Nearly 1,200 cared for children supported to do well in school

More than 1,160 children and young people in Stoke-on-Trent who are cared for - or were previously cared for - have been given extra help over the past year to succeed in their education.

The city council’s Virtual School has helped young people in lots of ways, including building confidence, supporting schools with implementing strong support plans, providing funding for interventions and resources.

It also offers advice and guidance to help prepare for the next stage of education and providing training to help schools understand the needs of children, who are care experienced and have a social worker.

The specialist team behind the Virtual School support young people who are, or have been, in care. They work with schools, carers and social workers to ensure cared for children get the support they need to do well and feel confident in the classroom.

Their work also focuses on improving outcomes for children and the use of bespoke Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for looked after children continues to form the basis for support and delivering outcomes.

The Virtual School also leads on a number of city wide projects to upskill schools in Relational Approaches in Education (RAiE), raising attainment for disadvantaged youngsters, as well as a summer transition programme for those leaving secondary school.

One of the most successful schemes has been the RAiE Project, which focused on schools adopting relational approaches and understanding children who suffer with attachment and trauma difficulties. So far, 46 schools have taken part over the last three years and seven of them have Bronze Awards, five have Silver Awards and the New Guild Trust has just won the 2025 Alex Timpson Attachment Award for the Midlands.

Another impactful project is the summer programme run with YMCA North Staffordshire to help teenagers transition and get ready to start college or training in September. Over the last two years, 90 per cent of those young people who have attended have been in education, employment and training in the September.

The summer sessions included college visits, CV writing and team-building activities.

Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for children’s services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We’re proud to support cared for children by giving them the tools and confidence they need to achieve their goals - that support can change lives.

“The Virtual School has achieved great things in the last year and has had a profound positive impact on children and young people in the city.

“Outcomes for many young people have been improved thanks to the hard work of the service and not only does this improve life chances for our young residents, but it also helps with tackling inequality in the city and building empowered communities.”

Looking ahead, plans are in place to:

• Improve attainment for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Improve school attendance
• Improve support for children and young people at risk of being not in education, employment or training
• Make sure children’s views are heard and acted on

The work is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to helping every cared for child achieve their full potential.

For more information on the Virtual School, visit the website: www.stoke.gov.uk/virtualschool