Purpose

This report seeks approval for Wirral Virtual
School to carry out a mini competition with supply or tuition
agencies. These agencies would need to demonstrate how they could
provide school staff (eg, teachers/TAs), face to face or online
tutors, and mentors for Wirral Looked After Children. This support
is needed on an often urgent but generally temporary basis. Wirral
Virtual School aims to offer short term support to individual
looked after children to allow them to have better educational
outcomes. This support has been made even more necessary following
the pandemic and the impact it has had, with children displaying
heightened anxiety and challenging behaviours which schools
struggle to cope with and manage.
 
Wirral Virtual School is a statutory local
authority service with the responsibility of supporting and
improving the education and outcomes of Looked After Children and
Young Care Leavers. There are currently 780 children in the care of
Wirral Local Authority. Wirral Virtual School promotes their
educational achievement in Wirral and also nationwide due to some
looked after children being placed out of borough. Their primary
role is to ensure looked after children are in education, supported
in education and make academic progress and achieve good outcomes.
The team consists of highly experienced staff many of whom were
senior leaders in mainstream/specialist education across all key
stages.
The report supports the Implementation of the
Wirral Plan 2021 - 26, specifically the Brighter Futures theme.
This matter affects all wards and is a key
decision

Decision

Resolved –
that,
 
The Director of Children,
Family and Education has decided to approve the recommendation to
undertake a mini competition with tuition agencies to source a
5-year contract to provide school staff/ tuition/ mentoring for
Wirral Looked After Children at a value of
£600,000.