Children Looked After to be in school full time
Outcomes for Children Looked After (CLA) are always far below that of their peers. This attainment gap has widened significantly in Warwickshire over the past few years, and in 2019-20 even more so. Warwickshire CLA do not achieve as highly as CLA nationally.
It is important that all or our CLA are in school during this time. We know that schools are the safest places for them. You provide the consistency, stability and reassurance that our children need. You unlock their potential, enable them to have a greater sense of belonging and help them to see better futures for themselves.
Our carers and social care colleagues are keen to support you with continuing to provide the best education for our CLA. If you find apprehension or reluctance from families, please work with them and their social workers to risk assess and determine the best ways forward. We all need to encourage and support all CLA into your settings.
Personal Education Plans (PEPs) need to be reviewed remotely this term. They should be tightly focussed on closing the attainment gap, addressing SEMH and SEND needs, promoting personal development, opportunities and aspiration raising. Pupil Premium Plus enhances any support and intervention you provide. In these challenging and uncertain times, it is vital that individual needs continue to be identified and addressed promptly. Please speak to your Education Adviser if you require any additional PP+.
Education Advisers will be in touch with designated teachers throughout the lockdown period. We need to continue tracking and monitoring attendance (daily) and progress and attainment. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything you need or want to discuss.
Whilst CLA should be in school during this period, it is important to remember that any Children Previously Looked After (CPLA) may need the reassurance and continuity of attending school. Please liaise with parents/carers individually.
I thank you for your dedication and hard work in these very challenging times and wish you a positive and successful term.
Deena Moorey
Virtual School Head
Maths Hub - Supporting KS3 Students with SEND
Free mathematics professional development opportunity for maths teachers of years 7 - 9 and teaching assistants.
Origin Maths Hub are offering secondary schools in Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire the opportunity to participate in this free, research and innovation Work Group.
- This Work Group will explore what you can do to help KS3 students who struggle with mathematics (and may have SEND) to develop their thinking and reasoning.
- The sessions will focus upon key areas of the mathematics curriculum and will provide ideas and activities that can be used with SEND students.
- Each introductory session will be followed up with individual support and reflection. This will enable a bank of resources to be developed and disseminated to all participants.
- In light of the significant disruptions to children's education this year due to Covid-19, it is even more important to try to prevent a dip in students' mathematical attainment and attitudes as they move from primary to secondary.
Find out more and sign up here
Virtual School Reminder re PP+
The DFE have shared drawdown info on the PP+ for previously looked after children - those adopted from care, subject to Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangement Order:
|
Pupil Category
|
2015-16
|
2016-17
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
2019-20
|
|
Adoptions Primary
|
74.2%
|
80.5%
|
81.9%
|
82.4%
|
83.5%
|
|
Adoptions Secondary
|
34.0%
|
43.4%
|
48.2%
|
51.8%
|
55.8%
|
|
SGO Primary
|
56.3%
|
61.4%
|
68.9%
|
74.1%
|
80.8%
|
|
SGO Secondary
|
32.5%
|
34.0%
|
37.7%
|
40.5%
|
49.2%
|
|
CAO Primary
|
34.3%
|
38.5%
|
48.3%
|
54.8%
|
60.2%
|
|
CAO Secondary
|
25.1%
|
23.5%
|
24.4%
|
25.1%
|
26.5%
|
As the January census is fast approaching, now is the time to ensure that all eligible families have approached you, in order to ensure you access the grant. You can claim £2300 per child to support their learning.
If you have any questions or would like advice regarding any of your previously looked after children, contact the Virtual School or your linked Education Adviser: virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk
Join our ‘Show You Care’ Campaign
Connecting with other people has never been more important for our wellbeing. During lockdown, when we can’t physically be with our friends and neighbours, we must find different ways of doing this.
We are therefore launching a new campaign for Warwickshire called ‘Show you Care’ and would love you to be part of it and share it with our communities. We are encouraging our residents to display a picture of a heart in their window, or share it on social media, as a tangible sign that they are thinking of others in the pandemic.
Displaying or sharing a heart can mean many things, but could include:
- I care about our key workers
- I care about my neighbours
- I care about my grandparents who I haven’t been able to see
- I care about missing my school friends and teachers.
What can you do?
- Share the attached templates with your customers, residents, partners, community groups etc.
- Ask them to colour or decorate them, or print the ‘ready to use’ versions
- Encourage them to take photos of them and send these into either the Warwickshire Libraries or Warwickshire Fire & Service social media accounts so that they can be shared further, and share them on their own social media accounts, possibly with their story of who they are especially thinking about
- Encourage them to display their coloured hearts in a prominent place e.g. in their window
- Use the hashtags #ShowYouCare and #BestWarwickshire to accompany the pictures on social media.
To help you do this, we have templates of hearts for sharing and colouring:
We are planning to release further updates on the campaign next week, including sharing the news of the campaign with the media. In the meantime, please do share the graphics and the campaign, and if you have any ideas of how we can extend the reach even further, do let us know.