Post 16 - Virtual School
Central Bedfordshire Virtual School has oversight for all Central Bedfordshire children in care from Early Years, throughout their statutory education years and through post 16 further education.
The role of the local authority is set out in the DfE document Promoting the education of looked after children Statutory Guidance for local authorities February 2018. All post 16 looked after children should have a Personal Education Plan or Personal Action Plan submitted at least twice annually. Where a young person requests a PEP, it is the responsibility of the educational setting to complete and submit the documentation.
Young people whom are looked after by Central Bedfordshire will be allocated a Personal Adviser from the Youth Support Service or an Education Advisor dependent on their circumstances.
The Virtual School and Youth Support Service plays a vital role in supporting other professionals, carers and care leavers from Central Bedfordshire in respect of education, training and employment.
We work in partnership with colleagues in social care, carers, young people, colleges/universities and training providers to support positive outcomes for our young people and assist them to overcome any barriers to learning.
Some further education colleges (this list is not exhaustive):
- Central Bedfordshire College
- Bedford College
- Shuttleworth College
- Barnfield College
- North Hertfordshire College
- West Herts College
- Oaklands College
Some 6th form colleges (this list is not exhaustive)
To find out about apprenticeships, please visit the National Apprenticeship Service's website.
Explanations on the different levels of qualifications can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Find out about the 16-19 bursary, funding of up to £1,200 a year.
Personal education plans (PEP)
Guidance on completing the PEP
Please read the following information carefully before completing the PEP.
Once submitted, the PEP will be sent automatically as a PDF to the virtual school and no further changes can be made. We strongly recommend you send the link to the PEP to the education adviser or Virtual School Head before you submit it, so they can check the content.
The document can be saved and returned to at a later date, so please follow the instructions carefully and keep the form number and your password secure. Once completed, you will be given the opportunity to print it. When you choose this option you will be able to save it as a PDF file.
Please note that there are several mandatory fields; if not completed, you will be unable to submit the form. For any mandatory fields not relevant to you, 'N/A' can be entered.