education and learning virtual school annual report · 2018. 1. 24. · attainment &...

Devon Education Forum (DEF)

DEF/18/02

15th January 2018

Education and Learning

Virtual School Annual Report

Attainment & Achievement (updated Dec 6th 2016)

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Virtual School Annual Report (unvalidated data 2017)

Attainment & Achievement 2017 (updated 4/1/18)

Introduction

This report has been designed to provide information on the attainment and achievement of the

Local Authority’s Looked After Children in 2017, set against a background of our performance in

previous years and National benchmarks. This report is based on LA held pupil information and

results from schools for 2017 as well as validated Ofsted and first National Statistics for 2016 and

previous years.

It is important to note that significant changes have been put in place for Key Stage 4 this year

and this means that comparison with previous years is no longer possible. Information relating to

previous years has been left in for information.

Nationally Looked After Children have poorer educational outcomes than non-Looked After

Children and so a number of studies have been carried out to analyse performance. Due to the

sometimes rapidly changing status of Looked After Children, bodies who carry out analysis of the

data define the criteria and methodology they have used. Unfortunately these bodies do not all

use the same definitions and so information is provided below to outline the differences.

Important Definitions:

Looked After Child: The term ‘looked after’ has a specific, legal meaning based on the Children

Act 1989. The definition is as follows - a child is legally defined as looked after by a Local

Authority if he or she:

• is provided with accommodation for a continuous period of more than 24 hours;

• is subject to a Care Order; or

• is subject to a Placement Order.

Child Looked After (CLA): The Ofsted RAISEonline (ROL) defines a child as a Child Looked After

(CLA) if they have been in the Care of any Local Authority for one day or more during the

assessment year and placed in mainstream school. This means pupils placed in Devon from

other Counties are included in these statistics. To give an idea of the difference this means in

2016/17 there were, at the end of Key Stage 1, 27 defined CLA pupils and 14 CiC, at Key Stage

2 there were 46 CLA and 25 CiC and at the end of Key Stage 4 there were 94 CLA defined

pupils and 52 CiC.

Child in Care (CiC): The Department for Education and the National Statistics Office definition

of a ‘looked after child’ (CiC in this report) is a child who has been continuously looked after for

at least 12 months, up to and including 31 March of that year. Outcomes are for all children

and young people who are subject to a Care Order or who are accommodated by the Local

Authority, regardless of in which Authority they are being educated.

In order to add clarity to this report we have used the term Looked After Child (LAC) when using

the legal Definition, Child Looked After (CLA) when using the Ofsted ROL methodology and the

term Child in Care (CiC) when using the DfE LAIT/ National Statistics methodology.

It is anticipated that in future progress of Children in Care will be measured from the date they

come into Care thereby tracking the difference coming into care has made to their educational

attainment.

Virtual School Annual Report

Attainment & Achievement 2017 (unvalidated data)

updated 04.1.18


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Summary (Please note provisional results are based purely on data reported by school and are

subject to change)

Based on current data the main points to note in this year’s results are shown below. It should

however be noted that in Early years and year 1 small cohort sizes result in significant year on year

variation.

Outcomes for Children in Care (those in care to Devon but in any school)

➢ Attainment in Key Stage 4 has been sustained despite the change in the exam system

➢ The percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in Reading Writing and Maths has

risen from 23% to 32%

➢ Key stage 1 outcomes in Reading and Maths remain above last year’s average. Both reading

and writing has seen a significant improvement in the % of pupils achieving the expected

standard. Please note due to small cohort sizes results can vary significantly year on year.

➢ The percentage of Devon Looked After pupils, with results, achieving the expected standard

in the Phonics screening check at end of Year 1 has risen to 62.5%

➢ The percentage of Devon Looked After pupils achieving a Good Level of Development at the

end of the Early Years stage has risen from 41% to 50%.

Outcomes for Children Looked After (those in Devon schools but in Care to any authority)

➢ Outcomes for Children Looked After have seen, considerable variation this year with Early

years outcomes improving but KS1 falling below the National Average. KS2 has seen an

improvement in Maths and overall results, with the exception of writing, are now above the

National Average. Results at KS4 have fallen but initial information indicates that this may be

reflected Nationally.

➢ Please note, with the exception of Phonics, the information below includes all children

including those where the result may not be known due to the child being in care to a

different local authority. The final published figures may differ when cohorts are finalised.

The Graph below provides a summary of outcomes for Children in Care to Devon compared to

Children Looked After.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

KS4 %Achieving 9 to

4 in Englishand Maths

KS2 %reachingexpected

standard inReading

Writing andMaths

Key Stage 1Reading

Key Stage 1Writing

Key Stage 1Maths

Year 1 Phonics EYFS Goodlevel of

Development

%

data source: Babcock LDP, Sept 2017

Devon CiC and CLA All Key Stage Summary

Devon CiC Devon CLA


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Full Report

Numbers of Children Care as of May 2017

The chart below has been split into 2 sections which relate to the categories identified on the front

page. The reference date which has been used is 31 May as this reflects numbers at the end of

the 2016/17 academic year, before Year 11s were taken off school rolls. Whilst the Education

Service supports all Children in Care, National comparisons are only possible for those under the

CiC definition (see page 1) and in some cases the Child Looked After definition.

Data source: Virtual School, Devon County Council Aug 2017

The graph above shows that, whilst the number of children who stay in Care to Devon for a period

of 12 months or more, has risen by 42 over the last 3 years (with an increase of 36 in the last year),

the number of children who have been in Care for any length of time risen by only 17.

The table below provides a further breakdown for children who have been in Care for 12 months

or more. Over the last three years, the number of pupils aged 4 to 7 has seen the greatest

percentage increase (19%) whilst pupils aged 11 to 16 has seen the greatest increase in numbers

(29 pupils).

Number of children in Care to

Devon for 12 months 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Early Years (Reception) 8 15 12 10 11

Key Stage 1 31 26 24 28 32

Key Stage 2 66 67 84 74 90

Key Stage 3 76 79 80 94 101

Key Stage 4 116 107 103 103 111

aged 4 to 7 (EY and KS1) 39 41 36 38 43

aged 8 to 10 (KS2) 66 67 84 74 90

aged 11 to 16 (KS3 and KS4) 192 186 183 197 212

Data source: Virtual School, Devon County Council Aug 2017

438 431

465482 482

297 294 303 309

345

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Number of Children - Trend over Time

Number of children lookedafter for any period oftime (June 17)

Number of children in careto Devon for 12 monthsOC2


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Attendance and Absence (local data)

Overall attendance figures for Children in Care to Devon remain better that for all pupils in Devon,

but have fallen slightly over the last year. Primary aged attendance is now at 96.72% and

secondary age attendance at 89.6%. (National attendance data is not available as benchmarks

use absence measures instead, information on this measure is provided later in the report). The

breakdown below provides information relative to each phase. Attendance is least good in Key

Stage 4 where there is also a significant gender difference. This is an area of focus for the Virtual

school and Children’s Social Care team and relevant actions are set out in the improvement plan.

Average % Attendance of all Children in Care to Devon by year group

Sept 2016 to May half term 2017

Year Group 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Female Male Female Male All Female Male All

R 96.77 94.31 - - 96.33 97.8 96.78

1 95.19 95.76 97.02 97.51 97.27 93.71 98 96.02

2 96.2 96.81 96.11 97.6 96.86 97.52 97.78 97.68

3 95.98 97 96.9 97.58 97.24 97.71 97.14 97.29

4 98.95 96.46 96.77 96.77 96.77 97.83 96.25 96.92

5 94.97 94.56 99.08 96.87 97.98 96.84 94.63 95.32

6 97.11 93.96 96.82 95.83 96.33 98.58 96.69 97.3

7 94.74 97.42 97.76 96.99 97.38 96.56 96.71 96.67

8 95.11 95.95 97.09 96.81 96.85 94.51 96.33 95.45

9 87.61 95.7 90.45 94.18 92.32 88.37 94.16 92.33

10 89.7 92.02 90.95 91.47 91.21 87.67 92.4 90.12

11 89.56 83.72 87.73 91.7 89.72 80.15 78.66 79.37

Primary 96.45 95.55 97.13 96.92 97.03 96.97 96.57 96.72

(Yr R - 6)

Secondary 91.34 92.96 91.5 94.01 92.76 87.71 90.98 89.6

(Yr 7 -11)

Data source: School Attendance at Babcock LDP Aug 2017

The table below looks at attendance data cross a wider cohort of Looked After Children and

again shows a reduction in attendance for Devon however the reasons for this are complex.

Average % Attendance of all

Children in Care

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Female Male Female Male All Female Male All

All Children: includes those open

to Devon County Council and

those open to other Local

Authorities but attending Devon

schools

92.31 93.49 93.58 95.18 94.38 91.32 93.38 92.54

All Children In Care to Devon 92.04 93.51 94.93 96.23 95.52 91.23 93.33 92.48

All Children open to other Local

Authorities but attending Devon

Schools

93.09 94.44 92.96 94.78 93.87 92.02 93.79 93.03


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Absence (2015/16)

2016/17 national data on absence is not published until March 2018. This section is therefore

currently based on the 2015/16 academic year. Absence is recorded as either authorised or

unauthorised. The graph and table below provide a benchmark against National averages for

both these types of absence for the past 4 years. In the academic year 2015/16 Devon absence

rates are lower than the National average. The level of unauthorised absences has dropped from

1.1% to 0.6% as a result of a review of the causes of absences, which previously identified

increases in medical and unauthorised absences.

Source: DfE SFR12_2017 Outcomes for looked after children, March 2017

The percentage of Devon Children in Care classified as persistent absentees has dropped over

the last four years and is significantly lower than the national average (6.5% compared to 9.1%

nationally). The graph overleaf illustrates Devon’s performance against the regional and national

averages.

CiC Cohort Authorised Non Authorised Total

2013

Devon 4.0 1.0 5.0

South West 4.0 0.9 4.9

National 3.3 1.1 4.4

2014

Devon 2.8 0.8 3.6



2015

Devon 3.1 1.1 4.2



2016

Devon 3.0 0.6 3.6




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Note: persistent absentee rate is based on percentage of children in care with less than 90% attendance.

Local data for 2016/17 indicates that the number of Children in Care classified as persistent

absentees has risen from last year but is not as high as in 2014/15. The table below illustrates this;

Actions around this have been identified within the virtual school Improvement plan and with

Fostering social workers.

Number of all Persistently

Absent Children in Care

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Female Male Total Female Male Total Female Male Total

All Children: includes those

open to Devon County

Council and those open

to other Local Authorities

but attending Devon

schools

50 63 113 39 35 74 46 50 96

All Children In Care to

Devon 36 48 84 30 23 53 39 44 83

All Children open to Other

Local Authorities but

attending Devon Schools

9 15 24 9 12 21 7 6 13

Data source: School Attendance at Babcock LDP Aug 2017

Note: persistent absence is based on less than 90% attendance.


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SEN Information (National Data)

2016/17 national data on SEN is not published until March 2018. This section is therefore currently

based on the 2015/16 academic year.

Nationally nearly two-thirds (57%)1 of Children in Care have a Special Educational Need. This is

much higher than the school population as a whole, where nationally only 14.4%2 have a Special

Educational Need and of these just 2.8%2 have a Statement or EHC Plan.

In comparison with National statistics, Devon has historically had a much higher proportion of

Children in Care with a Special Educational Need as shown in the graph below. In 2015/16 72% of

Children in Care have Special Educational Needs compared to 57% nationally. This also continues

to be the case for Children with an EHCP Plan or Statement, with 42% in Devon compared to 27%

nationally. This will naturally have an impact on the overall percentage of pupils attaining

threshold levels in National tests. For children who have complex and significant Special Needs,

monitoring the rate of their individual progress is a more meaningful measure.

The chart below compares the National CiC figures to Devon’s 2015 and 2016 CiC figures.

1DfE SFR 12_2017 Outcomes for looked after children, March 2017

2DfE SFR 29_2016 Special Educational Needs in England 2016


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SEN by Primary Need (Local Data)

A breakdown of the SEN primary need type, compared to the latest available national data, is

provided in the graph below (2016/17 national data is due to be published in March 2018).

Nationally the most common type of SEN in 2016 was Social, Emotional and Mental Health. This

was also true for Devon but as the graph shows the percentages involved continue to be

significantly higher.

A breakdown of this same information by phase is provided below;


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The graph below shows the percentage of Looked After Children with SEN in each Year group as

at end of May in each academic year.


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Early Years take up of Provision

Take-up by 2 year olds in Care was 66.7% (8 out of 12 children) in Summer 2017 and 62.5% (5) of

these were accessing the full entitlement of 15 hours; both of these figures are below the Devon

averages of 89.5% and 73.9% respectively (Spring 2017). Of the 4 non-funded children, 1 was

placed outside the County but would still be eligible for a place which would be funded by the LA

area where they are based.

Currently (Summer 2017) 96.2% (25 out of 26) of 3 and 4 year olds were taking up the Early Years

entitlement and 92% (23) of these were accessing the full entitlement of 15 hours. The 1 child that

was not accessing funding will be taking up a place in autumn 2017.

All children in the above figures were accessing funded settings in the private, voluntary and

independent sector or were funded at maintained schools. The non-attendance rate for 3 and 4

year old Children in Care is 3.8%, compared to the Devon-wide figure of 4.2% in Spring 2017. The

take-up of the full entitlement was also better than the Devon average figure of 83.1%. There were

7 children accessing funded hours outside the County, including settings in Hampshire, Surrey and

Wiltshire as well as in the neighbouring authority of Torbay.

Foundation Stage

2016 data for all pupils nationally indicates that 69% had a good level of development. In Devon

72% of all Children achieved this in 2016. This was significantly better than the National Average

and put Devon in the top quartile nationally. National data for 2017 is not available until October

2017.

National results are not available for Looked After Children who are in Foundation stage.

The table below provides a breakdown of the results for Children Looked After by Devon and

those in Devon Schools looked after by any Authority (CLA). Please note the small cohort

numbers mean the results can fluctuate considerably year on year.

FS test Cohort

Numbers 2015

Good Level of

Development2015

FS test Cohort

Numbers 2016

Good Level of

Development2016

FS test Cohort

Numbers 2017

Good Level of

Development2017

Devon Children in Care in

any school (CiC - OC2) 25 40.0% 24 41% 8 50.0%

Children Looked After in

Devon schools including

those in Care to a different

Local Authority (CLA)

32 40.6% 28 37.5% 23 43.5%

Primary Education

Year 1 Phonics

The Phonics Screening Check is relatively new and therefore National benchmarking for CiC is not

yet available. The annual variation in cohort size make year-on-year comparisons inappropriate

however we are focusing support on the Early Years phase as part of work plan for the coming

year.

Pupils in 2015

Cohort

Year 1 Phonics

2015

Pupils in 2016

Cohort

Year 1 Phonics

2016

Pupils in 2017

Cohort

Year 1 Phonics

2017

Devon Children in Care in any

school (CiC - OC2) 27 48.1% 10

50%

(National not

available)

8 62.5%

Children Looked After in Devon

schools including those in Care to

a different Local Authority. (CLA)

38 55% 37 68%

(National 61%) 23 52.2%


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Key Stage 1 and 2

In 2014 a new more challenging curriculum linked to age related expectations was introduced.

In 2016 Key Stage 1 and 2 assessments were based for the first time on this system and so new tests

and frameworks for teacher assessment were used. Also introduced was a secure rather than best

fit assessment model. Since then results are no longer reported as levels, instead each pupil now

receives their test results as a scaled score. A scaled score of 100 means the pupil has achieved

the expected standard. Given the differences in the curriculum and assessments and because

levels are not comparable with scaled scores, or teacher assessments, Key Stage results are not

comparable prior to 2016.

Historical data can be found on the Devon Virtual School Website (search google for Devon

Virtual School) click the ‘Information for Schools’ heading, then the ‘Educational Outcomes’ tab.

You can also access the report directly form the link below. https://devoncc.sharepoint.com/sites/PublicDocs/Education/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?guestaccessto

ken=VOdX34cxOiSampB2SDes%2fGJZGXZHNIs36yhRvlQihUw%3d&docid=0375915b06e174870b1e4b64cc11c

723e

Children in Care and Children Looked After - end of Key Stage 1

Devon Children in Care are performing better than the 2016 national average in Reading, and

maths and in line with National for writing. 2017 national statistics are not yet available. There are

14 children in this year’s CiC cohort and this includes children with complex needs that are placed

out of County in specialist provision.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Reading Writing * Maths Science

Devon CiC 2015/16 56% 31.5% 50% 69%

National CiC 2015/16 50% 37% 46% 58%

Devon CiC 2016/17 64% 36% 50% 57%

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Key Stage 1 Results (TA) - CiC

source: Devon CiC 2016/17 - Babcock LDP, Devon & National CiC 2015/16 - DfE SFR12_2017 Children Looked After Outcomes Mar 17 * Devon CiC 2015/16 Writing is based on information reported by schools as DfE SFR data was suppressed

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/young-people/children-in-care/education-of-children-in-care/information-for-children-and-young-people

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/young-people/children-in-care/education-of-children-in-care/information-for-children-and-young-people

https://devoncc.sharepoint.com/sites/PublicDocs/Education/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?guestaccesstoken=VOdX34cxOiSampB2SDes%2fGJZGXZHNIs36yhRvlQihUw%3d&docid=0375915b06e174870b1e4b64cc11c723e




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There are 26 children in this year’s CLA cohort and based on information currently available

outcomes for these Children (Looked after by any authority but educated in Devon Schools) have

fallen this year and now, with the exception of Reading sit below last year’s national average.

However due to small numbers in both the CiC and CLA cohorts caution should be applied to

year on year changes. Please note these figures may improve when National data is available.

Children in Care and Children Looked After – end of Key Stage 2

As in Key stage 1, 2017 outcomes at Key Stage 2 are now measured against a nationally

expected standard which equates to a scaled test score of 100 or above. National results for 2017

are not yet available so comparison has been shown against 2016 outcomes. As the assessment

process was changed in 2016 (previously attainment was measured in levels) comparison with

previous years is not possible.

Profile of Children in Care at end of Key Stage 2

Schools Stability Placement stability1

73% attended just 1 or 2 schools

19% attended between 3 and 5 schools

8% attended more than 5 schools

38% had just 1 or 2 placements

50% between 3 and 5 placements

12% had more than 5 placements

1 placement stability is the number of placements in a child’s care record, excluding respite placements (category V4)

There were 25 children in the 2017 CiC cohort 36% of which have an Education Health and Care

plan or Statement and 36% have an identified SEN need (72% in total).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Reading Writing * Maths Science

Devon CLA 2015/16 66% 42% 50% 66%

National CLA 2015/16 50% 39% 47% 60%

Devon CLA 2016/17 54% 27% 39% 54%

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Key Stage 1 Results (TA) - CLA

source: Devon CLA 2016/17 - Babcock LDP, Devon & National CLA 2015/16 - RAISEOnline, Mar 17


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This year results for the Children in Care cohort has seen a significant improvement on last year,

and are now above last year’s National average in the combined measure and most subjects.

Whilst writing attainment has improved this is not yet above last year’s National average.

There were 37 children in this year’s CLA cohort. Outcomes in Maths, Writing and Grammar

Punctuation and Spelling have improved, whilst Reading results have fallen. This means the

overall percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in combined Reading, Writing and

Maths has dropped by 4%. As a result the Virtual School has made reading a priority for the year 6

educational panel. In addition, the Virtual School now funds a Story-Time magazine to

encourage reading. It should be noted however that information is currently based only on

reported outcomes and may change when National data for children placed in Devon by other

LAs is made available). Within the CLA cohort 16% of the pupils have an Education, Health and

Care plan for SEN and a further 54% have an identified SEN need (70% SEN in total).

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Reading WritingTeacherAssessed

Maths * Grammar,Punctuation &

Spelling

ReadingWriting &Maths *

Devon CiC 2015/16 48% 28% 27% 32% 23%

National CiC 2015/16 41% 46% 41% 44% 25%

Devon CiC 2016/17 52% 40% 48% 56% 32%

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Key Stage 2 Results - CiC

source: Devon CiC 2016/17 - Babcock LDP, Devon & National CiC 2015/16 - DfE SFR12_2017 Children Looked After Outcomes Mar 17 * Devon CiC 2015/16 Maths and Reading, Writing & Maths are based on information reported by schools as DfE SFR data was suppressed

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Reading WritingTeacherAssessed

Maths * Grammar,Punctuation& Spelling

ReadingWriting &Maths *

Devon CLA 2015/16 50% 39% 35% 39% 28%

National CLA 2015/16 41% 46% 42% 45% 26%

Devon CLA 2016/17 46% 41% 51% 62% 24%

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Key Stage 2 Results - CLA

source: Devon CLA 2016/17 - Babcock LDP, Devon & National CLA 2015/16 - RAISEOnline, Mar 17


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Progress information will follow when the data becomes available.

Key Stage 2 - SEN

National results for CiC with SEN are not yet available. However in Devon the universal group of

pupils with SEN, across all reported age ranges, achieve better than pupils with SEN do nationally.

Children in Care working at P levels have had their attainment considered at an individual level.

Due to the small number of pupils involved and the complexity of need (i.e. some pupils having

degenerative conditions) it is not possible at this point to provide a combined figure for this group

of children.

Secondary Education - Key Stage 4

Background information

A new secondary school Exam system has been implemented in 2017 and GCSE’s are now

measured against a number scale rather than letters. A level 4 is considered a standard pass and

equivalent to the previous grade C. As the number scales go up to 9, and the previous letters only

had 8 grades other equivalence with grades and levels are not possible. Last year also saw a

change in the way examinations were conducted with exams being taken at the end of a two-

year course. This means that direct comparison with previous years is not possible, however

indicative information for previous years is provided below for ease of reference.

Children Looked

After Key Stage 4

Results

The percentage of

Source to 2015: LAIT and First National Statistics March 2016. Source 2016: local data.

The graph below shows these trends.

Source: to 2015 DfE; Statistical First Release March 2016 (CIC) & LAIT. 2016 local data.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-n-england

Key Stage 4 - using previous measures for indicative

comparison. CiC Cohort

% achieving 5+ A*-C including English & Maths

New

exam

specs

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National 12.4 13.6 14.9 15.5 12.2 13.8

Devon 14.5 15.8 10.2 5.8 6.0 14.1 13.0

South West 10.3 12.1 12.4 12.4 9.4 14.3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 * 2016

KS4 % 5+A*-C (inc English & Maths)

National Devon South West

New exams 5 A* to C in English & Maths

There were 71 students

included in the 2016

GCSE cohort shown

here. There were 66 in

the 2015

%


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-n-england


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2017 results initial data

The headline accountability measures from 2017 are: Level 4 and above in English and Maths,

Attainment 8, Progress 8, and English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Currently only the combined English

and Maths results can be provided as validated results are not yet available.

Cohort information

There are 52 children within the Children in Care cohort (those who have been in care for 12

months as of 31st March) and 10% of these pupils came into care whilst studying their GCSEs. 17%

of the cohort had 2 school moves during this period and 27% had more than 3 care placements.

59% of pupils in the year 11 Children in care cohort had a Statement or EHCP plan, a further 13%

needed SEN support to meet there needs.

There are 94 children in the CLA cohort 78% of whom came into care or were placed into Devon

Schools during their GCSE studies. Care placement information cannot be provided as not all

these children are in care to Devon.

Educational Outcomes

In 2017 Children in Care to Devon and the Children looked after cohorts appear similar to last

year. However as this is the first year of a completely new exam system (see above) historical

comparison to either local or National Data cannot be made. National results for 2017 are not yet

available. Please note Key stage 4 results are subject to significant change when validated exam

results are available, this is due to remark requests and changes to DfE official cohort numbers.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

English &Maths *

English * Maths * EBACC

Devon CiC 11.5% 26.9% 15.4% 5.8%

Devon CLA 15.6% 31.1% 22.2% 4.4%

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Data source: Babcock LDP, Sept 2017

2017 KS4 Provisional Results

* standard pass which is grade 9 to 4


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Of the Devon funded children in care who have been in care for any period of time (not just

those continuously in care for at least 12 months), 38 students were placed in mainstream schools

whilst 43 students were placed in non-mainstream schools, such as special schools, independent

schools and alternative provision. Of the 38 students in mainstream schools;

▪ 9 have a Statement/EHCP equalling 24%

▪ 18 have Special Educational Needs including statutory plans equalling 47%

▪ 10 came into care in Year 11 equalling 26%

▪ 7 came into care in Year 10 equalling 18%

▪ 17 came into care in Years 11 or 10 equalling 44%

▪ Pupils average points score at KS2 was 24.95 (Level 3 – below average)

▪ 10 students achieved a pass in maths at grade 4 or above equalling 26%

▪ 14 students achieved a pass in English at grade 4 or above equalling 37%

▪ 7 students achieved a pass in English and Maths at grade 4 or above equalling 18%

It is known that children who come into care late in their secondary education do less well than

those who have been in care for longer. In this cohort almost 45% came into care in KS4. Overall

this cohort were low achieving at KS2 with average points score equivalent on average to Level 3.

24% of the cohort have a statutory plan for special needs.

The Virtual School Development Plan has highlighted that the placement of children in care to

non-mainstream schools is as an important focus area. Moving forward, the expectation around

school moves for children in care will be a placement in another mainstream school unless SEN

needs indicate otherwise. In addition, the Devon Inclusion work-stream for children in care will

make this clear in the guidance for schools.

Students placed out of county now receive considerably more support from the Virtual School.

ALAs and PEPCOs now make regular visits to schools and placements and work closely with social

workers and IROs. This is part of the Virtual School improvement plan.

It is recognised that children who come into care in Year 10 and 11 have poorer outcomes than

those who have been in care longer. This points to the need for a higher level of support from the

Virtual School and schools for these students. This has been highlighted by the Devon Inclusion

Project CiC work-stream and will form part of the guidance for schools.

The Virtual School is setting individual targets for the 2018 Year 11 cohort which will take into

account factors such as school type, placement moves and time in care and give Virtual School

and school actions.

Attainment 8, and Progress 8 information will be available in due course.

The Progress and Attainment of pupils with Special Educational Needs

Attainment and Progress figures for pupils with SEN will be available later in the year.


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Exclusions Looked After Children face significant challenges and Nationally are twice as likely to be

Permanently Excluded from school and three times more likely to have a Fixed Term Exclusion than

other children.

Permanent Exclusions

There is a long delay in the release of National statistics for exclusions for Children in Care but in

2015/16 (latest available) no CiC were Permanently Excluded. Data collected locally shows that

for the past four years no Devon Child in Care has been Permanently Excluded.

Managed Transfers

Managed Transfers are used to support children who are struggling to engage effectively with

education have a fresh start in a new school. In 2016-17 there were 2 Managed Transfers for

secondary aged pupils and 2 Managed Transfers for primary aged pupils. There was also 1

Managed Transfer for a pupil at a special school.

Fixed Term Exclusions to 29 May 2017 (end of year with Year 11 still on roll)

Latest national data (2016)1 indicates that 10.42% of Children in Care have at least one Fixed Term

Exclusion, this means they are five times as likely to have a Fixed Term Exclusion this trend is also

reflected in the Devon data where children are 6.5 time as likely.

Whilst 2015/16 saw an increase in the number of Fixed Term Exclusions children in Devon had been

subject to, this last year (2016/17) has seen a significant fall in exclusions. The total number of fixed

period exclusions for Children in Care has dropped by 32% on the previous year (from 155 to 106),

as the graph below indicates. The number of children subject to at least one fixed term exclusion

however has remained relatively static, suggesting interventions after one exclusion are having an

impact.

Data source: Virtual School, Devon County Council Aug 2017 1 DfE SFR12/2017 Outcomes for Children Looked after by LAs: 31 March2016, LA tables, table LA6.

221232

244

183

163154

89 94

155

106

8296

8474

60 62

41 4258 55

0

40

80

120

160

200

240

280

2007/8 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

Fixed Term Exclusions Trend

Total Numberof Fixed PeriodExclusions forChildren in Care


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Academic Year 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

(a) Total Looked After Children in Devon subject to a fixed period exclusion 41 42 58 55

(b) Number of Children in Care to Devon for 12 months (OC2) 294 303 309 345

% of CiC to Devon for 12 months (OC2) subject to a fixed term exclusion 7.2% 7.2% 10.5% 10.5%

(c) Number of Children Looked After (CLA) for any period of time (June 17) 431 465 482 482

% of CLA for any period of time subject to a Fixed Term Exclusion 10% 9% 12% 11.5%

The majority of exclusions are for physical assault on an adult, persistent disruptive behaviour, or

the other reasons category. The graph below provides a breakdown by each type (exclusion

types are defined Nationally). Whilst the percentage of exclusions due to persistent disruptive

behaviour has fallen in 2016/17, exclusions due to physical assault have risen.

The breakdown reflects that found for all pupils in Devon subject to Fixed Term Exclusions.

The Devon Inclusion project has a specific work-stream to examine ways to reduce the incidence

of exclusion for Children in care. Those in the group include headteachers, an educational

psychologist, an Area Learning Advocate, admissions officer and a senior manager from social

care.


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Personal Education Plans (PEP)

The Devon Virtual School Team for Children in Care has developed a robust strategy for ensuring that schools responsible for the education of Children in Care plan carefully for the needs of these vulnerable pupils. With the Local Authority acting as the Corporate Parent there is a real drive to ensure that raising aspiration for these pupils is as important as ensuring that they attain the highest possible academic standards, with schools developing strategies for going ‘above and beyond’ to provide the holistic support that is needed. Schools, led by the Designated Teacher and supported by the PEP Coordinator, write a Personal Education Plan (PEP) each term, monitoring the pupil’s progress, reviewing strategies that have been successful, outlining what desired outcomes will be the focus for the coming term and explaining, in detail, the actions that will be put in place to achieve the desired outcomes.

The PEP is submitted to QA Assessors, who critically assess the PEP against clear criteria which is shared with schools. The QA Assessors, who are experienced school leaders, are rigorous in reviewing the PEPs and where the PEP is not deemed to be of a high enough standard (perhaps because the academic targets set are not ambitious enough, or because the action plan lacks sufficient detail) they are returned to the school with advice about how they can be improved. Pupil Premium is released when the PEP has been agreed to be of good quality. Area Learning Advocates work closely with schools and other providers to support this process and to provide general advice, support and challenge. The percentage of pupils with a quality assured, up-to-date PEP at the end of the academic year was 90% (based on local monitoring data). During the academic year the target of 90% was consistently achieved across each term. The small percentage of children without a PEP covers those who are new into Care and awaiting a PEP meeting to be convened, or those who may be with potential adoptive families in other Counties.

Data source: 2015/16 Virtual School Annual Report, 2016/17 Virtual School Team, Sept 17

From January 2018 PEPs will be through ePEP. This has been a major development to build the

platform to meet the needs of the Virtual School. This will enable data collection through the PEP

and will enable more efficient tracking of PEPs and quality assurance.


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Care Leavers

Children who have been in Care to the Local Authority for 13 weeks, between the age of 14 and

16 and were still in Care on their 16th birthday are legally entitled to Care Leaver status. Young

people who are still ‘in Care’ post-16 are also entitled to Care Leaver status and are therefore

included in the figures below.

Children Leaving Care remaining Looked After

Devon is ranked 16th out of 152 local authorities.

Post 16 Educational Outcomes (latest available)

In 2016, for the students in Further Education for whom data has been returned, 72% passed the

primary course for which they were entered. 72% of those who chose to take English passed and

58% of those who chose Maths passed. The average attendance was 83%. 100% of the 20 pupils

entered for a Level 3 (A Level or equivalent) achieved the qualifications.

Personal Occupation Progression Plans (POPP)

It is a statutory requirement for Local Authorities to support Care Leavers up to age of 21 or longer

if the young person is in education or training. As part of Devon County Council’s commitment to

better support our Care Leavers, the Virtual College, Social Care, training providers and our own

Care Leavers have worked together to review how the Education section of the Pathway Plan

can better support our young people. The result is a Personal Occupation Progression Plan (POPP)

that focuses on career or occupation planning as well as educational outcomes.

The POPP, designed by our Care Leavers, aims to help those who are in education, employment

or training and those who are NEET. Its focus is to help a young person plan for a successful future

and ensure they are able to access any courses, qualifications, work experience or other support

to help them succeed.

In 2017 the Virtual School began to take a more proactive role in the support offered to Year 12

students through the POPP process. PEPCOs organise and attend POPP meetings and the Virtual

School now works closely with Careers South west in monitoring students at risk of becoming NEET.

This enables immediate intervention from social workers, Personal Advisors and Virtual School staff.

In November the number of students in Employment, Education or Training had improved by 3% to

89%.


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Post-16 Destinations for Looked After Children

Year 11 moving onto post 16 education, training or employment

Of the 2016/17 Year 11 cohort, nearly three in four young people have remained in education,

either by staying on in school or moving on to an FE College. Whilst 1 young person has been

classified as ‘not known’, the young person is attending an FE College but does not wish to have

any contact with Children’s Social Work and so has been recorded as ‘refusing CSW support’.

This, in accordance with DfE ‘status’ rules, must then be classified as ‘not known’.

A breakdown of the destinations of pupils who left school in 2016/17 and earlier is provided below.

Data sources:2017 Yr 11 cohort: Careers South West 29/11/17, 2015 & 2016: VS Annual Report 2015/16

Care Leaver & Care Leaver ‘in Care’ Year 13 (17 & 18 year old) NEET Percentages

Year 12 % Year 13 % Overall %

2016 Vulnerable group cohort 105 123 228

2016 NEET 15 14.3 40 32.5 24.1%

2017 Vulnerable group cohort 102 118 220

2017 NEET 13 12.7 22 18.6 15.9%

Data source: Careers South West, Dec 2017

Careers South West will continue to prioritise 17 and 18 year olds as the academic year progresses,

particularly those who are currently not engaged or become NEET. The volume of Children in

Care who require close additional support is not large, but the circumstances faced by each one

is unique and individually tailored solutions are often required. There are currently no National

benchmarks for 17 and 18 year old Care Leavers who are NEET.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Staying AtSchool

FurtherEducation

College

HE /Advanced

FE

Apprenticeship

Employedwith

Trainingto NVQ2

Employedwith

OtherTraining

WorkBased

Training -Trainee

Preparation

Training

EmployedWithoutTraining

Non EMSEligible

PDO

Unemployed

NotAvailable

MovedAway

NotKnown

2015 24.6% 44.9% 0.0% 2.2% 0.0% 0.7% 0.7% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 17.4% 4.3% 0.0% 4.3%

2016 21.1% 51.4% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.9% 0.0% 5.5% 0.9% 0.0% 10.1% 5.5% 0.0% 3.7%

2017 22.7% 50.0% 0.0% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.0% 3.4% 0.0% 11.4% 2.3% 0.0% 1.1%

Devon Local Authority - Year 11 Completers - Children In Care and Care Leavers - 3 Year Trend

(Source: CSW Group CCIS System - Data as at November)


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Update on Students Attending University

In 2017 3% of Devon young people with Care Leaver Status were attending Higher Education, this is

lower than the National average of 6%.

The Virtual School and Careers South West have now put formal tracking in place to ensure we

continue to support Care Leavers who are currently moving onto University, until the age of 21. If

pupils are engaged in education and have a Special Educational Need this support will continue

until they are 25. It is more difficult to support Care Leavers previously attending University as

contact info is not always available. The National Network for the Education of Care Leavers

(NNECL) was established in June 2013 by higher education institutions and National organisations

committed to the progression and support of Care Leavers in higher education. The Virtual College

works with NNECL to raise awareness of the support Care Leavers need in higher education.

Other News

The Virtual School has continued to provide training for school staff, Virtual School staff

and other professionals working with children and young people in care. The aim of

training is to improve knowledge, skills and understanding of the needs of young people

in care to improve outcomes.

The annual conference for Designated Teachers was attended by DTs, Virtual School staff and

representatives from social care.

The focus for the conference was resilience and the programme included:

➢ Jean Gross CBE was the keynote speaker. Jean gave delegates both the theory as well as

very practical examples for developing resilience in young people especially those with

attachment difficulties.

➢ The participation team opened the conference with two young people in care. This was a

structured conversation around experiences of education, the PEP process and what makes a

good Designated Teacher. The young people and participation team also produced a

leaflet on PEP meetings which has been printed for distribution to schools.

➢ The Bristol poet laureate, Miles Chamberlain, who as a child was in care spoke about his

experiences and performed some of his poems.

➢ The IRU spoke about the role of IROs in child protection and in planning for Children in Care.

➢ There were also 8 workshop continuing the theme of reliance from the Educational

Psychology Service, Jean Gross, the adoption team and CAMHS.

The VS have commissioned the Educational Psychology Service to deliver training to DTs and the

VS in four areas of Devon to increase understanding of attachment difficulties and early life

trauma. In addition, the training for schools for attachment based mentoring has continued and

developed with clinical supervision.

From January there will be a trial in six schools with Year 11 students to develop academic

coaching. This has been developed by the educational psychology service and will involve

concentrated work by an EP to look at the barriers to learning followed by academic coaching

by the DT. This will be monitored and evaluated by the EP service with the aim of full

implementation in 2018/9.

The annual Child in Care awards evening took place at St James School on Friday 10th March

2017. This year 398 children and young people were nominated, that’s approximately 100 more

than ever before! 144 children and young people actually attended on the night, each with 1 or

2 guests. All the certificates/vouchers not presented at the event were posted out to the young

people. It was an amazing evening with lots of food stalls and entertainment.


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Councillor James McInnes, Lead Member for Children’s services said how each and every child

has shown enthusiasm and commitment to chase their goals.

Next year’s Celebration Event will take place on Friday 23 March 2018 at St James School, Exeter

and nominations are now open – full details and nomination forms are available on the Virtual

School website.

Almost 40 students from schools across Devon joined Exeter University for a taster day. Many of the

young people had never thought of attending University and most had no ideas about how to go

about it or what it was like and the day helped towards understanding the benefits of going to

University. The taster day will be held on Friday 23rd March 2018.

The Virtual School Newsletter gives regular news and updates to schools and carers – this is also

available on the front page of the Virtual School website.

Work to support adopted children and those with special guardianship orders.

The Virtual School now offers advice and support for children and young people who have

formerly been in care, post adoption, those under SGOs and child arrangement orders. Area

Learning Advocates have worked closely with admissions to ensure that these children and young

people do not experience any delay in starting schools. Virtual School staff have also arranged

support meetings for children and young people who are experiencing difficulties at school and

involved the Inclusion Service, EP service and Behaviour Support to help the schools meet their

needs. There is a dedicated area of the website which includes the Education Plan for Adopted

Children (EPAC) and the guidance on their use as well as the development of a ‘Grab Pack’ for

parents/guardians.

Virtual School Involvement in work across teams

Virtual School staff sits on a number of groups which support Children in Care, Care Leavers and

those on the edge of care. This includes: ‘Lifelong Links’, ‘Improving Outcomes for Care Leavers’,

Personal Health Budgets, ‘Missing Monday’ for those children and young people missing

education, the adoption panel, Foster Support, Child Sexual Exploitation, mental health and

‘edge of care’.

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/young-people/children-in-care/children-in-care-awards

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/young-people/children-in-care/children-in-care-awards

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/young-people/children-in-care/education-of-children-in-care/virtual-school-newsletters


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Children for whom the support of the Virtual School, Schools and Social Care has really

made a difference

Examples of where the Virtual School has made a difference are numerous. This includes;

avoiding exclusion, ensuring that admission to schools following a placement move are not

delayed, working with other Local Authorities when a child is moved to an out of county provision

or another local authority places a child in Devon,

Examples of VS support are:

A: A Year 9 child moved from their original school, where they had been given eight separate

fixed term exclusions, to a school in a different part of Devon where they only stayed for

approximately 6 weeks before moving to another county. The ALA worked closely with the other

LAs SEN department and the local school to ensure that there was no delay. The PEP was

arranged with the ALA to attend. The young person was excluded for verbal abuse and the ALA

attended a meeting and ensured that support through an alternative provider for social and

emotional needs for one day a week. This had a very positive impact and there were no further

exclusions. In the following term the young person decided they did not want to be out of school.

They are now in Year 10 and predicted 4/5 in GCSE core subjects.

B – A young person at risk of exclusion from their originating school where friendship issues were

resulting in school refusal and defiance to teachers. The ALA Facilitated a school move with

enhanced transition and close monitoring at new school. B is now attending full time, building

new friendships and in line to complete all their GCSEs at high grades.

C – A School refuser who could become violent and controlling, losing control whenever they

were near the school. A professionals meeting was arranged and support from an outreach

teacher and additional therapeutic support was put in place. After a term of intensive support C

began to be reintroduced to school very slowly. Today C is in school full time and is catching up

quickly with her peers.

D– A young person who was at risk of permanent exclusion had facilitated a move to a nearby

school with enhanced transition. D is thriving at the new school and is on target to achieve all

their GCSEs at high grades. They been skiing with the school to Switzerland supported by PP+.

E – A young person going through a gender identity crisis. Unable to attend mainstream due to

relationship issues. We put in place some external tutoring which has helped E keep up with their

studies. We then submitted a medical referral and E is now attending full time at a Learning

Centre. The young person hopes to get all their GCSEs at high grades.

F - A child who moved from Year 6 to Year 7 in September 2017. The child had been very well

supported throughout the final 2 years of a new primary school and had benefitted from stable

staffing. The transition work started in Sept prior to Year 7 with colleagues from the Virtual School

and the new secondary school attending the PEPs and visiting school to get to know the child

and key staff including the carer. In the Spring the secondary school took the decision to appoint

the TA for September so that he/ she could start working with the child during the last half term of

year 6 and them move up to the new school in Sept together. This plan worked really well for

both parties and the carers.

Transition between Schools

ALAs are involved in transition. Over the summer there were 58 children who needed an

admission to a school in Devon and in other local authority areas over the summer, the majority of

these children and young people were allocated schools for the start of the school year. This is as

a result of close cooperation between Devon admissions, the Virtual School and social workers.

Virtual School Annual Report (unvalidated data Oct 17) Attainment & Achievement (updated 07.12.17)

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Quality of Provision end of academic year 2016/17

Over two thirds of Children in Care attend mainstream primary and secondary schools (70%), which is similar to last year (71%). The

percentage of Children in Care attending special schools has dropped slightly (11% compared to 15% last year) whilst the percentage

attending independent special schools has risen slightly (8% compared to 6% previously). Attendance at Alternative provision has also risen

slightly with 6% now attending Alternative Provision.

The graphs below show the percentage of Children in Care placed in each Ofsted category of provision (where schools have been

inspected). Overall there are more Children in Care in RI schools than in the general school population. Progress of pupils in these schools is

carefully monitored by the Virtual School and whilst we aim to only place Children in Care in good or better schools, we also recognise the

importance of stability and would not move a young person from a school which became RI if the young person was making expected

progress.

Note: some children are attending schools which do not have an Ofsted outcome – these are either academy converters not yet inspected since

conversion or new schools. These have been excluded from the charts below which are based on schools with an official Ofsted outcome.


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The following graphs show the percentage of children attending schools for each Ofsted Outcome by school phase. 91% of pupils in primary schools attend a school whose performance has been judged as ‘good’ or ‘better’. This is similar to last year. The percentage of pupils attending ‘good’ or ‘better’ secondary schools has improved in 2016/17 with 94% compared to 88% in 2015/16, whilst those attending ‘good’ or ‘better’ special schools has significantly improved with 80% compared to 69% in 2015/16.

Note: some children attend schools which do

not have an Ofsted outcome – these are

either academy converters not yet inspected

since conversion or new schools. These are

excluded from the charts which are based on

schools with official Ofsted outcomes.


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References and sources

DfE Statistical First Release 2015/16, National First Release Statistics April 2015/65

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2016

DfE Statistical First Releases Looked After Children

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children

DfE Local Authority Interactive Tool (LAIT).


Ofsted RAISEonline reports (not available publicly)

Local Data Dashboard

Local Results for Devon LAC

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2016


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