Education
Education is an important factor in enhancing looked after and adopted children's life chances. Parental involvement in a child's learning is more powerful than family background, size of family or level of parental education and, in the primary years, has more impact on attainment than the school itself.
Education offer
The Education Team are part of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and is formed through a collaboration with the four Virtual Schools in our region – Derbyshire, Derby City, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City. The wider offer is overseen through regular collaborative management between the four Virtual Schools and Adoption East Midlands (AEM). Ali, Grace and Abi are all adopters with lived experience for caring for adoptive children, as well as experienced teachers in both a primary and secondary settings.
What we can offer is based on your family’s individual needs. The level of need in education for adoptive families in high, taking this into account, and as this is a small resource, we have developed a graduated response to support so that we can support as many people as possible.
For more information please refer to our education offer leaflet [PDF].
For information about our education training events please refer to our general education training leaflet [PDF].
Collaboration with Virtual Schools
Our four Virtual Schools are working alongside us, and we are collaborating to support a single point of access for adopted children via the AEM education team. The statutory role of the virtual school is for previously looked-after children is ‘to promote their educational achievement through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators and others who the Virtual School Head (VSH) considers necessary’. We will signpost you to the Virtual School in your area if we think they can support your child at school.
The key roles of the Virtual Schools in our collaboration are:
-
To collaborate with AEM in producing and delivering a training offer for families.
-
Participation in management of the education project as part of the wider AEM Multi-Disciplinary Team.
-
Offer advice and information to providers of early education, designated teachers in schools and providers of alternative provision. Also improve awareness of the vulnerability and needs of previously looked-after children through training and support for schools. This includes promoting good practice on identifying and meeting children’s needs and guidance on effective use of pupil premium funding.
If you would like to contact our virtual school direct, please see the following contact details:
- Nottinghamshire: virtualschooladvice@nottscc.gov.uk - 0115 804 4677
- Derbyshire: virtualschool@derbyshire.gov.uk - 01629 538028
- Nottingham City: thevirtualschool@nottinghamcity.gov.uk - 0115 876 4692
- Derby City: virtualschool@derby.gov.uk - 01332 640342
To find out more about the virtual school in your area, please visit their website:
Nottinghamshire Virtual School