VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE
TRAINING PROSPECTUS 2012
This prospectus contains details of our training events for schools and college January to July 2012. Booking details are also enclosed – please contact Sarah Candy if you have any queries:
[email protected] 01225 396932
CONTENTS
Wednesday Network Meetings 3.45-5.00pm at The Link School throughout the year
Supporting Care Leavers In Further Education Thursday 26th January 2012 1.00pm – 4.30pm Southside Youth Centre, Twerton
Attachment Difficulties and Schooling - What school leaders need to know Wednesday February 8th 2012 1.30-4.30pm Chewton Place Conference and Training Centre, Keynsham
Inside I’m Hurting - Strategies to help children with attachment difficulties succeed in school Friday May 11th 2012 9.00am - 4.00pm Fry’s Conference Centre, Keynsham
Trauma, attachment and Learning Master’s Level Course Bath Spa University, April to September 2012 VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE Wednesday Network Meetings
3.45-5.00pm at The Link School
About this training:
A series of short twilight sessions run by the Virtual School discussing practical issues of interest to those who work with children in care every day.
What you will learn:
Wednesday January 18th - The new Ofsted framework and its implications for schools with children in care
Wednesday March 7th – managing transitions between schools
Wednesday June 27th – the Pupil Premium after one year: what works? Looking ahead to 2012-13
This training is suitable for:
All school staff who work with children in care; social workers
Cost and joining details: These sessions are free to all participants including those who work in academies To sign up – please email [email protected] by January 16th 2012. For more information contact Mike Gorman – 07530 263232 or [email protected] VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE SUPPORTING CARE LEAVERS IN FURTHER EDUCATION
THURSDAY 26TH JANUARY 2012 1.00PM – 4.30PM (Lunch from 12.30pm)
SOUTHSIDE YOUTH CENTRE, TWERTON
About this training: This half day conference will explore why Further Education can be a struggle for care leavers and what colleges of Further Education can do to help this vulnerable group achieve their full potential.
What you will learn: How early trauma, family break-up and underachievement in school impede the chances of young people in care and care leavers succeeding in post 16 education Strategies used by colleges where these young people achieve well Support available in Bath & North East Somerset
This training is suitable for: Further Education staff including senior leaders, tutors, and pastoral staff Connexions Personal Assistants Social workers and social care assistants
About the speakers: Chris Leonard has a background in FE and earlier in 2011 completed a research report on the experience of care leavers in FE across the Aim Higher west region Mike Gorman is the head of the Virtual School for Children in Care for Bath and North East Somerset Jacqui Bonardi is the team manager for the Bath and North East Somerset connexions service
Cost and joining details: This training session is free to participants. Lunch is available from 12.45pm To sign up – please complete the booking form on the next page and return it by Thursday 19th January 2012 For more information contact Mike Gorman – 07530 263232 or [email protected] BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE TRAINING EVENT BOOKING FORM
Event SUPPORTING CARE LEAVERS IN FURTHER EDUCATION Date THURSDAY 26TH JANUARY 2012 1.00PM – 4.30PM Venue SOUTHSIDE YOUTH CENTRE, TWERTON Name of participant Job title Organisation Address Telephone number E mail address Dietary/access requirements Would you like lunch? Yes/No Available from 12.30pm
Please complete one form for each participant and return it to Sarah Candy at the Virtual School by Thursday 19th January 2012
Return to:
+ Sarah Candy, Virtual School for Children in Care, Children in Care/Moving On Team, PO Box 25, Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1DN
Telephone queries about bookings to Sarah Candy: 01225 396932 VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE Attachment Difficulties and Schooling What school leaders need to know
Wednesday February 8th 2012 - 1.30-4.30pm
Chewton Place Conference and Training Centre, Keynsham
About this training: Damage caused through a dysfunctional upbringing – even in the first six months of life – can have affects children for the rest of their lives. This half day course will explore why traumatised children find it difficult to manage school and how schools can help them develop a new narrative of educational success. Participants will also hear about how one local school has seen a transformation in the educational prospects of children through adopting approaches based on an understanding of attachment. It is hoped that after this session, school leaders will be inspired to explore attachment issues in more depth with their staff.
What you will learn: Chris Stanway from Kate Cairns Associates will cover: Understanding trauma: why traumatised children find it difficult to manage school Narrative work: helping children to develop a new narrative of educational success Implications for practice: building success and raising attainment across a lifetime
Rachel Edwards from Three Ways School will cover: An overview on the impact of what we have done at Three Ways with case studies Joint working and consultation with LOCATE and Attachment Team How we have disseminated our good practice in house Success of positive "script" to support pupils.
This training is suitable for: Headteachers, senior staff in schools, designated teachers for children in care, governors, social worker team leaders, Connexions staff.
About the speakers: Chris Stanway Chris worked for thirty-two years in a state secondary school in an area with high levels of social deprivation on the south coast of England. Choosing to live in the local area, Chris recognised the important role the school and its staff played in that community. Having progressed through a number of roles within the school including SENCO, she established the role of Designated Teacher for Looked After Children shortly after the role was first identified by non-statutory guidance in 2000. As an Assistant Headteacher, she established and ran an inclusion unit within the mainstream school.
Together with Kate Cairns, Chris wrote Learn the Child – Helping Looked After Children to Learn, published by BAAF in 2004, which set out a knowledge base about the nature and effects of trauma on the development of children and the devastating effects this can have on their ability to learn. In more recent times Chris has been involved in developing qualifications for the children's workforce, including the level 5 BTEC 'Strategic development for designated teachers'. She now works as an independent consultant producing materials specifically focused on developing the education workforce. Finding positive ways of working with children who find life and learning in school difficult remains Chris's prime motivator.
Rachel Edwards Rachel Edwards worked as a teaching assistant at Summerfield School in Bath, supporting a pupil with attachment needs. From this initial work she undertook reading, research and practical application to develop her skills and understanding of attachment difficulties. She then qualified as a teacher and taught in the secondary department at Summerfield School which merged with Three Ways School in 2007.
Rachel has led in-house and external training sessions and has developed the support for young people with attachment needs at Three Ways School. She has developed strong multi- agency working relationships and now supports outreach work from Three Ways School.
Cost and joining details: The cost is £30 per head, plus VAT To sign up – please return the booking form by February 1st 2012 For more information contact Mike Gorman – 07530 263232 or [email protected] BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE TRAINING EVENT BOOKING FORM
Event Attachment Difficulties and Schooling - what school leaders need to know Date Wednesday February 8th 2012 - 1.30-4.30pm Venue Chewton Place Conference and Training Centre, Keynsham Name of participant Job title Organisation Address Telephone number E mail address Dietary/access requirements Name of person to whom invoice should be sent E mail address
Please complete one form for each participant and return it to Sarah Candy at the Virtual School by February 1st 2012
Return to:
+ Sarah Candy, Virtual School for Children in Care, Children in Care/Moving On Team, PO Box 25, Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1DN
Telephone queries about bookings to Sarah Candy: 01225 396932 VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE Inside I’m Hurting Strategies to help children with attachment difficulties succeed in school
Friday May 11th 2012 9.00am - 4.00pm Fry’s Conference Centre, Keynsham
About this training: This full day conference will explore the roots of attachment difficulties and why this can make learning and school a real challenge for many of our children. The emphasis will be on practical strategies schools can use straight away to help these children succeed and look forward to a more hopeful future.
What you will learn: The attachment framework and the impact of developmental trauma and loss The specific difficulties these pupils face and the mismatch evident in school Behaviour as communication and defences Features of an attachment friendly school and the role of the key adult in school Practical strategies to address relational capacities that need development
This training is suitable for: Teachers, support staff, leadership team, governors, social workers, health professionals.
About the speaker: The conference will be run by teacher, therapist, author and trainer Louise Michelle Bomber. Louise has worked with individual pupils, classes, whole school settings, teachers and support staff across both the primary and secondary phases. Her interest in inclusion began when she worked in Newham as a class teacher, when she became aware of a cohort of children who found it very difficult to settle to learn, because they were preoccupied with past issues of relational trauma and loss. She became especially interested in the area of attachment and in 2000 was employed on the Attachment Project in Brighton & Hove. Her curiosity, passion, experiences and trainings have enabled her to get alongside vulnerable pupils in schools in creative ways, enabling them to make the most of all that education has to offer. Louise’s books Inside I’m Hurting and What About Me have been praised by teachers as essential guides, full of practical ideas for working with these children.
Cost and joining details: £70 per head plus VAT To sign up – please return booking form by April 13th 2012 For more information contact Mike Gorman – [email protected] BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN IN CARE TRAINING EVENT BOOKING FORM
Event Inside I’m Hurting - strategies to help children with attachment difficulties succeed in school Date Friday May 11th 2012 9.00am - 4.00pm Venue Fry’s Conference Centre, Keynsham Name of participant Job title Organisation Address Telephone number E mail address Dietary/access requirements Name of person to whom invoice should be addressed E mail address
Please complete one form for each participant and return it to Sarah Candy at the Virtual School by April 13th 2012
Return to:
+ Sarah Candy, Virtual School for Children in Care, Children in Care/Moving On Team, PO Box 25, Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham, BS31 1DN
Telephone queries about bookings to Sarah Candy: 01225 396932 Trauma, attachment and Learning Master’s Level Course Trauma, neglect and abuse in early childhood can seriously impair a child’s capacity to learn. The educational performance of children in care is amongst the lowest of all vulnerable groups in the country and even children adopted into loving homes at a very young age can find schooling very challenging. This project will enable participants to explore the impact of attachment difficulties on children’s learning and to develop practical strategies to help these children succeed. This course is open to anyone with a degree and will be of particular interest to people who work in schools, social care and health.
The Attachment and Learning module will support you towards your first 30 or 60 credits of the PMP, or if you already have some credit (from a Master’s level PGCE or other post- graduate courses) will enable you to move through the programme to the next stage. The module is based around your critical reflection on your own practice and you will use your own experience, matched with theory, research and policy to build an action enquiry exploring the issues that vulnerable young learners may face, and what reasons there might be for this that extend beyond the school environment. Most importantly, we will explore some strategies that might support you in your provision for these young people.
Content The course starts with two intensive days exploring attachment theory and its implications for learning. Participants then design and carry out an action research project in school and feed back their findings to the rest of the group. Assignments are written up over the summer. There are four face to face session as follows:
Session One 27th April Attachment, emotion coaching, life-long learning (9-4pm) In this session we will explore attachment theory and approaches to support young people whose behaviours indicates that they have difficultly controlling their own emotions. This will be set in the backdrop of the skills and dispositions that research has demonstrated enable effective life-long learning. This day is geared to give you some deepened background understandings to consider your provision for young people Session Two 11th May Attachment and Learning Conference with Louise Bomber (9- 4pm, Fry’s Conference Centre, Keynsham) Louise Bomber’s book ‘Inside I’m Hurting’ has gained popularity through her practical approach to support vulnerable learners and considering their needs. We will join this wider conference for the day. Session Three 16th May Action Enquiry (4-7pm) This session will explore the concept of action enquiry, how to put together a project which enables you to reflect on and improve your own practice. Clear guidance will be given regarding evidence gathering and reflection, leading you to your own enquiry question. Session Four 12th June Project progress (4-7pm) This session will provide an opportunity to work the the others in the group to evaluate your project progress. We will use coaching techniques to support your learning and enable your clear Module requirements for completion Attendance at all sessions Engagement with inter-sessional reading tasks Presentation of enquiry findings 1 x 5000 word assignment to total 30 credits OR 2 x 5000 word assignments to total 60 credits.
The Professional Masters Programme at Bath Spa University – general information Our postgraduate Professional Master’s Programme (PMP) has been designed to offer professional learning related to general and specialist fields of education and training. We offer flexible study on a range of work based, independent study, taught and core modules, leading to Grad Cert, PG Cert, PG Dip or Master’s degree qualifications. The PMP and its work based learning constituents are endorsed by fdf (Foundation Degree Forward) and are compliant with the Training and Development Agency’s (TDA) Integrated Qualifications Framework (IQF).
Our pedagogical style in the PMP is very interactive, and we make sure that sessions involve discussion and debate alongside new information and ideas delivered by presenters. Last year, in a similar module, participants said:
‘It was an extremely valuable course with excellent tutorials. It has challenged my way of thinking and practice. I am grateful for the opportunity. Thank you’ ‘I gained a great deal personally from the opportunity to work with like-minded colleagues and to drive my own thinking and practice in a new and exciting direction. The tutor was both professional and exceptionally personable and created a really relaxed and engaging atmosphere throughout.’ Assessment If you are registered for 30 credits, the assignment will be an action enquiry report of 5000 words. The deadline for this will be October 31st 2012 If you opt for the 60 credit version, you will receive additional tutorial support and will submit a further assignment which will be a critical analysis of literature. You will receive good support towards this assignment.
Fees on the PMP 30 unit course: £515 60 unit course: £885 It may be possible to access some funding support through the following: National Scholarship Scheme. Up to £3,000 is available for teachers towards specific subject areas including SEN, Science, Maths and English. Visit the TDA to find out more. http://www.tda.gov.uk/teacher/developing-career/pd-scholarship.aspx Professional & Career Development Loans are available to all UK adults enrolling onto the PMP. For more information visit DirectGov Education: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLear ners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm
Further information about the Professional Master’s Programme at BSU Course information relating to the overall programme can be found at: http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/professional-masters-programme.asp Or you can contact the course leader Dr Fiona Maine: [email protected]
How to sign up
If you are interested in this module, and know that you can commit the time to come to sessions and engage in your own action enquiry, please inform your CPD leader and contact Dr Fiona Maine: [email protected] by February 28th 2012