What the 2025–26 Grant Letter Tells Us About the Future of the Virtual School Head Role
The Department for Education has now published its 2025–2026 grant determination letter for the extended Virtual School Head (VSH) role. This update confirms continued investment in both the Children With a Social Worker (CWSW) and Kinship Care strands, with specific allocations now available by Local Authority.
It’s a moment of clarity and opportunity for the sector which is about more than just funding.
Why this matters
Since 2021, Virtual School Heads have held a non-statutory responsibility to promote the educational outcomes of children with a social worker. That role was further extended in April 2023 to include children in kinship care arrangements. Both extensions signalled a powerful shift: that the expertise, leadership, and systems developed for looked-after children can and should benefit wider groups of vulnerable learners.
Now, with confirmed funding into 2026, Local Authorities can plan with greater confidence. The grant determination letter published by DfE last Thursday provides the breakdown: Download the letter here
But what does that look like in practice?
The latest government guidance reinforces the core aim: to improve educational outcomes and narrow the attainment gap for children who face adversity.
VSHs are expected to:
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Use education data to inform early intervention.
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Offer strategic leadership across the local system.
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Support schools to make evidence-informed decisions.
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Monitor the impact of interventions and share learning.
Funding is the foundation. Infrastructure makes it work.
At Welfare Call, we support around 95 Local Authorities in doing this well. Our platform gives Virtual School Heads a single, joined-up view of vulnerable learners, combining attendance, attainment, PEPs, safeguarding insights and more.
And as the role expands, so does the need for systems that can scale, flex, and provide reliable insight at pace. Whether it’s:
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Identifying persistent absence early
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Tracking interventions across social care and education
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Using analytics to plan strategic CPD and resource allocation
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Or monitoring the experience of children in kinship care
We help VSHs move from reactive to proactive leadership underpinned by clean, accessible, actionable data.
Looking ahead
The latest round of funding reaffirms what we already know: the VSH role is here to stay and will likely continue to evolve. This is a signal to double down on what works. Invest in tools that support collaboration, transparency and better outcomes across your wider vulnerable cohorts.
If you’re reviewing your strategy in light of this announcement, we’re ready to help. From hybrid attendance collection to real-time analytics and Ofsted-recognised PEPs, our tools are designed to support your expanded mission.
Need to understand how your funding could support this work?
Contact your Welfare Call account manager. We’d be happy to talk through what’s working elsewhere and how we can support your team.