Virtual School

The York Virtual School For Children and Young People in Care

The aim of the Virtual School is to enhance the life opportunities for children and young people in care by supporting their education and enabling them to achieve the best they can.

The Virtual school does not replace the school or educational provision of children or young people in care - it is an additional resource which exists to support and challenge all those involved in the education of children and young people in care.

The Virtual School is involved in or promotes various initiatives to support the educational achievement of children and young people in care. Including providing training and advice for schools, council staff and carers.

The CYC virtual school works closely with colleagues within the council and external agencies as part of an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to supporting children and young people in care.

The virtual school approach is to work with children and young people in care as if they were in a single school, liaising with the schools they attend in order to:

Raise educational attainment.
Track pupil progress and supporting them to achieve as well as possible.
Ensure good school attendance.
Improve educational stability.
Promote high aspirations and raise the profile of children in care.
Ensure that every child in care has a high quality personal education plan, which is monitored and reviewed by the school.

Personal Education Plans

All children and young people in care should have a Personal Education Plan. This is provided through Welfare Call PEP online which both schools and social workers can log into and complete before the face to face meeting.

The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is the statutory tool to ensure that everyone is actively prioritising the education of the young person, carefully tracking their progress and supporting them to achieve well and to be aspirational.

All children and young people in care have a statutory Care Plan, which is drawn up and reviewed by the Local Authority that looks after them. The Personal Education Plan (PEP) is a legal part of the Care Plan; which is a statutory requirement for all of Our Children & Young people from pre-school to the age of 18.

The key personnel who should be involved in every PEP meeting are:

The young person
The young person's Social Worker
The young person's Carer
The Designated Teacher or named lead for children and young people in care from the young person's education or training setting, nursery, school, college or provider.

Listen to me resources are currently available on request by contacting yorklocalofferSEND@york.gov.uk

Online information for children and young people in care

Show Me That I Matter (SMTIM) is the name of York's Children in Care Council. The SMTIM website provides information for children and young people on anything and everything to do with being in care.

www.showmethatimatter.com