In September 2024 the role of Virtual School Heads will expand further to specifically include championing the educational attendance, attainment and progress of children in kinship care. This will bring greater focus to the distinct needs of children in kinship care, within Virtual School Heads’ existing responsibilities.

 The Virtual School Head strategic role will include:

1. Raising the visibility of the distinct needs of children in different types of kinship care arrangements and the disadvantages that they can experience.

2. Promoting practice that supports attendance and engagement in education.

3. Promoting practice that improves children in kinship care’s outcomes to narrow the attainment gap, so that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Furthermore, The Virtual School Heads’ will extend to provision of advice and information, on request, to all kinship carers with Special Guardianship and Child Arrangements Orders as part of their non-statutory role. This will be an important step in helping more kinship carers to navigate the education system, in turn helping them to advocate for the educational achievement of their children. More children in kinship care will receive the help they need to thrive at school.