Both Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates, the two local authority funding streams directly included within the Local Government Finance Settlement, are unringfenced, therefore, authorities can use them to fund any service, provided they meet their statutory duties. It is up to authorities to decide how to set their budgets, taking into account local priorities.

The evaluation report of the virtual school head (VSH) pilots was published in August 2009 and can be viewed from the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222044/DCSF-RR144.pdf

In March 2010 the Department published a VSH toolkit based on the experiences of the pilots and other local authorities that had developed services using the virtual school model. The toolkit can be viewed from the following link:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131027134109/http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/v/virtual%20school%20head%20toolkit.pdf

A group of virtual school heads are currently revising the toolkit.

A copy of the evaluation report and the original toolkit will be placed in the Library of the House when it is complete.

The enhanced materials for school leaders and governors about the impact of being looked after on children's educational attainment that have been developed through the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) are currently available only through license to training providers.

NCTL has supported Bath Spa University and Bath and North East Somerset local authority to develop training materials on attachment. This new training resource, ‘An Introduction to Attachment and the Implications for Learning', which includes video footage, is available on the NCTL website members' site:

http://www.nationalcollege.org.uk/index/docinfo?id=651084&filename=an-introduction-to-attachment-and-the-implications-for-learning-and-behaviour.pdf

Between September 2007 and August 2009, the Department for Education funded virtual

school head pilots in 11 local authorities. The total amount of funding was £792,000 in 2008-09 and £286,000 in 2009-10.

Funding for children's services is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local authorities have the flexibility to make decisions about how this funding is allocated, including on carrying out their responsibilities to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after through the work of virtual school heads.

We have provided £100,000 in 2013-14 to the National College for Teaching and Leadership to work with a group of virtual school heads to develop training materials prior to prepare for the role becoming statutory.