Virtual School Extension to Role Information for Schools

What schools and educational settings need to do: Identify the cohort of children within your school:

• Which children are currently on a CIN or CP Plan? Which children have been on a CIN or CP plan whilst being on roll with your setting? The government have identified this cohort within Local Authority guidance so far, so be prepared and ahead of the game in terms of potential changes within other statutory guidance - for example, Ofsted inspections etc.
• Ensure the relevant staff are aware of who these children are - by working with the Designated Safeguarding Leads, Designated Mental Health Leads, Pastoral support team, SENCO, Designated Teacher, Form tutors etc, as an educational setting, you will be able to have a really clear picture of the needs of your cohort, which in turn will enable you to plan support and interventions. Meet regularly to discuss this cohort to review their attainment, attendance and wellbeing data.
• Use the opportunities available to you from local authority training- invest time and energy in becoming Therapeutic Thinking schools. It is an approach that is proven to work and will give you the knowledge to support all children through any adverse experience. The practices you will develop and embrace within your ethos of your educational setting will benefit all who are part of your community - pupils, staff and families.
• Our children want us to have high aspirations for them, to believe in them and not to treat them differently. We must support them to achieve their potential and to ensure that educational settings and services do not become barriers to achieving this for them.
• Identify interventions that will support your cohort of children with a social worker. Please refer to the Education Endowment Foundation for more information - click here
• Refer to the Education Endowment Foundation Guidance Reports for more information and advice on all aspects of learning - click here

Supporting schools and educational settings:

Although we are unable to offer schools and other educational settings advice on individual children, we are able to:

• Offer advice regarding your cohort of Children with a social worker.
• Offer educational settings/Social Worker consultations with Wokingham Virtual School
• Offer advice and signpost schools and educational settings to additional services and ensure that you receive the support required to support your cohort of children with a social worker.
• Offer training opportunities to develop schools and educational settings understanding around attachment, trauma as well as training on interventions known to make the biggest impact for children with a social worker.

Information for Designated Safeguarding Leads

Please see this PDF document which includes training information for DSLs about the role of the virtual school and what the 'extension to role' means for schools.

There is also a link to the Wokingham virtual school DSL handbook.