VSK NEWS

Welcome

Welcome colleagues to the second edition of the VSK Newsletter - I hope you find it informative. The Children and Families Act 2014 has made a real impact in the work of the Virtual School. Firstly the act now makes it a statutory responsibility for every Local Authority to have a Head of a Virtual School and secondly a complete overhaul of the ‘Pupil Premium’ for children in care. The Department for Education has now published the new Conditions of Grant for the Pupil Premium 2014-15. This marks the biggest shake up in the grant since its conception. There are numerous signifi-cant changes within the document, however the main changes include:-

The amount: As of April will be £1900 Responsibility: No longer goes directly to the school but is held by the Virtual School Application: Granted by need and not £1900 per child as an entitlement, but a lump sum for the Virtu-al School to co-ordinate support. This will be allocated predominantly through the mainstream schools to raise attainment, accelerate progress and narrow the attainment gap for children in care, but also used to offer county wide initiatives. These changes are very exciting for our young people, as the grant has real potential to make a positive impact. During this time of significant change it is vital that the positive relationship that exists between the Virtual School with schools, foster carers and social work teams flourish to ensure best use of this grant.

VSK are currently finalising our PP+ policy which will be cir-culated to every school, social work team, educational teams and foster carers throughout June and July which also includes a frequently asked questions section.

You can see the DfE Frequently asked questions now on our website at http://www.virtualschool.lea.kent.sch.uk/education/pupil-premium

Tony Doran Headteacher, Virtual School Kent

To find out more about VSK visit our website: http://www.virtualschool.lea.kent.sch.uk/

In This Issue

Welcome

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Training

ePEP News

CiC Specialist Nurses

Locality Updates

Examination Results

A day in the life of a Support Of-

ficer

Participation & Engagement

Contact Info

Summer Term 2014 Kent’s Virtual School for Children in Care and Young Care Leavers

Congratulations! Virtual School Kent were nominated for a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England Award at the House of Lords on Wednesday 26th February, in recognition of their exemplary work in the field of mental health. The awards identify examples of excellent projects and individuals, acknowledging innovation and high perfor-mance in raising mental health literacy across England.

Virtual School Kent were nominated for the Champion Award for supporting and promoting MHFA and men-tal health literacy in Youth and were awarded 2nd place for demonstrating exemplary leadership in increas-ing mental health literacy in their community.

“I am thrilled that the work we have done has been recognised by MHFA. We feel strongly that emotional health and wellbeing is crucial in helping children to develop in to healthy, confident adults who we hope will be lifelong learners. We have commis-sioned ten courses so far and as a result have achieved the Mark of Excellence for Youth Mental Health First Aid which we are very proud to hold. We intend to continue our commitment to improving the emotional and mental health well-being of chil-dren and young people and view this training as an integral part of our strategy to achieve this.”

Tony Doran

Headteacher, Virtual School Kent

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Dates Youth Mental Health First Aid is an internationally recognised two day course designed specifically for peo-ple that teach, work, live with or care for young people aged 11 - 18 years. You will learn how to: Provide information, tools and techniques to promote a young person's mental and emotional wellbe-

ing. Support a young person who might be experiencing mental and emotional distress

Quote from VSK Assistant Head "Fantastic training, I highly recommend it for anyone working with vulnera-ble children / young people. Very good use of different materials (art, dvds...) to give an insight into how young people with Mental Health difficulties can feel or perceive the world. Structured plans giving you practical support on how to talk about a mental health difficulty and how to respond - all helpful in the real world! “ Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

TERM 1: Holiday Inn at Hothfield, Ashford - 29th and 30th September 2014 - CPD Ref: SCH 14/1463

TERM 2: County Hall at Maidstone - 10th and 11th December 2014 - CPD Ref: SCH 14/1464

Please go to www.kentcpdonline.org.uk to book your place.

ePEP NEWS The ePEP Team are pleased to report that there are several exciting areas being developed which will be available shortly. We are currently:

In the final stages of testing the 16+ and Early Years PEPs. Reducing the number of questions asked in the Young Person’s section Creating an easier to use Attainment Section Simplifying the method for closing a PEP

The training Manual for Designated Teachers is now available on the VSK Website along with the Manuals for Foster Carers and Social Workers. www.virtualschool.lea.kent.sch.uk/education/personal-education-plan

And please remember as we approach the end of the academic year, that it is the responsibility of the Desig-nated Teacher at the leaving school to ensure all young people associated to them on ePEP are transferred to their new school or setting when they move. Please see page 79 of the manual for details of how to do this or contact the ePEP Team.

ePEP Admin Team Contacts

Rachel (East Kent): 01227 284517

Rico (North Kent, Dover & Folkestone): 01233 898589

Nicholas (West Kent, Ashford, Hythe & the Marshes): 01233 898543

Email: VSK_ePEP@kent.gov.uk

Ask the ePEP Team…

Here we will try to answer your most common ePEP system questions. If you have any particular ques-

tion you would like us to answer then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Who opens a Young Person’s** ePEP and what are the timings for completing the ePEP?

When a Young Person first comes into care or when the Young Person joins a new school, it is the Social Worker’s responsibility to initiate the PEP meeting and open up the new ePEP on the system. It is a statutory requirement that the meeting is undertaken within 20 school days of the Young Person coming in to care or the Young Person joining the new school. Thereafter it is the joint responsibility of the Social Worker and the Des-ignated Teacher to set up the subsequent (‘Review’) PEP meetings; however the onus is on the Designated Teaching staff to open up the new ePEP on the system relevant to the meeting.

Ideally an ePEP should be opened three to four weeks prior to the meeting. The Social Worker needs to com-plete Section 1 and the Designated Teacher needs to complete Section 2 prior to the meeting. Carers, if they have signed up to the system should also complete their section. Likewise the Young Person will need to an-swer their questions before the meeting. By completing these sections before the meeting the Social Worker, the Designated Teaching staff and the Carer/s will all have an informed picture of the Young Person and the meeting can focus on the educational attainment, potential and needs of the Young Person.

The system automatically sets a Target Date for Completion of the ePEP of seven days after the PEP meeting. During this period the Designated Teaching staff are required to complete their final sections within the ePEP, including the summary of the PEP meeting, the section on Funding requests, the Young Person’s targets and the Educational Summary. The Carer can also update their section with any feedback they may have following the meeting.

** This currently applies to children in Key Stages 1 to 4 at the beginning of the academic year, however, dur-ing the next academic year the ePEP system will go live for both the Early Years and the 16+ Young People in care, and the above will extend to them as well.

CHILDREN IN CARE SPECIALIST NURSES

The primary role of the Children in Care Specialist Nurse is to complete statutory review health assess-ments. This involves assessing the health status of chil-dren and young people to identify any health issues that may exist. If any health issues are identified by the Nurse, these will be discussed and in co-operation with the child or young person the Nurse will make a health care plan. The health care plan will consist of health care recommendations and identify the person respon-sible for carrying out these recommendations. This may involve the Nurse making referrals to other health agencies. Copies of the health care plan will be distrib-uted to the Young person (age appropriate), foster carer and social worker. The Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) will review the progress of the health care recom-mendations at the Child in Care Review.

After completion of the review health assessment the Nurse will request that the child / young person and fos-ter carer complete a user survey experience evaluation form. For most this will involve completing a form and returning in a stamped addressed envelope. For some the option of completing this evaluation on an iPad is available.

Some comments recently received:

“I was impressed with the service and the care and attention my children received”

“The Nurse was very friendly and polite”

“The Nurse was funny and fun”

“The Nurse was very kind and didn’t make me feel insecure about my weight”

“The Nurse understood what I had to say even though some things were hard to talk about, she listened and understood”

The Children in Care Nursing Service encourages you to complete the user surveys as your com-

ments are important to us and help to influence and improve our service development.

Several foster carers commented that they were disappointed that there was no provision of toys or books to amuse children with whilst attending the review health assessment appointment. In response, the Children in Care Nursing Service reminds foster carers via the appointment letter to bring a suitable toy to the appoint-ment to keep their child amused.

Children in Care Specialist Nurse Contacts

June Capuano (Acting Clinical Manager) and Janet Powell (Secretary)

North and West Kent: Kim Batstone, Jo James and Sonia Staple

East and South Kent: Caroline Hawken, Tracy Donovan, Marie Edmonds, Thresa McCarthy & Jill Sim

Email: VSK_Health@kent.gov.uk

FE & HE COUNTYWIDE UPDATE

Rachel Calver, Assistant Head FE & HE

Tel: 03000 412777 or Email: Rachel.Calver@kent.gov.uk

Care Leaver Summer School

There are still places available on the Care Leaver Summer School from Mon-day 30

th June to Wednesday 2

nd July 2014 at Medway Campus, 10am–4pm

The University of Greenwich working with Catch22 and Medway Multi Integrat-ed Looked After Care Leavers Team (MILAC), are holding a taster event spe-cifically for children in care and young care leavers for those aged 16 and over. During the three-day taster event they will get to experience a little bit of university life - spending time at workshops, taking part in de-bates, developing personal skills, meeting new friends and graduating. Some of the subjects to be cov-ered include: Health & Social Care, Creative Arts, DNA, Psychology, Sports Science and Business. The summer school is funded by the University of Greenwich and it is completely free to participants. They will provide transport to and from the event. Lunch & refreshments will be also be provided.

For more information or to apply please contact me.

Post 16 Options

As the end of the academic year gets closer, it is crucial to identify post 16 options for all of our Children in Care/Care Leavers for September 2014. Young people are now required to remain in education until they are 18 years of age - the young person can continue studying in 6th form or College, they can undertake an apprenticeship or they can be in full-time employment or volunteering, combined with part-time educa-tion or training. It is not too late to apply for post 16 options, many Colleges will be holding Open Days be-tween now and the end of the summer holiday. CXK, in collaboration with Virtual School Kent Post 16 team, will be providing support during the summer break and into the new term.

We have moved!

Our teams covering North Kent, West Kent and FE/HE have moved to a

new office at Kings Hill. Our contact details are now:

03000 412777

Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill,

Kent ME19 4AE

NORTH KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Jo Kelly, Assistant Head North Kent

Tel: 03000 412777 or Email: Joanne.Kelly@kent.gov.uk

The North and West Virtual School Kent teams joined together to hold a Conference for Designated Teachers on 28th March. It was an amazing day with a seafaring theme in recognition of David Williams, one of our young people who completed the TALL SHIPS challenge – and he came along to show the audience what he had achieved to the tune of ‘Rock the Boat’!

The focus was on raising aspirations for our young people in care. There were many presenters including Will Calver from University of Greenwich on S4IL (Skills for Inde-pendent Learning) alongside alternative providers to support schools with using Pupil Premium creatively and with good impact. And Sue Surridge from AdoptionUK who talked to schools about the neuroscience/physiology of attachment difficulties and what can be used in the Classroom to support young people.

Another star of the day was Khy Coleman, one of our current year 11 students. He stood up in front of everyone to tell his story – and then to read his letter. I have includ-ed a short extract below…

“Skanks, druggies and criminals this is what we are described as, seen as outlaws and outcasts of society all because we don't have a mum or dad…It's just wrong! We of course are the kids that fail in the system… I’ve been told that I was 'gonna end up in the gutter' and on another occasion asked if I have ever been on a 'family picnic'…

Of course this is not the case for all of the kids in the care system. Local councils such as Kent County Council are working with Virtual School Kent to provide kids in the sys-tem with good experiences. .. people do care and once you allow them to you can do incredible things with your life… “We need all the help we can get to fight this abomination that is discrimination. Not only will this change this image and perception of care kids but also break the cycle and make other care kids happier and more successful in life. So don't think what will this do for me but what will this do for others. Life is too short for pain and misery, care kids know this only too well. There will always be someone there looking out for you and there to love you.”

Needless to say people were stunned by what he had written – also by his sheer courage, determination - and the humour that he presented with! We are really proud of Khy, we wish him luck in his GCSEs and in his on-ward career at College this Autumn.

Tony Doran, Headteacher of VSK wrote “I have just read this essay and I am honestly blown away…It is this kind of engagement that can have a real impact and lead to changes in central and local government policy development. I have no doubt that his words could help others.”

SAIL TO SUCCESS

WEST KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Jemma Page, Assistant Head West Kent (Maidstone & Malling)

Tel: 03000 412777 or Email: jemma.page@kent.gov.uk

We are working hard to support our year 6 to 7 transitions in Maidstone and Malling and our support officers are busy working on innovative ways to support our young people who are taking that big step on to secondary school. It is one of my favourite parts of this term - reading transition plans and seeing all the different activities and tasks the support officers plan to undertake in order to ensure our young people get the best start in year 7! We are also beginning to plan for September and as well as getting our heads around all the changes to the pupil premium funding we are reminding schools of the attach-ment training that’s on offer for FREE and asking them to think about including it in one of their inset days so that we can work with the whole school team. The feedback following these training sessions is always that it covers a large percentage of children in the school and not just the children who are in care or in adoptive placements. So have a look at your calendars and see where you can fit this training in! We are also supporting our year 11’s and it is really exciting for us this year as with the introduction of Rachel Calver to the team we know they are moving on into safe hands! If you have any year 11’s whose transition plans are not confirmed yet or who have changed their minds etc please let me know and we can make sure everything is in place for September! All that’s left to say now is have a fantastic Summer term and if I don’t see you have a brilliant break and cross your fingers and toes that the sun will put his hat on!

Margaret Hamlyn, Assistant Head West Kent, SENCO

& OOC (Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells)

Tel: 03000 412777 or Email: Margaret.hamlyn@kent.gov.uk

Whole school Attachment/Trauma Training has recently been delivered very successful-ly at Paddock Wood Primary School as well as many other schools in this academic year – for example, the Sevenoaks District organised a whole training day for their Teaching Assistants and VSK presented several of the workshops on this subject.

Paddock Wood really took on board the significance of the training to help support Children in Care as well as other vulnerable pupils. All teaching and support staff attended and the lead midday supervisor was also there to be involved in the training - this whole school approach really helps to effect good plans for supporting pupils with complex emotional needs.

Evaluations have been excellent and we look forwards to many other schools taking up this opportunity of VSK training in the next academic year.

This training includes aspects of the following…

How does secure attachment develop

Insecure attachment and presenting behaviours

Strategies for the school, class teacher and supporting staff

Personalised approaches to supporting children and young people

If your school would be interested in receiving this training please con-tact your Assistant Head

EAST KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Ben Taylor, Assistant Head Canterbury and Swale

Tel: 01227 284414 or Email: Ben.Taylor2@kent.gov.uk

As we begin term 6, we in the Canterbury & Swale team are turning our focus to the young people transitioning to secondary school. We are all aware that changing schools can be a trying time for children and the move from primary to secondary may be the most challenging. If a young person takes longer to settle in to their new school, or spends time worrying about it over the summer, it can be more difficult for them to get used to the new environment and start making progress, both academically and socially.

With this in mind we work closely with our primary schools with year 6 children and secondary schools to identify those young people who may be in need of extra support. Within Can-terbury and Swale, close liaison between primaries and secondary's is imbedded with Designated Teach-ers from the secondary school often attending the last year 6 PEP. We, though, are well-placed in Virtual School Kent to do some direct work with the young people to scaffold the transition, via our Canterbury & Swale support officers. The main advantage that Keira, John and Abigail have in undertaking this work is that they are able to work with the children at their primary school before the holidays, and afterwards in September at the new school. Keira, John and Abigail will be able to discuss worries, issues, questions and fears with the young people, as well as highlighting things that they will be looking forward to. Find-ing out about the new school’s facilities, after school clubs, key staff, new subjects and trips, all help to highlight that there are lots of positives to moving on. They will also try, wherever possible, to attend the ‘moving on’ days that secondary schools have in term 6. It can make a big difference for a young person to see their support officer at the new school, whether it is just for a quick catch-up, or for some 1:1 ses-sions.

Because the needs of our young people will vary greatly the level of support that we can put in is flexible and can be adjusted depending on how things go. Ultimately our focus is to make the transition as smooth as possible so that the children start at their new schools, happy, keen and ready to learn and to make new friends. We have most of our transition work planned now but do get in touch with us if you think any of your students that are changing schools this summer, whatever their age, will need extra help to make this successful.

Examination Results We would of course like to hear how well our young people have performed in their examinations and

would be grateful if your schools Examination Officer could notify the Virtual School Kent Assistant Head

of the results received by the Kent Children in Care on roll at your school. Alternatively they can be

emailed to virsch01@kent.gov.uk or faxed to 01227 284523

And don’t forget that for current Year 11 pupils it is also the responsibility

of the Designated Teacher to enter the grades the young person achieves

on ePEP. If you need any assistance with this contact details for the ePEP

Team can be found on page three of this newsletter.

EAST KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Carole Bailey, Assistant Head Thanet

Tel: 01227 284550 or Email: Carole.Bailey@kent.gov.uk

Nico** is a child in care from the Eastern European Roma community. In Czechoslovakia he apparently attended a special educational institution but it is unclear just what this institution was. He has been in the UK for about four years, but has moved around quite a bit.

When I first met Nico, he was not in school, after having been forced to move areas for his own safety. I had been tasked to help him with KS3 Maths and English, although it became apparent that his literacy and numeracy levels were non-existent. He was overly trusting of strangers, and behaved inappropriately towards adults and peers. It was clear upon meeting him that Nico was not what would be described as a typical 13 year old. His behaviour was that of a much younger child, and he displayed few of the charac-teristics of a teenager. His attitude was always good, although he was unable to accept any compliments or praise. If he was ever told that something he had done was right, he strenuously denied it. It was also discovered that at some point Nico had suffered an episode of Bell’s Palsy. It was clearly going to be a challenging piece of work !

I concentrated on literacy, starting Nico on phonics. Initially, progress was hard to see, although it was clear that he was trying. Gradually, he began to see that he could do this. He got into a local school, and soon they were on board and doing precision teaching in literacy with Nico. They understood that he was unable to access the normal curriculum. At this point, I left the phonics to the school and started to do high frequency words, expanding into a personalised lexicon. The aim was to help Nico to be able to function in a world reliant upon literacy. His carer put in a large amount of work, following the system I was using to help with literacy, and applying himself to numeracy with Nico at home.

Eight months down the line, Nico has a certified lexicon in excess of 400 words, which he recalls with ac-curacy in excess of 95%. His handwriting is usually neat and well formed. He has stopped putting in ran-dom capital letters, and has mostly solved his d/b reversal problem. He is much better able to read, so long as the words aren’t too difficult, and his behaviour is vastly improved. At Easter2014, he received his award from school for exceeding the targets the school had set for summer 2014. He has even learned how to gracefully accept a compliment! He is better able to understand the need to keep himself safe, and is finding it easier to resist the temptation to run away.

He’s not there yet, but he has learned how to learn. I have high hopes that Nico will achieve sufficiently to be able to function in the areas of literacy and numeracy well enough to get by, which, for him, would represent monumen-tal progress.

Article written by John Ollason, VSK Support Officer (Thanet)

**The name of the young person has been changed

SOUTH KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Jen Kemp, Assistant Head South Kent (Ashford, Hythe & The

Marsh)

Tel: 01227 284508 or Email: Jennifer.Kemp@kent.gov.uk

Our staff and students have been working hard in preparation for SATs and GCSEs, managing schedules of revision, tuition and additional support officer sessions. I wish all our students the very best of luck with their exams and look forward to hearing of their successes in August.

We have also been busy identifying those children in Year 6 who will need extra tran-sition support through term 6 and into term 1 of the new academic year. Despite an excellent record of inter-school transition support in this locality, the additional input from VSK at what can be such an anxious time for our children is invaluable and cannot be underestimated. If you have a year 6 CiC pupil in your school whom I have not been in touch with you about and you believe they would benefit from some additional support from VSK then please do get in touch. Also don’t forget to invite the secondary school Designated Teacher to any PEP meetings or transition meetings – if you are not sure who that person is you can find out via the ePEP system by searching for the contacts linked to the secondary school.

Next term also sees a repeat of our successful South Kent Children in Care Designated Teacher Conference which takes place on the 2nd July at Aylesham Business Hub. The team look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible, although we can’t promise there will be more play-doh activites, the day is set to be both informative and fun!

This term we have had to say a fond farewell to our Children in Care Education Welfare Officer Mandy Barrett whom we will miss immeasurably. But we wish her all the best for life as a full time Mummy to her two lovely boys. It also won’t be long until I join her to become a full time parent for a while, as I embark on the adven-tures a second shot of maternity leave will bring (although I’m certainly not foolish enough to think that a long lazy summer awaits me!) I will be returning in the new year of 2015 but in the meantime wish my successor all the best as they ably hold the fort whilst I’m pre-occupied with new-born nappies and potty training!

All that is left for me to say is thank you for your continued support promoting the educational achievement and welfare of our children in care and I wish you all a very relaxing summer break.

SOUTH KENT LOCALITY UPDATE

Marian Smith, Assistant Head South Kent (Folkestone & Dover)

Tel: 01227 284468 or Email: Marian.Smith@kent.gov.uk

In common with many of our colleagues, having time to eat and enjoy lunch these days is a rarity - an event to be treasured and remembered with pleasure. However today there were no hastily grabbed sandwiches to munch during our working lunch!

We - Marian, Lynn and Jo - were invited to attend Folkestone Academy promptly at 12 noon! We met with Mr Bowley, the Academy’s Designated Teacher and were treated to a rather sumptuous gourmet lunch in Folkestone Academy’s room 213 Restaurant. This is run by NVQ students who have access to a professional training kitchen and are able to prepare, cook and serve high quality food to members of the general public three days per week.

As we left the rather stark walkway and classrooms behind and entered the eatery, we were greeted by top class waitress service and beautifully laid tables. We were tempted by a professionally produced menu with choices to be made for each of the three courses. To start, Smoked Mackerel or Crumb Coated Camembert, followed by Honey and Sugar Glazed Gammon or Marinated lamb Steak or Chilli Scented Supreme of Salmon and concluding with Creamy Rice Pudding or Strawberry and Chantilly Cream Paris-Brest. We did note, ra-ther wistfully, that the adjacent table had had the fore-thought to bring with them a bottle of interesting bever-age but being conscientious members of staff, we stuck to imbibing l’eau de table!

We were offered freshly made bread while we selected from the menu. The food when it arrived was stylishly presented and very tasty. The service was attentive without being intrusive.

Our waitresses looked very stylish and worked hard to ensure that we enjoyed our eating experience by mak-ing every effort in catering for our needs. They dealt efficiently with one member of our team who decided to be challenging in requesting variations to the menu. After the main course was cleared away, our waitress anx-iously enquired “was there something wrong with the food – you have left quite a lot?” No there wasn’t – we are just not used to consuming a three course meal at lunch times during the week, the starter was delicious -and all consumed -and the dessert was still to make its appearance!

The food is all prepared from scratch by Academy Students and is then served by fellow members of the cater-ing team whilst being discreetly supported by their tutors. One member of the team who was ensuring our en-joyment today is a VSK student and it was lovely to see her confident in what she was doing and using skills which will help her secure employment in the future.

Our Year 12 hostesses explained that they really enjoy meeting the customers and feel that the experience will help them enormously when applying for college courses and apprenticeships once they move on to the next stage in their educa-tion and training.

We finished off with a cup of freshly made coffee , then a quick diary catch up and off we went on our separate ways. A lovely interval in a busy schedule but a reminder that our young people can succeed given the right opportunities and support.

Meet the Team….A day in the life of a Support Officer

Hello my name is Sam Pilcher and I am a Support Officer in the South Kent Locality. I support children in care in schools across Ashford, Hythe and The Marsh. My first appointment today is in Dymchurch at 9am. I am supporting a young person in year 4 in class during his Literacy lesson. I previously worked with this young person on his transition at the end of year 3 therefore I have been able to develop a good relationship. The young person has Asperger and finds it difficult to interact positively with his peers and fully engage with the lesson. I sit alongside him during the les-son so that he remains on task as he has to be continually prompted for ideas to ensure he achieves his targets and the lesson objectives. I leave here about 10:15 as the children are going to Assembly and begin my journey through the country lanes back to Ashford. My next appointment today is not until 1pm so I have time to return to my office (at home) to type up my session notes, prepare resources and grab a bite to eat. My next young person is in Year 10. He has not attended school on a regular basis since year 7, therefore his academic levels are extremely low and he has a reluctance to engage in any educational activities which at times can be very challenging. During a recent Maths assessment, carried out by myself, he pre-sented to be working at around Level 3. This assessment highlighted specific areas of concern so the work that I have prepared is on basic number operations like multiplication and division. I then travel back across Ashford to Aldington where I work with a young person in Year 6. At present his Reading level is a 3B so it was decided that some intensive Literacy support be carried out in order for him to possibly achieve a Level 4 at the end of year 6. I work with the young person to improve his understand-ing and comprehension of the text. In order to do this I use a range of texts and different types of ques-tions. For example Information retrieval, inference, deduction and opinion to prepare him for his upcoming SAT’s. Spelling and phonic strategies are also revisited to improve reading. I leave here at 3:15pm and travel to my final appointment which is with a young person in Year 3. Her Math’s level is 1A/2C. She struggles with her knowledge of basic number bonds, place value and number facts despite receiving daily support in a small intervention group session. I support her on a one to one basis after school to help secure her knowledge of basic number bonds and place value. I try and make this session game based and fun as it is after school and sometimes she struggles to fully engage. I previ-ously worked with this young person during her transition in year 2, as well as helping to develop her read-ing and understanding of the text skills so that she was able to achieve the appropriate level in her Key stage 1 SAT’s. I have a good understanding of her needs and learning styles. Finally I’m on my way home (back to the office) so that I can check my emails and sort my diary for the next day. Every day is different as I work with young people of all ages and abilities in a range of different subjects. When you are able to help a young person achieve a target or re-engage in education it is very rewarding and fulfilling as you feel that you have helped them to make a difference to their future.

Participation and Engagement

The Our Children and Young People’s Council (OCYPC) meets each school holiday to discuss up coming matters.

They have recently been involved in the filming of the Care to Listen 2 DVD, the VSK Newsletter for young people and increasing awareness of the Kent Pledge.

During the past year they have organised 16 activity days in the school holidays and 239 children have attended at least one activity day with 69 children attending two or more. The activities include cookery, sports, outdoor pursuits, music & dance and arts & crafts.

“Over the Easter Holidays we organised four events across Kent starting off with a Circus Skills activity day where 50 young people had a go at plate spinning, pedelos, tightrope walking and much more. We saw lots of new faces as well as some young people who have attended our days before.

Little Potters in Sittingbourne was our next event, for 3 to 7 year olds. The children had the chance to paint some ornaments before lunch and then time to play in the soft play area.

Next, we were in Herne Bay for an Art Activity Day attended by 22 young people. We did t-shirt printing and made our own felt.

Finally, we were in Ashford for Gliding. We had two turns each in the glider with differ-ent types of take off. Whilst in the air, we could see many different towns around Kent before having a go at steering and some of us doing loop-the-loop.”

Please contact us for details about our upcoming events:

VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk

East and South Kent: 01227 284432 - Sophia & Hayley

North and West Kent: 03000 412128 - Amelia

Latest News!!

Sophia has completed her Level 2 NVQ in

Business and Administration and is now moving

onto her Level 3. Congratulations Sophia!!

Newsletter for Young People

The VSK Participation Worker Apprentic-

es publish two newsletters three times a

year. One is aimed at Secondary

School age and Care Leavers and the

other is for Primary age children.

Latest editions can be found at:

http://kentcarestown.lea.kent.sch.uk/

our-news

Hayley Amelia Sophia

VSK Contact Information

Tony Doran, Headteacher

Email: tony.doran@kent.gov.uk

Sarah Skinner, Service Business Manager

Email: sarah.skinner@kent.gov.uk

Malcolm Thomas, Deputy Head (North/West Kent)

Email: malcolm.thomas@kent.gov.uk

Ann Parnell, Deputy Head (East Kent)

Email: ann.parnell@kent.gov.uk

Marian Smith, Acting Deputy Head (South Kent)

Email: marian.smith@kent.gov.uk

Judy Molyneux, Senior Admin Officer

Tel: 01233 898514

Email: judy.molyneux@kent.gov.uk

Kroner House, Eurogate Business Park, Ashford, Kent TN24 8XU

North and West Kent Office

Tel: 03000 412777 Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, Kent ME19 4AE

East and South Kent Office

Tel: 01227 284468 / 550 Brook House, John Wilson Business Park, Reeves Way, Whitstable, Kent CT5 3SS

To find out more about VSK visit our website: http://www.virtualschool.lea.kent.sch.uk/