Virtual School training in Reading
Reading Virtual School offers a range of training to support practitioners working with children who are looked after or previously looked after. Courses follow a trauma informed Therapeutic Thinking approach and can be tailored to your setting.
Please check through our downloadable programme to browse training available up to June 2026.
See more details for highlighted courses below
Click on a title to expand.
In their shoes
Using immersive technology to build trauma-informed understanding
This two-hour training session uses Virtual Reality (VR) headsets to help education professionals develop a deeper understanding of childhood trauma exploring how adversity shapes a child’s development, behaviour and capacity to engage in learning.
Designed to complement trauma-informed practice within the Therapeutic Thinking approach, the session combines immersive video experiences with guided reflection. Participants explore the real challenges children with traumatic experiences face in school settings, and consider how staff can best respond and offer meaningful support.
What to expect
- A two-hour immersive session using VR headsets
- Video experiences designed to build empathy and perspective
- Facilitated reflection on how trauma affects learning and behaviour
- Practical consideration of how your setting can better support affected children and young people
How to book
We invite schools and settings to get in touch directly to discuss availability and suitability.
To book, please email: Virtual.School.DL@reading.gov.uk
Please note:
- Bookings must be led by a senior leader or manager, who will receive a full outline of the content to help determine its suitability for individual staff members
- All bookings include completion of a declaration form, which helps us understand your setting’s current baseline for trauma awareness and ensures appropriate staff support is in place following the session
- Sessions accommodate a small group only as we have six VR headsets available.
We offer advice and guidance in promoting the education of children with a social worker. This includes children in kinship care and those previously looked after.
Consultations are up to 45 minutes and held (where appropriate) with partners with expertise tailored to the individual case. Following the consultation, you will be provided with a summary of the recommendations to support with the child’s care/education planning.
Use the button below to request a session for your setting. For any queries, please email cathy.mccarthy@reading.gov.uk.
This introductory session will support greater understanding around the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
What’s included?
These sessions will focus on:
- Understanding key legislation, terminology and duties regarding children and young people with SEND
- Knowing the key principles and how to navigate SEND processes
- Explore the main four areas of SEND for children and young people
- Clarity of roles and responsibilities of key professionals.
Use the button below to book, or email cathy.mccarthy@reading.gov.uk.
One-to-one thinking time with a specialist educational psychologist
These consultations offer school staff dedicated time to meet with Dr Ellie Hayes, Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist for Children Looked After, to think through the needs of a specific child or young person and plan the best way forward.
What can we discuss?
Consultations are a flexible, collaborative space to explore:
- Wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, engagement or relationships
- Current difficulties or concerns you’d like to problem-solve
- Possible unmet needs
- Practical strategies, interventions and next steps.
Who is this for?
These sessions are for staff in schools working with children and young people looked after by Reading Borough Council (Brighter Futures for Children). Anyone involved in supporting the young person is welcome, including:
- Designated teachers and SENCOs
- Class teachers, form tutors and subject teachers
- Pastoral leads and LSAs
When are sessions available?
Consultations take place on Tuesday afternoons during term time, virtually via Microsoft Teams:
| Slot | Time |
|---|---|
| Session 1 | 2-2.45pm |
| Session 2 | 3.30-4.15pm |
| Additional slot (if demand is high) | 12.30-1.15pm |
Please request your consultation at least one week in advance. Slots are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Follow-up consultations can also be booked to review progress or explore a different area of need.
How to prepare
To get the most out of your consultation, it helps to come with a sense of:
- The child’s life story and education journey so far
- Their interests and areas of strength
- What has already been tried, and how it was implemented
- Your hopes for the young person
- The specific area or concern you’d like to focus on.
After the consultation
A short written summary of the discussion will be sent to you, the Virtual School and the child’s social worker. We’d also recommend taking your own notes during the session to help you act on next steps promptly.
Please let the child’s social worker know you are requesting a consultation before booking.
How to book
Click the button to complete the short booking form.
Ongoing professional support for those working with our most vulnerable young people
Wellbeing professionals such as psychologists, therapists and social workers receive regular, mandatory supervision — yet the school staff who work day-to-day with the most distressed and vulnerable children often have no equivalent support. Reading Virtual School is changing that.
We are offering ongoing reflective supervision with Dr Ellie Hayes, Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist for Children Looked After — a regular, dedicated space to think, reflect and feel supported in one of the most demanding roles in a school.
What does supervision cover?
Sessions focus on two interconnected areas:
Supporting the young person
- Exploring different approaches to support their wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, engagement and relationships
- Understanding the theory and underlying needs behind what you’re seeing
- Applying trauma-informed principles in your specific context
- Problem-solving current situations or challenges
- Identifying practical strategies, interventions and next steps
Supporting you as a professional
- Reflecting on how to build relationships with young people who have experienced relational trauma
- A safe, confidential space to explore what a situation or young person may be bringing up for you
- Feeling supported and not alone in managing complex needs
Who is this for?
This offer is for LSAs, TAs, teachers and pastoral staff working directly and regularly with a child looked after by Reading Borough Council (Brighter Futures for Children), particularly where that child is:
- Presenting with high attachment-seeking behaviours, or avoidance of adults
- Displaying distressed or antisocial behaviours
- Spending significant time outside the classroom, or not attending or engaging
- Frequently involved in recorded behaviour incidents
When are sessions available?
Sessions take place via Microsoft Teams, lasting 45 minutes, and can be scheduled during school hours or after school on a Monday, Tuesday or Friday, whichever works best for you.
The frequency is agreed in your first session based on presenting need, and may be:
- weekly
- fortnightly
- monthly
- half-termly.
How to prepare
Before your first session, it helps to reflect on:
- The child’s life story and education journey so far
- Their interests and areas of strength
- What has already been tried, and how it was implemented
- Your hopes for the young person
- Anything specific you’d like to focus on.
After each session
A brief summary of agreed next steps – relevant to the child or young person – will be emailed to you, the Virtual School and the social worker. We’d encourage you to take your own notes during the session to capture your reflections as well.
Please let the child’s social worker know you are requesting supervision before booking.
How to book
Use the MS form to book: Request reflective supervision
Training for Designated Teachers, Safeguarding Leads, Pastoral Managers and SENCOs
Building sensory-smart classrooms to support children affected by trauma
Delivered by Anna Michell, Occupational Therapist in the Anchor team, Adopt Thames Valley’s multi-disciplinary team. This two-hour course explores the relationship between sensory integration, early development, and childhood trauma. It provides practical, classroom-ready tools and strategies to help you create a sensory-smart learning environment that better supports vulnerable children and young people.
Who is this for?
This training is aimed at professionals in maintained schools, academies, post-16 and early years settings, including:
- Designated teachers
- Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)
- SENCOs
- Pastoral leads
Upcoming dates
Monday 9 March 2026, 2-4pm (in-person), at Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre
| Date | Time | Format / address |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 9 March 2026 | 2-4pm | In person
Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre |
| Wednesday 10 June 2026 | 10-11.30am | Online using MS Teams |
How to book
Practical strategies for designated teachers and school leads
Delivered by Dr Jordan Self, Educational Psychologist, this half-day session examines the impact of school transitions on some of the most vulnerable pupils, including children who are looked after, previously looked after, or who have a social worker. Drawing on best practice and reflective discussion, it equips school staff with concrete strategies to make transitions as smooth and successful as possible.
Who is this for?
This training is aimed at professionals in maintained schools, academies, post-16 and early years settings, including:
- Designated teachers
- Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)
- SENCOs
- Pastoral leads
Date and venue
| Date | Time | Format / address |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 6 May 2026 | 9.30am – 12pm | In person
Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre |
How to book
Understanding developmental trauma through neuroscience
Delivered by Dr Jordan Self, Educational Psychologist, this two-hour session explores how developmental trauma affects the developing brain. Drawing on current neuroscience research it translates complex science into clear, practical insights, helping school staff understand why some children behave and learn the way they do and what this means for best practice in your setting.
Who is this for?
This training is aimed at professionals in maintained schools, academies, post-16 and early years settings, including:
- Designated teachers
- Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)
- SENCOs
- Pastoral leads
Upcoming dates
| Date | Time | Format | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 4 February 2026 | 2-4pm | In person | Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre |
| Wednesday 20 May 2026 | 10am-12pm | In person | Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre |
How to book
Supporting vulnerable young people’s sense of self and connection to school
Delivered by Dr Jordan Self, Educational Psychologist, this three-hour session explores how identity is constructed, understood and experienced by vulnerable children and young people. It examines the factors that shape identity, the particular challenges of adolescence, and how a young person’s sense of belonging – or lack of it – affects their engagement with and experience of education.
Who is this for?
This training is aimed at professionals in maintained schools, academies, post-16 and early years settings, including:
- Designated teachers
- Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs)
- SENCOs
- Pastoral leads
Date and venue
| Date | Time | Format / venue |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 25 June 2026 | 1-4pm | In person
Ground Floor, Committee Room 1, Reading Civic Centre |
How to book
Statutory updates, guidance and emerging practice for designated teachers
Delivered by Reading Virtual School, this two-hour network session provides designated teachers with a refresher on their statutory role and responsibilities, alongside updates on the latest developments in guidance, policy and practice. It is an opportunity to stay informed, connect with peers and reflect on current priorities.
Who is this for?
This training is for all designated teachers in maintained schools, academies, post-16 and early years settings.
Upcoming dates
| Date | Time | Format | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 30 June 2026 | 9-11am | Online – Microsoft Teams | Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) and Kinship Care |