Training
The Virtual School provides training for:
- Designated Teachers
- Social workers
- Foster carers
- Teacher Training students
- School staff
The Virtual School works with a small group of Warwickshire schools at a time to help them become attachment aware and trauma informed, providing training and support to enable them to develop better relationships within their settings leading to improved academic outcomes.
We continue to share good practice and ideas through our termly network meetings.
To book any of the sessions please email virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk with the desired session(s) and the email of the person attending the training.
New to Designated Teacher (DT) training
Are you new to the role of DT? This training will cover understanding the roles and responsibilities of being a DT, including the ePEP online system.
New to DT training will be delivered via Microsoft Teams.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Thursday 10 September 2026 | 10am to 12pm |
| Monday 5 October 2026 | 1pm to 3pm |
| Friday 6 November 2026 | 9.30am to 11.30am |
| Tuesday 8 December 2026 | 1pm to 3pm |
| Thursday 21 January 2027 | 9am to 11am |
| Tuesday 23 February 2027 | 1pm to 3pm |
| Monday 29 March 2027 | 1pm to 3pm |
| Friday 7 May 2027 | 10am to 12pm |
| Tuesday 8 June 2027 | 9.30am to 11.30am |
| Tuesday 13 July 2027 | 1pm to 3pm |
Designated Teacher (DT) training
Annual full day DT training will take place in autumn 2026. The morning session will be delivered by the Educational Psychology Service and afternoon by Virtual School Education Advisers.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 September 2026 | 9am to 4pm | Budbrooke Room, St Michael's Church Centre, Budbrooke, Warwick CV35 8QL |
| Wednesday 7 October 2026 | 9am to 4pm | Rugby College, CV21 1AR |
| Tuesday 13 October 2026 | 9am to 4pm | Bulkington Community Centre, CV12 9JB |
| Tuesday 20 October 2026 | 9am to 4pm | St Michael's Church Centre, Budbrooke, Warwick CV35 8QL |
| Thursday 5 November 2026 | 9am to 4pm | Bulkington Community Centre, CV12 9JB |
DT Support Training
We are aware that many schools have a DT Support (DTS) who is assisting with the DT role. We are trialling a half day training session to support you in the role. We will cover working with your DT and various tips to support you in carrying out some key elements of the PEP - gathering academic information, use of PP+ and target setting. Please let us know if there is something specific that you would like covered. This will be a great opportunity to meet other DT Supports.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 25 February 2027 | 9am to 12pm | St Michael's Church Centre, Budbrooke, Warwick CV35 8QL |
| Thursday 4 March 2027 | 9am to 12pm | Bulkington Community Centre, CV12 9JB |
Network meetings
Designated Teacher Network Meetings are run via teams. Please let your linked education adviser / officer know if you would like to share an idea or resource or an idea that you would like to Virtual School to cover.
| Term | Date and Time |
|---|---|
| Autumn Term 2026 | Tuesday 17 November 3.30pm to 4.30pm |
| Spring Term 2027 | Thursday 11 March 3.30pm to 4.30pm |
| Summer Term 2027 | Thursday 24 June 3.30pm to 4.30pm |
All DTs registered on the Welfare Call system will automatically receive the Teams invitation. If any other DTs / DT Supports would like to attend please email virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk with the session being booked and the email of the person attending the training (so that the Teams invitation is set up with the correct email address).
Warwickshire Virtual School Training webinars
We will be using Flourish to deliver our webinar series this year. Please email virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk to book spaces.
| Course and description | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Supporting children with mental health difficulties – Gemma Fieldsend This is a course where the participants will explore the challenges of supporting children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. Research - and common sense! - tell us that where children are feeling anxious and isolated it is an empathic relationship with an attuned and compassionate other that makes the necessary difference. We will look at how we validate children's feelings and give them the language to better communicate their internal world. We will discuss the individual ways in which children let us feel their pain - for example, through self-harm - and how we can helpfully respond. Finally, we will look at strategies for promoting their wellbeing - and our own - as we navigate such complex and often painful territory. |
13 October 2026 | 3pm to 5pm |
|
Emotional regulation in the Early Years – Sheila Mulvenney What happens when our own emotions are running high and a child is struggling to regulate theirs? This practical webinar explores our own window of tolerance, what it really means to create a sense of safety, and the theoretical foundations of emotion coaching and regulation. We’ll explore different adult responses to children’s emotions, consider our own styles and why they may vary, and learn the key steps of co-regulation. Most importantly, we’ll look at how these ideas can be translated into practical strategies you can use in your own setting. |
10 November 2026 | 1pm to 3pm |
|
Excluded to included – Jess Parker By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
|
2 December 2026 | 3pm to 5pm |
|
Emotion coaching – Denise Snook This two-hour Emotion Coaching course will explore how adults can support looked-after, previously looked-after and adopted children and young people to understand, regulate and communicate their emotions, recognising the potential impact of trauma, disrupted relationships and experiences of adversity. Participants will develop practical Emotion Coaching approaches that promote emotional safety, strengthen trusted relationships and support regulation, behaviour and engagement with learning, while recognising Emotion Coaching as a valuable approach for all children, young people and adults to help resolve conflict, encourage collaborative problem-solving and build emotional regulation skills. |
TBC | TBC |
|
Reducing exclusions: The inclusive schools programme – Gemma Fieldsend In this session, participants will develop a deeper understanding of the emotional and neurological roots of exclusion, explore practical trauma-informed tools to build connection and belonging, and consider strategies to create safe, inclusive spaces that foster regulation, empathy and growth. |
10 March 2027 | 1pm to 3pm |
|
Supporting pupils with unmet attachment needs – Alun Rees The session will briefly outline the roots of unmet attachment needs, adversity and/or trauma, and consider how such experiences can impact brain development, place children and young people under additional stress, and lead to behaviours that do not meet expectations. It will then consider how children can be supported by reducing the level of stress they may be experiencing, alongside the importance of adult professional curiosity and proactivity. |
TBC | TBC |
|
Impulsive behaviour – Jess Parker This webinar sets out to inform participants about the origins of impulsive behaviour and how neuroscience has informed that understanding. Once we can see how toxic stress in a child or young person’s life impacts their impulse management we can then begin to explore ways of creating a safe environment in a school setting – and thus reduce individual stress levels. This will also involve us in identifying strategies for enabling children to self-regulate and manage their own behaviour. |
5 May 2027 | 1pm to 3pm |
|
Understanding trauma and the impact on young people – Jess Parker By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
|
9 June 2027 | 3.30pm to 5.30pm |
| Transitions in education – Graham Chatterley | TBC | TBC |
Professional learning programme
The Virtual School have continued to expand our training offer to schools and education settings so that out children can be taught by knowledgeable, reflective, understanding teachers. Our Designated Teacher training is always well attended. With the expansion of our duties we are offering some wider training opportunities for schools:
Thinking differently for disadvantaged learners
As part of Warwickshire's commitment to closing the gap the Warwickshire Learning Improvement team and Warwickshire Virtual School have joined together to fund access for all Warwickshire Schools to have access to the Challenging Education Professional Learning Programme (PLP).
There are six recorded training modules available to all staff to access at their convenience. Sessions have been researched and delivered by expert trainers (and experienced school leaders) who have a wealth of knowledge on leadership and teaching of disadvantaged youngsters built up over more than seven years of supporting schools across all phases in Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters (RADY).
This is a tried and tested online learning resource appropriate for all phases of education, designed to help staff to ‘Think Differently’ about working with our most disadvantaged learners.
It has opened my eyes to different thought processes and actions whilst also confirming my beliefs in the system I am driving towards. Headteacher, Primary Phase
A resource that is designed to be flexible and fit in with your school plan for professional development. There is no expectation or requirement to complete all the sessions within a module, and no need to complete the sessions in a particular order. Think ‘pick and mix’ approach!
Each module contains over 90 minutes of recorded sessions. Individual videos are ‘bitesize’, no more than 15 minutes long and can therefore easily be integrated into a longer training session or even a staff briefing. Please refer to the ‘Content of the PLP’ document for details of the sessions in each module.
The modules include downloadable resources, including suggested activities to promote deeper reflection and action and references for those who want to find out more.
There are a number of case studies from schools in England and Wales that help to illustrate how schools are bringing the training to life.
Once registration is complete, you can share your username (this will be your URN) and password with colleagues within your school who also wish to access the materials.
Attachment and Trauma Training Programme
We have linked with many schools to deliver Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware Schools. This year we are able to offer a wider training opportunity through our partnership with Flourish. The programme would be funded for Warwickshire schools as part of the Virtual School training offer as we are committed to supporting schools to become trauma informed and attachment aware.
Aims:
- Increase understanding of the role of attachment and trauma in children’s education and strategies to better address their needs
- Reduce suspensions / exclusions from school and improve attendance of children who are vulnerable
- Improve educational progress and the well-being of children who are vulnerable
- Develop the confidence and skills of teachers and staff to address trauma and attachment
- Identify effective approaches to addressing attachment and trauma in schools
Flourish Partnership
Warwickshire Virtual School is delighted to be working in partnership with Flourish, in delivering fully funded education specific training in the Warwickshire local authority area.
We wanted to reach out to make you aware that if you are working within a school, college or early years facility in the area, then you could be eligible for a pre-funded training place with Flourish.
Flourish provide trauma informed training that is designed by subject matter experts in education. The training helps teachers and school staff develop the tools and strategies they need to create a positive learning environment, in which vulnerable children can thrive. The person-centred learning and interactive courses are engaging and impactful for every learner.
The fully funded training gives you access to:
- over 40 courses on our eLearning platform 'Click' 7 training programme, including Attachment and Trauma, Exclusions, and Emotionally Based School Avoidance
- CPD accredited training courses in three delivery methods: online, webinar and face-to-face
If you would like to find out more on the fully funded training, please visit Flourish.
Flourish - Warwickshire Virtual School funded training
The Attachment Research Community (ARC)
Warwickshire’s Virtual School offers fully funded membership to allow all schools in the local authority to receive a membership with full access to the ARC members area and ARC resources such as the ARC Pathway, ARC Audit and ARC MATRIX, and up to 10 colleague users per school.
ARC’s purpose is to support all schools and education settings to be attachment and trauma aware in their practice for the benefit of all members of the learning community and particularly the most vulnerable, by bringing together, sharing and celebrating best practice.
Becoming a member of ARC will open up professional and educational pathways within a membership platform with readily available resources, regional workshops, panel discussions and virtual events that allow our members to network and support each other.
What is the ARC Pathway?
Utilising the ARC Audit, Development Plan and Project, members have access to online self-evaluation, development planning and project management tools to enable them to complete their journey.
Bronze award: audit, development plan and staff training
The ARC Audit helps you to evaluate your attachment, trauma, mental health and well-being practice, which guides your development plan and gives a baseline to measure the impact of your work. ARC membership includes advice on commissioning training and links to members and trainers for further support.
To complete your Bronze level membership, you will need to ask the Virtual Head to verify that attachment and trauma aware training has been completed by your staff. Please email virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk
Silver award: embed, action, case study
ARC’s membership includes tools for setting up a project group with an online space for forum discussions, sharing documents and uploading data.
Gold award: share your learning
Sharing your ARC work can benefit many, particularly schools beginning their attachment and trauma aware journey.
The RADY project
What is RADY?
RADY: Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters.
RADY is an approach to closing the gaps which directly targets a school’s ‘central nervous system’ – its target setting, tracking and monitoring systems. Unlike most other strategies to close the gap, RADY is aimed at school senior managers and teachers.
Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters (RADY) is a pathway that the Warwickshire Virtual School offers, alongside Challenging Education. Our aim is to help schools realise the untapped potential of our disadvantaged learners through target and attainment uplifts.
We help encourage schools to focus on equity in teaching and learning, ensuring the attainment of our disadvantaged learners is a golden thread throughout school policies and focusing on the proportional representation of our disadvantaged learners in all aspects of school life.
