Children we care for

Children we care for section image

Children we care for

Information about how the West Sussex Virtual School supports the education of children and young people in the care of West Sussex County Council.

At the Virtual School we monitor the educational progress and attendance of all children we care for by providing advice and guidance to the adults working with and supporting those children and young people.

In particular, the team supports the social workers, carers and designated teachers of children we care for, to ensure that those children and young people receive a high quality education and improved educational outcomes.

The statutory guidance regarding the role of the designated teacher is available at GOV.UK.

Personal Education Plans (PEPs) for children we care for are completed through ePEP, an electronic system commissioned by West Sussex provided by eGov Digital. 

Guidance on the completion of PEPs and each person's role can be found in the information section. The team also provides a wide range of training and development opportunities for professionals working with children we care for.  

The role of the Virtual School

Our role is to:

  • champion the needs of children and young people looked after by West Sussex and educated inside the county or in other local authorities
  • ensure that children and young people have the best possible education and every chance to realise potential
  • offer personalised support plans and interventions to raise attainment and aspirations for the future
  • robustly track cohort trends and target resources effectively to promote achievement

What we do

Virtual school:

  • promotes aspiration for educational achievement by demanding it is a priority within the lives of looked-after children and young people to improve outcomes and life chances
  • ensures our children and young people have access to the best possible education and every chance to progress and realise their individual potential
  • assesses and reviews personalised support plans to raise attainment for those in care, providing advice, guidance and support for intervention where needed

What we offer

Virtual School offers:

  • training for designated teachers in settings, schools and colleges for: 
    • school governors
    • education professionals
    • social workers
    • a range of partner agencies
  • advice, information and guidance on all aspects of education for children we care for
  • support with studies, future pathways and work experience opportunities

Resources

At West Sussex Virtual School, we are pleased to be able to use pupil premium funding to offer the following resources to children we care for.

Speak to the allocated advisory teacher to discuss suitability and organise access to these resources, or for further information email wsvs@westsussex.gov.uk.

  • Britannica School is a citable, online learning resource. The information in Britannica School is aligned to the national curriculum, updated daily and spans a range of media, including video, images and audio content.

    At West Sussex Virtual School, we have guaranteed access to Britannica School for all children we care for.

  • Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails free high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. 

    As a Virtual School, we organise for all eligible children we care for to receive copies.

  • The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is a team of psychologists who have training and understand how children grow, develop, and learn.

    The Virtual School Educational Psychology team uses Pupil Premium funding to help school staff. The team offers time to talk with an educational psychologist to help solve problems. This support can focus on either a specific child we care for or on the wider needs of this group of children.

    If the discussion is about a named child, the foster carer or social worker must fill in an online consent form before the consultation takes place.

    Consultations usually happen by phone. Schools can also ask for a Microsoft Teams video call if needed. The school supporting the West Sussex Child We Care For must book and attend the consultation. To help everyone work together, schools can ask other people, such as foster carers or social workers, to join the meeting.

    After a phone consultation, the psychologist may suggest helpful strategies, offer advice on how to support the child, or share links to training and other support.

    Schools can also book a follow up consultation to check how things are going after they try the agreed strategies. Schools cannot ask for individual educational psychologist assessments through this service.

    Education providers can book a one hour consultation to talk about a Child We Care For. For details on how to book, read the How to book guidance.

  • Flash Academy is an online English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Modern Foreign Language (MFL) support platform.

    At West Sussex Virtual School, we have guaranteed access to Flash Academy for all UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children).

    We also have licences for all of our secondary-age children in mainstream schools to support MFL.

  • GCSEPod is a learning and revision platform offering useful advice, guidance and resources to students in years 10 and 11 regarding GCSEs, and also to their teachers and parent, carers and guardians.

    This platform includes tips for revision, homework support, planning and motivation. The Virtual School is able to offer eligible children we care for access to this platform free of charge.

  • Just for You (JFY) is a partnership service offering free parcels of books and a gift for the young children we care for.

    It is provided by West Sussex Virtual School and the Library Service to help encourage children aged 2 to 12 years old to enjoy reading on their own and with their carers.

    The books and gifts are chosen on a different theme each time from a wide range of new and popular authors and posted automatically every school term.

  • The Reach2Teach awareness and behaviour app gives all those working with children and adolescents in and outside school, an attachment aware and trauma informed approach to some of the behaviours that crop up and challenge us all day, every day in schools of every shape, size and age range.

    The app will guide you through the child's needs that might be driving their behaviour, give you insight into the potential attachment pattern associated with each behaviour, and provides a wide-range of instantly usable, highly practical approaches and actions, all built on relationship with every pupil.    

    To access the app, contact wsvs@westsussex.gov.uk. You will be prompted to create an account with CourseWeDo after which you will be able to have unlimited access at no cost to you (the checkout total will show £0 after you have created your account).

PEP questions

Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)

At the West Sussex Virtual School, we appreciate the challenges, loss and changes our Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (USAC) have experienced. Many of these children and young people have arrived in West Sussex after traumatic events and journeys.

Some have had limited access to education in their home country and others have had little experience of the English language. Most of our children and young people are keen to learn and progress, which we find truly inspiring. To support their education, we offer the following to all of our UASC:

  • Within days of becoming a Child We Care For, a member of our team will offer mentoring and support to UASC.
  • Direct 1:1 English as an Additional Language (EAL) support to all UASC as a gentle introduction to English.
  • Learning resources including workbooks, a dictionary and stationery.
  • For UASC of statutory school age, we undertake a Virtual School initial first language assessment with an interpreter. The information captured from this, including a holistic overview of the learning, is shared with the school to support transition.
  • Access to Flash Academy, an EAL learning App.
  • Ongoing liaison with foster carers, residential support teams and social workers.
  • Termly Personal Education Plans (PEPs).
  • Transition support onto Further Education.

UASC toolkits

We are grateful to our colleagues at Portsmouth City Council for kindly sharing these resources.