Merry Christmas!

Dates for your Diary

Designated Teacher Network Meetings:

• 22 January 2024 from 2.00 – 3.30pm via Teams (focus on Relational Support Plans)
• 14 March 2024 from 2.00 – 3.30pm via Teams (focus on Transitions)
• 20 May 2024 from 2.00 – 3.30pm via Teams (focus on the Importance of a Key Adult)
• 1 July 2024 from 2.00-3.30pm via Teams (focus to be confirmed)

Hold these dates in your diary and Outlook calendar invites will be emailed to all DTs nearer the dates, if you don’t receive the invite please request from kate.clarke@devon.gov.uk

New DT Refresher Training

We are aware that Designated Teachers change and move on and to help with this the Virtual school and Educational Psychology Service are running a training/information session aimed at new DT`s or those who would like a refresher about the role.  The virtual training sessions will be held termly to cover new people taking up the role as the school year unfolds and to give a choice of dates.  Each session will be the same so you would only need to attend one.  Structure of the training:

• 1 hour to understand trauma, attachment and why a CiC may need something additional from a school setting;
• 1 hour looking at ‘What it means to be a DT and the statutory duties it entails’.

Dates:

• 31 January 2024 from 2.00 – 4.15pm via Teams
• 8 July 2024 from 2.00 – 4.15pm via Teams
• 16 September 2024 from 2.00 – 4.15pm via Teams

To attend the New DT Refresher Training please request the calendar invite/Teams joining instructions from  kate.clarke@devon.gov.uk

Mental Health Hub

In the summer of 2022, the Department for Education (DofE) embarked on a mission to better understand the challenges faced by over 500 senior mental health leads in educational settings. What they discovered was a shared desire for practical support to facilitate meaningful change and sustain effective practices within their institutions.

The Need for Change: following on from the survey it became clear there was a critical need for easier access to evidence-informed resources and measurement tools, essential information and comprehensive training. They recognised the importance of aligning their educational settings with the 8 core principles of a whole school or college approach to mental health. Simultaneously, they sought the means to connect their staff with valuable training and resources from a variety of trusted suppliers.

Our Response: we listened and we acted. We understood the urgency of addressing these pressing concerns. That’s why we created the Mental Health Hub – a dedicated platform designed specifically to meet your needs.

Our Commitment: The Mental Health Hub is committed to empowering schools and colleges to deliver on a long term wellbeing strategy that meets the needs of your unique values and ethos. We ensure a whole school approach by providing seamless access to evidence-based resources, essential information and comprehensive training opportunities as well as free access to our flagship product CORDS to all members of staff.  Our goal is to support you in improving your institution’s approach to mental health, ensuring a nurturing and inclusive environment for all.

Built for You: The Mental Health Hub is here to make your journey easier, your tasks more manageable and your goals more   attainable. We’ve thoughtfully designed this platform with your needs in mind, ensuring that you have the tools and resources necessary to drive positive change in your educational setting.

Please look through the Mental Health Hub Brochure  or visit the website to see the features and offerings available to your school.

Register your school in 3 easy steps:

1. Request Account – Schools must complete a form on the MHH website to initiate registration.
2. Review & Sign Agreement – Upon approval by MHH, the school’s authorised personnel will receive our agreement for review and signature.
3. Set Up Account – After signing the agreement, schools will receive login details to set up their  MHH account

DfE-funded training for Mental Health Leads in schools

One of the most effective ways to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people and school staff is through development and implementation of a whole school approach to mental health.  A key part of this involves designation of a Mental Health Lead, who is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation and sustainability of the approach in a way that meets the needs of the school.  Having a lead member of staff for mental health has several benefits, including:

• Raising the profile of mental health in school;
• Signalling to pupils, parents/carers, staff and the wider community that mental health is a priority;
• Ensuring mental health remains at the forefront of school operations and decision-making; and
• Enabling information and training to be cascaded throughout school.

To support schools in appointing a Mental Health Lead the DfE is offering a grant of £1,200 for eligible state-funded schools and colleges to train a member of staff.  This grant is available until 31 March 2024 so time is running out to take advantage of this opportunity!

If your school has previously had a member of staff undertake the training who has subsequently left before a whole school approach was fully embedded, schools can now apply for a second grant to train a new Mental Health Lead.

The funding can be used to contribute to the cost of attending a quality assured course and may also be used to cover supply staff costs whilst leads are engaged in learning.

There are currently no face-to-face training providers available locally, however available digital offers can be found here.

Not used the grant? Tell us why!

If you have not yet been able to use the grant we would be interested to understand why this may be the case, to see if there is anything we can do to facilitate participation in the training and ensure as many schools as possible in Devon have a Mental Health Lead.  Please get in touch with us at dswp@devon.gov.uk.

FREE English as Additional Language (EAL) workbooks

Our Devon schools have over 5000 EAL children and we supported over 50 home languages last year.  The Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) supports schools and settings in improving the outcomes for ethnically diverse and EAL children.  This includes supporting children of Traveller, Gypsy, Roma and Showmen ethnicities, who are the largest ethnically diverse community in our Devon schools.

Through the Homes for Ukraine funding, we have been able to deliver various enhanced EAL support programmes to our Ukrainian children.  This year this includes funded bilingual support for Reception and year 7 children, as well as our Maths intervention programmes.  We also continue to deliver our core and traded offer of advisory support and bilingual support.

We are pleased to announce that all Devon maintained schools will shortly be receiving their own copy of three EAL workbooks to use to support EAL children.  This unprecedented project has all been made possible through the Homes for Ukraine funding and we hope that you find them useful.

You can access bilingual and interpreter support, bilingual induction packages, support with families, academic intervention and training through the Devon Education Services shop, or for maintained schools including EYS attached to maintained schools, via our EAL clinics.

English as Additional Language (EAL) Support Clinic

We wanted to make you aware of this service to support Devon maintained/LA and EY schools with learners who have English as an Additional Language.

The EAL Support Clinic is aimed at providing support to schools and EYS settings with their EAL queries (for maintained/LA and EY schools only).

You can book a FREE 15min appointment via this link

If you are an academy or special school please visit the Devon Education Services shop to purchase consultancy time, as these clinics are for maintained/LA and EY schools only.

Please ensure you have familiarised yourself with the new English as an Additional Language (EAL) guidance.

Inside I’m Hurting: Foundation Level One Training

The Virtual School will fund 20 places on this online training event

Supporting the pupil who has experienced significant relational traumas and losses this day of training is suitable for a wide range of professionals and parents/carers who are interested in understanding how to settle a troubled pupil to learn within the education context. It is intended to inspire those who attend, enabling them to realize that they can all contribute and make a difference whatever their role or responsibility.

The day will also encourage alternative practices in schools by using an attachment aware and trauma informed framework to understand behaviour as communication.

• Friday 2 February 2024
• Online Event, delivered via Zoom
• Registration 9am / Prompt start 9.15am / Finish 3.30pm

About the tutor: Julia Wilde – Strategic Attachment Lead.  Julia is a Strategic Attachment Lead and is part of the TouchBase team. With a background teaching in Secondary Education, her experience of working in schools has focused on inclusion and supporting vulnerable students many of whom who have experienced multiple ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). Julia has completed and continues to follow the recommended pathway for TIE (Trauma Informed Education) and adopts Attachment Aware Trauma Responsive approaches to support recovery.

To book one of our VS funded places on this training please complete our quick online form here by Friday 5 January 2024.  If you miss one of the free places the cost is £100/per person and are available to purchase via the following link – Inside I’m Hurting – Foundational Level One – TouchBase

Work Experience Opportunity at Theatre Royal Plymouth

The Theatre Royal Plymouth has kindly guaranteed places for care-experienced students on their work experience week in June 2024  – please share this exciting opportunity with any Year 10-12 CiC you have on roll that you feel may be interested.

You can find out all the details via this link  Company15 | Theatre Royal Plymouth / closing date is Monday 15th January.

If you have a care-experienced student who would like to apply, have a visit or if you have any queries, please get in touch with our Post-16 Aspirations Officer, Matthew Medd, matthew.medd@devon.gov.uk

FULLY FUNDED Outward Bound courses for Young People aged 16 to 22 years

The Sir Francis Chichester Trust is once again offering FREE places on the 2-week Outward Bound courses to young people who live in Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) and who are aged 16-22 at the time of the course, which will be July/August 2024. The Trust is keen to receive applications and so would be glad if you could encourage any suitable young people to apply and also bring this opportunity to the attention of colleagues who might know of suitable candidates.

The course is designed to help participants make an effective transition into sixth form, further education or work and is a chance to have a life-shaping adventure with people from all over the world, to know what they are truly capable of achieving and to stand out in a crowded market place.  The courses are held at the Outward Bound centres in the Lake District, Wales and Scotland.

The aim of the courses is that young people challenge themselves, demonstrate progress through 1:1 action planning focussed on personal development, work outside of their normal friendship group and leave with a breadth of experience that will enrich personal statements and set them aside from other young people.   The main benefits for the young people are seen in greatly improved self-confidence and team working abilities, together with raised aspirations.

The Trust looks for candidates that wouldn’t normally have a chance to undertake anything of this nature and will be able to enjoy and benefit from the experience, however the Trust cannot support any young people that at the time of their course are subject to a youth offending order and also that if a young person has been supported by the Trust previously they are unlikely to be funded for a further course.

The Sir Francis Chichester Trust will meet the full course fee (around £1,900/person) for successful applicants and ask that they are responsible for their own transport to the Outward Bound centre of their choice.  However, if transport costs are prohibitive then we will look at additional support if possible.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 23 January 2024

Interviews for those shortlisted will be held on 29 February and 1 March 2024 (young people applying must be available on either of these dates).

An application form can be downloaded from the Trust website http://chichestertrust.org.uk and there’s a video clip about the course available.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young people who wouldn’t normally have a chance to undertake anything of this nature so do please think of any young people you know who might benefit and if you have any queries then please do get in touch.

Jill Davies (Trust Manager)

Email: info@chichestertrust.org.uk

Education Desty: mentoring programme supporting primary-age children

A mentoring programme to support primary-age children to recognise and relate to key emotions and to link thought to feelings, to improve emotional awareness and emotional literacy skills.  Empowering the child to think critically and to implement strategies, including mindfulness, to deal effectively with their emotions, thereby developing resilience.  Getting to know the child, building the mentor/child relationship and development friendship skills.

The Desty Mentor package supports up to 5 children in care in your school.

Further details can be found on their website Education DESTY

The next programme runs from 4 March to 30 April 2024 (full details below).

The Virtual School will fund the programme so it’s free to Primary Schools that have a Devon Child in Care on roll.  To sign up please email kate.clarke@devon.gov.uk  by 31 January 2024

DESTY  Mentor Training Group Schedule: March – May 2024

Step	Action	Date
1	Registration Closing Date	4 March 2024
2	All participants successfully registered	8 March 2024
3	All participants begin DESTY certified mentor course	11 March 2024
4	1st – Live webinar check-in and Q&A Units 1-9 complete	26 March 2024 – 9.30am or 26 March 2024 – 3.30pm
	EASTER HOLIDAYS 2024
5	2ND – Live webinar check-in and Q&A Units 10-19 complete	16 April 2024 – 9.30am or 16 April 2024 – 3.30pm
6	Final – Live webinar check-in and Q&A Units 20-27 complete – Full course complete	30 April 2024 – 9.30am or 30 April 2024 – 3.30pm

ChatHealth/Health for Teens: advice and support for 11-19 year olds

Health for Kids: for primary-age children

Farringdon House School Trust: small grants for vulnerable children

The Farringdon House School Trust  give small grants for vulnerable children resident in Devon who are under 21 years of age, for educational purposes, such as IT, equipment for Duke of Edinburgh or Ten Tors etc. They will also consider grants for educational projects.

Applications are not confined to Children in Care so could be made by a Social Worker for a children on CP or CIN Plans.  For Children in Care the Social Worker makes the application and the school has to act as a referee.

Funds are provided to help children with disabilities and those with special educational needs by providing a wide range of support, always taking into account what other finance may be available from parents or elsewhere.

To apply please see this link https://farringdonhouse.org.uk/applications/

The trust meets quarterly on the first Monday of March, June, September and December to consider grant applications but may deal with urgent needs by interim grants.

Virtual School Website

Just a reminder that all our Protocols, Guidance, Forms, ePEP information and plenty of other useful resources can be found on the  Virtual School Website.   See Information for Schools, Settings and Governors There is also a section for Adopted Children & those under Special Guardianship Orders

Any Changes to Designated Teachers/Contact Info?

If you have a change of staff please email educate.virtualschool-mailbox@devon.gov.uk to inform us of your new Designated Teacher’s name and email address  – so we can ensure that our emails are sent to the correct person and that your new DT is set up on the ePEP system.  Many thanks.

Virtual School Contact Info

If we can help in any way please do not hesitate to get in touch…

• Julie Potter (Exeter & East Devon) julie.potter@devon.gov.uk Tel: 01392 384571
• Campbell Orr (North Devon) campbell.orr@devon.gov.uk Tel: 01392 388448
• Sarah Acland (Exeter & Mid Devon) sarah.acland@devon.gov.uk Tel: 01392 382372
• Andrew Squire (South & West Devon) andrew.squire@devon.gov.uk Tel: 01392 380918
• Mo Hurley (16-18 year olds & NEETs) mo.hurley@devon.gov.uk Tel: 01392 386479
• Deryn Dewing (advice/guidance on adopted children and those on SGOs) deryn.dewing@devon.gov.uk Tel: 07977 194545
• Wendy Ohlson (VS Headteacher) wendy.ohlson@devon.gov.uk
• Kate Clarke (VS Administrator) kate.clarke@devon.gov.uk

View the latest Virtual School Structure chart

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Lastly, we’d like to thank you for all your support and work with our Children in Care and wish you a very Merry Christmas!