VS Secondary Aspirations

Virtual Schools help raise aspirations and promote educational achievement

Here are some ways....

• Monitoring educational progress - Virtual Schools ensure that children's educational progress is monitored and evaluated, even though they may attend different schools. 
• Providing advice and support - Virtual Schools offer advice and support to teachers and social workers to help narrow the attainment gap. 
• Promoting educational attainment - Virtual Schools promote the educational achievement of children through strong advocacy and collaborative engagement. 
• Improving life chances - Virtual Schools work to improve life chances for children in care and previously looked after. 
• Raising awareness - Virtual Schools raise awareness of corporate parenting responsibilities. 

Closing the disadvantage gap

Whilst pupils eligible for the pupil premium are likely to have lower academic attainment compared to their more advantage peers, the assumption that poorer pupils have lower aspirations for their education and adult life is less clear.

Studies in England suggest that different socioeconomic groups have similar levels of aspiration for their future outcomes and that differences in participation rates in higher education are largely driven by academic attainment.

Aspiration interventions without an academic component are unlikely to narrow the disadvantaged attainment gap. Teacher expectations play a role in shaping pupil outcomes and teachers should aim to communicate a belief in the academic potential of all pupils.