What we offer
Birmingham Virtual School offers the following support to schools and other education providers.
Network meetings
Designated Teacher Network meetings in local network areas to share best practice, and develop an environment for local solutions and interventions such as transition programmes, RAP programmes and avoiding exclusions.
Corporate parent visits
Area education officers will attend educational settings on a regular visit cycle, advising and supporting staff on how to best meet the education needs of young people across the school or education setting at both operational and strategic levels.
Training - Regular training events that support designated teachers, social workers, foster carers, residential staff and other key professionals to understand best practice in raising the educational outcomes for children with care experience.
PEP’s - Delivery of appropriate PEP training / advice to schools and partner agencies.
Provide whole school strategic support in the writing of PEPs and Individual Learning Plans for children with care experience and contribute directly to the quality assurance of PEPs.
To promote and contribute directly to the actions within the PEP and the quality assurance of PEPs.
Carers
Delivery of foster carer training within an allocated geographical area. Providing a response to problem solving discussions with foster carers / parents via phone calls or emails, encouraging and supporting them to develop strong relationships with schools and education providers, and to pass on their concerns to both their own supervising social worker and child’ social worker for them to support.
Consider the need for specific resources to support foster carers, looked after children and young people to improve attendance or support other aspects of their education.
Social care
Continuous support, training and advice for social care colleagues with respect to education policy and practice.
Enable them to give educational advice and promote good practice to partner agencies.
Together Birmingham Virtual School and social care colleagues will liaise and work with other professionals and agencies in an integrated way to achieve optimal outcomes for CIC and their education.
This will involve compiling and sharing information and specialist knowledge appropriately in line with agreed protocols to support children and young peoples' development and improve outcomes.
The virtual school have placement officers that can support with sourcing education provision for our Birmingham children in care.
If you are a Social Worker, use our contact form to submit an education placement referral for children or young people aged 5 to 16 years.
Submit an education placement referral
Pupil Premium
Advise, guide and review the use of Pupil Premium across the schools and settings and report on this to the Virtual School Headteacher.
Plan for the use of the PP+ top slice within your local school network area. To support schools in effectively planning and using the Pupil Premium + for the children or young people in their school.
A review of the use of Pupil Premium for pupils in a school will be considered and any ineffectual use will be addressed via a Corporate Parent school visit.
Legislation, policies and procedures - To keep schools and key professionals informed around current education legislation, policies and procedures, and funding opportunities related to children in care and promote good practice to partner agencies.
Pupil Premium Plus Guidance 2021 to 2022
Direct work
Work directly with schools, carers, parents, and other agencies (particularly Inclusions Service and SENAR) to support children in care that are at risk of a negative educational experience. They may:
- have been or are likely to be excluded.
- not be attending or currently able to engage positively with their setting.
- have recently experienced a change or multiple changes in care or educational placement.
- be new to care.
Tier 1 universal support
Work alongside school staff and other professionals to put in place effective intervention work for the child or young person at tier 1 universal support and early help stages.
(This could include supporting a child to catch up with missed work, reviewing timetables, advice on how to resolve transport difficulties or supporting the parent or carer to ensure a child attends their educational setting.)
Attendance
Follow up instances of poor attendance as identified through attendance data, PEPs (Personal Education Plan), CLA reviews or Pathway Plans, and support social workers and education setting in engaging other support services to increase participation.
Transitions
To maintain direct support and contact with a child/young person during key transitions and ensure all other necessary professionals are actively engaged to support the young person.
