When a child is returning to school after a period of missing education (not being registered at a school/setting) we recognise this can be a challenging time for both the parents and the child/young person. If deemed necessary, the child can be allocated a Reintegration Officer to support their re-engagement with learning as well as support the school in their readiness to welcome the child/young person.
Remit of the Reintegration Team
- Work with children/young people of statutory school age returning to school after 8 weeks or more of being deemed a Child Missing Education (CME)*,
- Work with children who are currently recorded as CME,
- Work with children once a provision / setting has been agreed,
- Work with children returning to mainstream settings. Where a child is returning to an alternative provision or ESC, support will be considered on a case-by-case basis and work will last no more than 4 weeks,
- The work will last between 4-8 weeks depending on the allocated pathway of support. For secondary school age children, upon closure of support from the reintegration team, a referral to Services for Young People (SfYP) will be considered.
Where a child has become CME due to a permanent exclusion and has not been CME for 8 weeks, allocation of support will be considered on a case-by-case basis
What to expect from the Virtual School Reintegration Team
*This list is not exhaustive*
Often, the request for support from the Reintegration Team will come via the CME officers, the Statutory Exclusion Team, or the Admissions Team, once a school place/setting has been agreed for a child/young person.
If a Reintegration Officer is allocated a child to support, they will start by contacting with the family. If a school and start date has been agreed, they will also contact the school. The following work can be carried out depending on the needs of the child:
- together with the child and the school, create a bespoke reintegration plan to support a successful transition back into an education setting,
- capture the voice of the child e.g. what are their likes, dislikes, aspirations etc,
- visit the family home to support the parents/guardians in getting the child ready to return to school,
- meet the child on their first day at their new school to support a positive start,
- work jointly with Social Workers if the child is being support by a CiN or CP plan,
- signpost parents/guardians and school leaders to wider support services e.g. mentoring provision,
- support the school in exploring an EHCP if deemed a necessity to meet the needs of the child/young person,
- support the school in liaising with any wider professional network e.g. SEND, Attendance, Health etc
- work alongside other services to deliver a joint reintegration plan e.g. Services for Young People, SEND SAS.
The Reintegration Team is made up of the following officers:
Tracie Mullin – SEND Reintegration Officer (East)
Helen Bonner – Reintegration Officer (East)
Alice Summerfield – Reintegration Officer (West)
Jaqueline Brown – Reintegration Officer (West)
Jalissa Iyoyo – Reintegration Support Officer
If you have any questions or wish to find out more about the offer of support from the Reintegration Team, please contact the reintegration.team@hertfordshire.gov.uk