Virtual School for Children Looked After - Designated Teacher CPD sessions

At the Virtual School we continue to strive to close the gap in academic performance for Children Looked After while also providing advice for Children Previously Looked After and children with a social worker.

We are providing a training offer that responds to the issues that you have raised regarding best ways to understand and support Children Looked After. The training can be found on the Virtual School section of the Warwickshire education webpages - www.warwickshire.gov.uk/school-attendance-exclusions/warwickshire-virtual-school/3

There is currently a mixture of online and face-to-face training provided as part of the Virtual School support to schools. Topics include:

• An introduction to Trauma
• An Introduction to Attachment
• Understanding teenage brain development and possible implications for learning and behaviour
• An Introduction to Resilience
• Emotion Coaching

Thank you to those who attended last year's Designated Teacher (DT) training, from which we received a lot of positive feedback. We know that many were unable to attend due to staffing and factors within schools. We are therefore offering the Virtual School elements of the training as a half-day session on Thursday 7 April either from 9am - 12pm or 1pm - 4pm to be held at Pound Lane, Leamington. This training is for all DTs and DT Supports, not just those new to the role. This is a good opportunity to network with others and share good practice.

The sessions will be delivered by the Virtual School Education Advisers with a focus on:

• What makes a good PEP meeting?
• The impact of PP+, interventions and use of EEF
• The importance of high aspirations and longer term career goals
• Effective use of Strengths, Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs)

To book a space, please email virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk with your name, role, setting and the time of the session you wish to attend.

Professional learning programme - 'Thinking differently for disadvantaged learners'

This term we are excited to work with the West Midlands Virtual Schools to offer a professional learning programme - 'Thinking differently for disadvantaged learners'.

This will be delivered through a series of six sessions with all learning and resources done online. Your Designated Teacher will have been sent further information about this programme. It is a great opportunity to access high quality training, resources and share ideas that could influence how you support disadvantaged leaners in your setting.