How We Work with Virtual Schools
Supporting Virtual Schools with Elements Support
What is a virtual school?
Unlike traditional schools, Virtual Schools don’t teach in classrooms or online. Instead, they are a dedicated support network ensuring that children in care receive the education they deserve. Acting as a bridge, Virtual Schools connect carers, social workers, and educators to overcome barriers these young people face.
They track progress, champion educational needs, and ensure no child is left behind.
Why Virtual Schools Are Essential for
Children in Care
Living in care often means frequent moves between homes and schools, creating challenges that can be overwhelming—even for adults. Education becomes the key to a brighter future, yet accessing it can feel out of reach.
This is where Virtual Schools make a vital difference. They provide the stability, guidance, and advocacy that children in care need to thrive academically and personally.
The Role of NAVSH
The National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH) strengthens the work of Virtual Schools by providing national leadership, influencing policy, and sharing vital resources.
Since 2013, all local authorities in England have been legally required to have a Virtual School Head to address the educational disadvantages faced by children in care. This impactful model is now being adopted internationally.
How We Support Virtual Schools
At Elements Support, we recognise the critical role Virtual Schools play in changing young lives.
We’ve developed tailored services to enhance and empower their work.
- Specialised Training
Providing practical skills and strategies to help educators, carers, and social workers confidently support children in care. - 1-to-1 Creative Mentoring
Designed to boost confidence, resilience, and self-worth through unique, personalised sessions. - Dual Perspective Learning with Steven Russell
Our Director, Steven Russell, offers a dynamic combination of professional expertise and lived experience, inspiring fresh insights and strategies. - Policy Reviews
Collaborative assessments to create inclusive, impactful, and robust policies that support young people’s success. - Solution-Focused Reporting
Bringing clarity and depth to PEP reports with actionable, progress-driven evaluations. - Targeted Consultation with Young People
Engaging directly with young people to ensure their voices inform and shape effective decision-making.
Why It Works
Our approach is anchored in the 5 Elements of Connection:
- Patience – Building trust at the child’s pace.
- Presence – Showing every child that their voice matters.
- Curiosity – Gaining insights through an open mind.
- Creativity – Helping young people express themselves authentically.
- Authenticity – Genuinely valuing each young person for who they are.
By embedding these principles into everything we do, we create a nurturing environment in which children can grow, succeed, and thrive.
Collaborative Support Changes Lives
When Virtual Schools, NAVSH, and organisations like Elements Support work together, children experience profound, life-changing support. Stability increases, resilience improves, and confidence flourishes.
One unforgettable moment came when a Virtual School shared this feedback on our programme: “By the end, there was a noticeable improvement in the children’s mental fitness and their ability to engage at school. The transformation was remarkable.”
This kind of success highlights the power of teamwork and the importance of a committed network of champions in a child’s life.
“Drip by drip, day by day, we find a way.”
Why Should You Trust Us?
Elements Support has received widespread praise from industry professionals including “Daniel Sobel”; an internationally respected leader in inclusive education, who has advised the DfE, the EU and governments abroad and the founder of Inclusion Expert and Daniel Croft; CEO of Foster Talk UK and industry professional with over 20 years of experience.
He has the ability to build a relationship both with the young person and their parent/carer to help support them through their difficulties offering strategies and guidance in an empathic, non judgmental manner. We have also worked within the same schools in their Multi Agency Centers (MAC). I have seen students who have worked with Steven as their family support worker and they all really valued the work he did with them. He is a very positive, caring person who is passionate about the wellbeing of young people, wanting them to become the best they can.
There’s a lot that I could say about Steven but I think that most people immediately get that he is genuine, real and highly experienced drawing from his own life story. He is a powerful, innovative and important voice working with children with SEMH challenges.
In over 20 years within social care, I have never even witnessed a bespoke programme that comes close to Elements, it’s rewards will live with children well into adulthood and filter down into generations to come.
It’s impossible to teach authenticity and passion, Steven manages to use his experience to bring an unparalleled level of passion to his work, added to his genuine authenticity and desire to learn and grow with these children, he’s an unbelievable resource to any educational environment.