Officer presented the report that stated that raising achievement in all areas of education for Children Looked After remained a key priority for Thurrock Council and that the Virtual School monitored and supported the educational progress and outcomes for Children Looked After irrespective of where they are placed in or out of borough. The Officer explained that the Virtual School was responsible for pupils aged between 3 years and 18 years and that included those children who had left care during an academic year.

The report included provisional outcomes for all pupils in the Virtual School cohort for the academic year 2015-16 and the year groups reported on were:

Early Years – Foundation Stage

Year 1 (6 year old)

KS1 (7 year old)

KS2 (11 year old)

KS4 (16 year old)

The Officer explained that the Good Level of Development measure was awarded at the end of the early years foundation stage and how performance compared of Thurrock Children Looked After against national and Thurrock non-Children Looked After pupils.

The Officer stated that year on year improvements had been made but the results were not where they should be for Children Looked After. The Officer referred Members to the Children Looked After outcomes against the total cohort and the outcomes for the 19 eligible Children Looked After students who were entered for GCSE for clarification.

Councillor Redsell thanked the foster carers for all the good work done.

Councillor Kerin echoed Councillor Redsell comments and asked Officers how many Children Looked After were there in pre-school setting. The Officer confirmed that this was a small number and that each child would have a personal education plan prepared and would be monitored under the early years service.

The Chair asked Officers how the performance of Children Looked After placed outside the borough was being monitored. The Officer stated that this was challenging and placements locally would be preferred so that they Thurrock Children Looked After could be monitored and schools challenged more if placed in a Thurrock school.

The Officer stated that the performance of Thurrock Schools was tremendous and the virtual school and the Council would continue to work with schools and families. The aim is to build up resources of foster carers so that Children Looked After can be kept close to Thurrock and would do the upmost that all Thurrock children get the benefits from Thurrock schools.

Councillor Redsell asked how many Children Looked After where home tutored. The Officer agreed to supply this figure to members.

RESOLVED

1.         That the Corporate Parenting Committee notes the provisional outcomes of the summer 2016 tests and examinations and commends the pupils their schools and parents/carers on their achievements.

2.         That the Corporate Parenting Committee recognises that data cannot be compared to previous years due to a change in curriculum and assessments (particularly at Key Stage 1 and 2).

3.         That the Corporate Parenting Committee recognises that the cohorts of pupils are small and that this should be considered when comparing year on year data.

4.         That the Corporate Parenting Committee recognises that the length of time in care can affect the progress and outcomes of the pupils.