Coventry Virtual School - guidance and support - Print version

Information for designated teachers

• The role involves having a thorough understanding of the needs - educational, social and emotional – of the looked after children in the school, how they are being met and how successful any interventions have been.
• Statutory [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269764/role_and_responsibilities_of_the_designated_teacher_for_looked_after_children.pdf]guidance [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269764/role_and_responsibilities_of_the_designated_teacher_for_looked_after_children.pdf](2018) states that the Designated Teacher  (DT) for looked after children must be a qualified teacher who has completed the appropriate induction period and is working as a teacher at the school
• It may be a Head teacher or acting Head teacher of the school
• It should be a person who has had responsibility for promoting the educational achievement for LAC
• The Designated teacher should have sufficient influence in school to be able to ‘make things happen’ – ideally a place on SMT.
• The Designated teacher should ensure that every looked after child in the school has a current, high quality Personal Education Plan (PEP) in place.
• The Designated Teacher does not have to carry out all the day to day functions of the role and it is perfectly appropriate for non-teaching staff to carry out many of the tasks.
• The Virtual School offers training to staff who are new to this role

Download a Highly Vulnerable form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/31325/highly_vulnerable_hv_form].

For 1:1 tuition, these links will take you to the agencies which the Virtual School commission:

Teaching Personnel [https://www.teachingpersonnel.com/] and Protocol Education [https://www.protocol-education.com/client].

Information for social workers

Social Workers have an important part to play in supporting the education of looked after children. The Virtual School staff are aware of the wide range of responsibilities held by Social Workers and try to support them as much as possible where education is concerned.

All looked after children must have a current, high quality Personal Education Plan (PEP). The most recent guidance says the responsibility for making this happen is shared by Social Workers and schools.

For further information about PEPs and the online ePEP system, please contact the Virtual School virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk]

School Place: Please contact the Virtual School immediately if you are dealing with a looked after child who has no school place.

In almost every case, an admissions form [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schooladmissions] will need to be completed. Do not delay in completing this form and returning it as instructed.

Download the School Move policy and guidance [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/31170/school_placement_moves_policy].

If a child is placed out of city, the Admission Team for the relevant local authority needs to be contacted.

These links will take you to the School Admissions page of some of Coventry's neighbouring authorities:

• Birmingham [https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions]
• Warwickshire [https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/admissions]
• Leicestershire [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools-colleges-and-academies/school-admissions]
• Northamptonshire [https://www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/children-families-education/schools-and-education/school-admissions/Pages/default.aspx]
• Solihull [https://www.solihull.gov.uk/admissions]
• Dudley [https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/learning-and-school/school-information/school-admissions/]
• Sandwell [http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/schooladmissions]
• Walsall [https://go.walsall.gov.uk/school_admissions]

Information for foster carers

Why foster carers are important in supporting the education of Looked After Children:

• You can be a good role model and show how important education is by supporting, questioning and guiding the children in your care.
• You can make sure the young person is ready for school and ready to learn.
• You can have high expectations of your looked after children and always encourage them to do their best and achieve more.
• You can challenge others to make sure they provide all the support the young person needs.

How foster carers can help with Personal Education Plans:

• Keep track of PEP dates. If you think a PEP is overdue, contact the young person's school or social worker.
• Talk to the young person before the meeting and help them to give their views during the meeting.
• Raise any concerns during the meeting and offer as much support as you can.
• Log on to ePEP online [https://secure.epeponline.co.uk/ ] to view the young person’s PEP

Pupil Premium Plus

What is the Pupil Premium Plus and how can it be used?

The Pupil Premium Plus is extra funding provided by the Government to help narrow the attainment gap between looked after children and other children.

The Virtual Headteacher for looked after children is responsible for sending out funding and making sure it is used to help looked after children. It is recognised that different children need different levels of support at different times.

Schools are responsible for identifying the needs of each looked after child and planning support and interventions which will help the young person make better progress. Support will vary depending on the circumstances of each young person. Schools could also consider pooling some of the funding to provide relevant training to whole staff or particular groups.

Schools have to consider the likely impact of interventions using Pupil Premium Plus funding.

• DfE Pupil Premium pages (14) - [https://www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings]pupil premium information for schools [https://www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings] - including good practice examples of school website entries on Pupil Premium
• Evaluation of Pupil Premium: Research Report July 2013 [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-pupil-premium]
• The Teaching and Learning Toolkit (based on Sutton Trust materials) [http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit]

Pupil Premium Plus payments and PEP submission deadline dates for Academic Year 2023/24

To make things easier for everyone during the Academic Year 2023-24 we are changing the way Pupil Premium Plus payments will be made. PEP submission deadlines are also changing.

PEPs are a statutory requirement. The expectation is every child in care from age 3 years old to the end of Y11 will have one PEP per term, with an additional PEP should a school move happen mid-term. For any young person who is not on a school roll and is awaiting placement then a PEP conversation will replace a formal PEP but will still be recorded on ePEP.

Virtual School will do their best to attend PEPs for:

• Any child new to care
• Any child new to a school
• Reception, Year 7 and  Year 11 in the Autumn term
• Y6 and Year 11 in the Summer term

Virtual School will prioritise attendance at a PEP for any child where there are education concerns, or a school move is likely.

It is the joint responsibility of the Designated Teacher and the Social Worker to invite Virtual School to PEPs on a mutually convenient date. Invites should be sent via email and not via ePEP.

Personal Education Plans (PEPs) submission deadlines

Autumn

• Reception, Year 7 and Year 11: 31 October 2023
• All other year groups: 30 November 2023

Spring

All year groups 14 March 2024

Summer

All year groups 14 June 2024

Reminders

• All PEPs must be submitted within 3 weeks of the PEP meeting.
• Designated Teachers can submit the social worker section (and should do so to prevent delay). Failure to submit a satisfactory PEP will result in PP+ not being paid for that term.
• For school age children PP+ will be paid in 3 equal payments of £600 each. There will be an additional  £200 boost payment for a child new to care or new to a school.
• For nursery age children PP+ will be paid in 3 equal payments of £100 each.
• Independent special schools do not receive PP+ as it is already accounted for in cost of the school place.

Every professional involved with the child is a corporate parent and has a responsibility to support the child as a good parent would. If in the time between PEPs there are issues that arise that give cause for concern or a child’s behaviour changes negatively then please contact us. Do not wait for the next PEP. We are here to help and support but that will become more challenging if we don’t know there is a situation in school which is impacting on the young person’s ability to access education.

• Promoting the education of looked-after children and previously looked-after children (publishing.service.gov.uk) [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683556/Promoting_the_education_of_looked-after_children_and_previously_looked-after_children.pdf]
• The designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children (publishing.service.gov.uk) [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683561/The_designated_teacher_for_looked-after_and_previously_looked-after_children.pdf]

Information for governors

The role of school governors in promoting the education of looked after children is covered the guidelines in "The designated teacher for looked after and previously looked-after children" [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683561/The_designated_teacher_for_looked-after_and_previously_looked-after_children.pdf]

Please see paragraphs 4 - 8  in the above document for further information. Special attention should be given to the following:

• Governing bodies of all maintained schools must appoint a designated teacher to promote the educational achievement of looked after children who are on the school roll.
• The governing body must make sure that the designated teacher has appropriate training.
• Governors must consider a regular report from the designated teacher.
• The governing body and school leadership team should look at the report and act on any issues to support the designated teacher.

To help them in this role, the Virtual School can:

• Offer training to LAC Governors
• Promote the role of LAC Governor as good practice

Policy and guidance

What to do when a young person comes into care

Whatever life has been like before, going into care is a traumatic experience for a young person. They may experience feelings of grief, guilt or shock in the period immediately afterwards, or sometimes later on. Often, there is little to see on the outside, and the child will come to school well cared-for and apparently happy. However, the effects of such a life-changing event should not be doubted.

What schools should do

School is often the most stable aspect of a looked after child's life, and has a crucial part to play in helping emotional wellbeing as well as planning for education:

• Make sure a meeting to write a Personal Education Plan (PEP) is held within 20 working days of the child going into care - you should discuss the timing for this with the Social Worker.  You may need to discuss important issues such as transport and contact with family members before this.
• Make sure there is one person who the child can talk to if they want to.  Make it clear that these conversations will be confidential unless there is something so serious that it has to be passed on (as in Child Protection guidance).
• Talk to the child about the information which can be shared with others.  For example, how should the foster carer be addressed?  Some children prefer to call their carer a family name such as Auntie, whilst others are comfortable with other children knowing they are in care.
• Watch out for name-calling or teasing.  Most looked after children remain fiercely loyal to their families and even low-level teasing can be the cause of great distress or conflict.
• Make a good relationship with the carer.  If the child arrives at school in a taxi and you rarely see the carer, set up another way of communication, by telephone or home-school book, for example.
• Try to attend Looked After reviews and other meetings called by Social Care. If this is not possible, make sure that a report is sent, outlining any issues or concerns relating to education.

If in doubt about procedures, please contact virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:virtualschool@coventry.gov.uk] for further advice and guidance.

Special Educational Needs and Disability

School SEND Support [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/sendsupport] covers educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for others of the same age. 

This means provision that goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, personalised teaching. 

It may take the form of additional support from within the school or require the involvement of specialist staff or support services.

Exclusions

Schools and other education providers should avoid using permanent and fixed-term school exclusion as far as possible for children and young people in the care system.​​

A guide for those with legal responsibilities in relation to​ exclusion [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion].

Coventry's Recovery Curriculum

This is a local, co-produced repository of information and resources to support the mental health of children and young people.

The Recovery Curriculum is written primarily for staff in early years settings and schools.

• If you are a young person, you can find out more on the health for kids [http://www.healthforkids.co.uk/] and health for teens [http://www.healthforteens.co.uk/] websites.
• If you are a parent or carer who would like guidance on how best to support children at home, you can access support from a Health Visitor or School Nurses through the Chat Health texting service on 07520 615293 or request a consultation with a SEND Professional by calling 024 7678 8400. 
• The SEND Support Service and the SEND Information and Advice Service have also provided resources for parents and carers to support the transition back into learning [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/back2school]. You can contact the SEND Support Service through your link SEND Professionals, over the telephone on 024 7678 8400 or through email.

Information for parents

• Coventry’s NEW parenting offer to help you to be the best parents you can be [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4663/coventrys-new-parenting-offer-to-help-you-to-be-the-best-parents-you-can-be]