The service applies to children who are pupils in Academies, Free Schools, special schools and independent schools, as well as those in maintained schools.
The service provides education for children of compusory school age, who, because of their medical condition, are hospitalised or unable to attend mainstream school due to ill health. The team of tutors liaise with children and their parents or carer, school and health professionals. Provision is consistent with that described in the DfES Guidance "Ensuring a Good Education for Pupils with Medical Needs"
The service has 3 staff, each offering up to 5 hours of tuition a day. Any additional costs would need to be met by the child's home school.
All tutors are fully qualified and experienced teachers, who provide a minimum of one hour’s tuition per day for each identified pupil.
Tuition is provided for any child whose illness will prevent him/her from attending school for 15 or more school days, either in one absence or over the course of a school year, and is dependent on schools referring cases to the Virtual School.
Criteria for access
Referrals to the Central Provisions Panel must be accompanied by a medical letter from hospital or a designated agency (e.g. CAMHS)
The child's home school makes the referral and must agree to work with tutors to ensure a smooth transition to the service, and back to school.
Targeted services
The service is targeted at those pupils who are too ill to attend school