Designated Teachers' Newsletter
Dear Colleagues,
Please find attached this term’s Designated Teacher update (pdf, 676kb)from Oxfordshire’s Virtual School. This termly publication provides updates, signposts, strategies, and ideas to support Designated Teachers working with Children We Care For and Previously Cared For Children. Please feel free to share, print, and display as appropriate.
2025–26 Virtual School Training and Support Offer
We’re pleased to announce that our comprehensive 2025–26 Training and Support Offer is now live and available for booking via the Education Services website. We hope you find it helpful to have access earlier this year, as requested.
You can also view our training plan online. We look forward to your participation and encourage you to share this offer with colleagues who may benefit.
New Designated Teachers (DTs) – Induction Training
Induction training is essential for new DTs and will take place on Wednesday 24th September, 1:00–3:00 via MS Teams. This session is aimed at DTs in Early Years, Primary, and Secondary settings.
If you are a Post-16 provider, please contact mark.walker@oxfordshire.gov.uk (Virtual School Post-16 Phase Lead) for personalised training. Additional induction sessions will be offered later in the year, and your Virtual School Link Worker can provide support in the meantime.
IMPORTANT: ePEP Platform Change
All DTs—new and experienced—are asked to prioritise training on the new eGov platform. Our contract with Looked After Call/IRIS ends this summer, and the new provider, eGov Solutions Ltd, will take over from the start of the academic year.
eGov works with 87 local authorities across England, so some of you may already be familiar with the platform. While self-help training materials will be shared before September, we’ve also scheduled a live online training session on Wednesday 17 September, 3:30–4:30pm. Additional sessions will be arranged as needed.
Please speak to your Virtual School Link Worker if you need assistance. More details on the migration will follow shortly.
2025 Virtual School Conference
Following feedback, our annual conference has moved to the Autumn Term and will take place on Thursday 16 October at Unipart House.
Theme: Transforming Lives Through Human Connection – Empowering Care-Experienced Children to Achieve Their Dreams
We’re thrilled to welcome Ashley John-Baptiste as our guest speaker.
Designated Teacher Practice Day
Due to positive feedback, we’ve scheduled another DT Practice Day for early Spring Term. This will be a valuable opportunity to reflect, share experiences, and strengthen our community of practice.
If you ever need support, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re happy to connect you with others.
We’re Here to Support You
Please don’t suffer in silence. If you have any questions about Children We Care For or Previously Cared For Children, contact us at virtualschool@oxfordshire.gov.uk. We’re here to help.
Thank you for everything you do to support our children and young people, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The work we do to improve outcomes for care-experienced children is a shared effort—and we’re in it together.
We hope Term 6 is off to a great start! 😊
Warm regards,
Oxfordshire Virtual School