Medway Council
Information for care leavers about help they can receive from Virtual School Medway:
| Who can help you from Medway Virtual School? | From 16 years all young people in care in Medway will be allocated a Leaving Care PA who will work alongside the Social Worker to support young people accessing education. If the young person is in a school sixth form then they will also be supported by Medway Virtual School. If the young person is at College, on an Apprenticeship, Employed, Volunteering, with a training provider or not accessing any provision, they will be supported by the Virtual School, their social worker and a leaving care PA. When appropriate the Virtual School and Social Care will liaise with the Special Educational Needs team to provide additional support. | |
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| For those in Year 11 now | Each young person in Year 11 will have the support of the Virtual School, the Social Worker, and their Foster Carer to help identify post 16 options. Once the young person is 16 (s) he will also have support from the Leaving Care Team. | |
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| For those in year 12 and 13 now | The Virtual School, the Social Worker and a Leaving Care Personal Assistant are available to help with choices, or if the young person is not sure they are on the right programme. They will also work with the provider to make sure the young person is accessing the support they require. | |
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| PEPs | Personal Education Plans continue for into years 12 and 13. The PEP meeting can be adapted to reflect the young person’s placement. For example, it might be through a review meeting at the provider, or it may be an informal PEP. PEP reviews also need to be held for those employed, those on an apprenticeship, or those volunteering or not in education employment or training. If there are concerns, a member of staff from the Virtual School will try to attend the PEP review. | |
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| Results time | When results come out in August, there will be staff available from the Leaving Care Team to offer guidance and support . They will liaise with the Virtual School if results were not what was expected, and if this has impact on the young person’s post 16 plans. | |
| Supporting Enrolment | The Leaving Care P. A. will be available during the enrolment periods of post 16 choices as this can be a very busy and confusing time. When the young person knows of their enrolment date and time, they should keep this information safe because they will also need to take proof of results with them to enrolment. Otherwise they may not be able to enrol on the programme. | |
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| Induction Periods | During the first 6 weeks of the first term, the young person may feel that the programme isn’t quite right for them, or the environment may not be best suited to meet their needs. If this is the case, the young person needs to let someone know as soon as possible to discuss this and consider other options.Leading up to the October half term, the post 16 provider may set clear criteria that the young person has to meet to be able to stay on the programme after the October half term—it may be to have 100% attendance, to submit key pieces of work, to show commitment and motivation to the programme. If the young person does not meet the set criteria | |
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| English and Maths | A young person will continue to study English and Maths in post 16 provision if they haven’t already achieved a grade C or above (2016) or a grade 5 (2017 onwards). | |
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| 18+ Service | Medway Virtual School works closely with the Leaving Care Team to support transition. Post 21 years ( up to 25 years) please liaise with leaving Care Team if returning to education for your needs to be assessed. | |
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| Where can I find more information | These websites provide more information on options available locally: https://www.readytoworkkent.co.uk/; http://www.themytrust.org/ |
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