HomeP - T listing - Children's Services Directory
Please use the links below to navigate the Children's Services Directory
Letters P-T
Parent teacher associations
Many Wirral schools have a parent teacher association to encourage parents to be involved in organising and running non-academic school activities.
Parental Support
We offer support and advice to parents on a range of issues relating to their child’s school life. If you cannot find the area you are looking for in the list on this page please search using the a-z facility.
Physical and Medical Needs
The Education Of Children With Physical And Medical Needs
Physical Education and School Sport Strategy
School Physical Education and Sport are the foundations on which the rest of sport is built. They provide young people with the skills and abilities to become contributing members of society; they can shape lifelong attitudes to health and fitness and are the starting points on the performance ladder for those with talent.
PlaySpaces
PlaySpaces is a Wirral Play Council outreach play project funded by Wirral Children’s Fund and On-Track.
Pre-school Playgroups
Pre-school playgroups offer places for children between the ages of 2 ˝ and 5 years. Most of Wirral’s pre-schools are also registered with the Local Authority to provide early education for 3 and 4 years olds. Pre-school playgroups operating for more than 2 hours in any one day are required to be registered and inspected by OFSTED.
Wirral Portage Team
Wirral Portage Service is part of the SESS team. It provides support and advice for families of very young children with a variety of additional needs. Its core role is to deliver the Portage home-teaching programme in partnership with the child’s parents within the child’s home environment. The aim is to support families, encourage the child’s development and maximise the child’s potential.
Primary Education
Wirral primary schools are a vibrant community, appreciating the needs and rights of all children to a high quality education. We have a higher proportion of good and very good schools than most authorities.
Private Fostering
Private fostering is very different from approved foster care provided by the local authority. A private fostering arrangement is when a child under 16 (if disabled, under 18) is cared for and lives with an adult who is not a relative, by private arrangement between parent and carer for more than 28 days. Children who are looked after by the local authority or a voluntary organisation, placed by a Local Authority or Local Health Authority, or placed for adoption by a local authority or registered adoption society are not privately fostered.
Private Nurseries - Nursery Grants
For information about free nursery education places and grant funding call the Early years helpline on 346 6584.
Public Examinations - Entry Arrangements
Headteachers of secondary schools may enter pupils for external exams if they feel that the exam is relevant to the child’s education and the pupil is considered to have a reasonable chance of success.
Recruiting and supporting adult volunteers
Guidance for recruiting and supporting adult volunteers working in Wirral Youth and Community Service.
Religious Education
Religious education in Wirral is taught in community, foundation and voluntary-controlled schools according to an agreed syllabus.
Residential Care for Children
Provision of residential accommodation for children and young people who cannot live with their natural families. Prior to a placement in residential accommodation there will be assessment of need undertaken in conjunction with the young person (and their family if appropriate), social workers and residential staff. There are four residential accommodation homes:
Children and Young People - Respite Care
Respite care is a form of short-term substitute care provided by someone other than the parents or usual carers for a child. Respite care is a key support to families and is organised to suit the needs of the particular child and family. It can take place in a hospital, residential setting or in the child's own home. It gives parents free time to give them a rest, to spend time with their other children or in an emergency.
School Admissions Service
The School Admissions Service provides a vital service to parents, their children and schools. Their work encompases co-ordinated admissions to primary and to secondary schools and procedures concerning exclusions.
Schools and Colleges
Wirral has 27 secondary schools, five special schools and 101 primary schools catering for a population of approximately 50,000 pupils.
School Book Purchase Scheme
We are currently updating the contents of our website to bring you a better service and, at present, we do not have any information available online regarding School - book purchase scheme.
School Catchment Area Search
We provide a School Catchment Area Search that allows you to find out if you are in a school catchment area based on the road or street name.
School General Information
Wirral council is responsible for providing all education for children and young people of statutory school age. The council provides a range of services for children at school.
Schools Health Promotion
The NHSP is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Health (DH) with a regional and local network. By 2009 the Government wants every school to be working towards achieving national Healthy School Status and has ensured that every local authority has a local Healthy Schools Programme to support schools in reaching this target.
School Library Project Loans
Schools can request a project loan of resources (books, posters, videos, CD Roms as available) to support the topic for the term.
School Library Talks
Schools' Library Service staff offer talks in schools for parents, governors, staff and children on all aspects of library organisation and resources.
Schools Library Service (SLS)
The schools library service provides a wide range of book-related support services to schools across Wirral.
School Meals
Metro Catering Services provides over 20,000 free/paid meals daily to primary and secondary schools in Wirral and is dedicated in is maintenance of high quality, balanced, healthy, nutritious foods to pupils complying with all legislative requirements
School nursing
In some schools in Wirral, School Nurses have worked as part of multi-disciplinary Behaviour and Education Support Teams - also made up of Educationalists, Education Social Welfare Officers, Clinical Psychologists, Police Officers and Youth Workers - to support and enable schools to address emotional, behavioural and attendance issues.
School Organisation Plan 2003-2008
This plan is very much intended to be a working document.
School Records for an Individual Pupil
We are often asked how long certain records should be retained by a school before they can be disposed of. It is important to remember that many school records are of invaluable help for local historical and genealogical research and there should be a presumption against destroying any records unless it is considered that they are of no such value.
School Supervised Medication
Teachers or other non-teaching staff may be required to administer medication or supervise a pupil taking it.
School transport assistance
Primary Schools We will pay for transport for children who have to travel:
School Visits
Your child is safe at school and on school visits. That is statistically proven. However, very occasionally, something can go wrong and a pupil can come to harm. This can sometimes occur during an educational visit.
School Websites
A list of School websites is available on the Wirral Learning Grid Website.
Secondary Education
There are different kinds of secondary school in Wirral – community, foundation and voluntary aided. These differences refer to differences in the responsibilities of the governing bodies of the schools.
Secondary schools
There are 22 mainstream secondary schools in Wirral.
Section 52 (budget statement of the authority's planned Education spend)
Local Authorities are required under Section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to prepare and submit a budget statement of the authority's planned Education spend.
SEN – disabled students’ allowance
More information on all Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion issues can be found at the Wirral Learning Grid website.
SEN Transport Policy
For children up to 16 years of age (end of year 11) the Authority will provide assistance to the nearest appropriate special school or special class based within a mainstream school from the child's home.
SENAAT - Special Educational Needs Advisory and Assessment Team
SENAAT is a delegated service; each school has an amount of money to buy in expertise concerning children and young people in mainstream schools with learning difficulties.
Sex and Relationship Education
The sex and relationship education policy in every school is the responsibility of the governing body, but we have produced guidelines on the subject which governing bodies will find helpful.
Shared Care for Children
The Shared Care Scheme aims to provide regular short term breaks for children and young people with disabilities, by linking them with approved carers who look after them for short periods of time. This can be from a few hours to a weekend a month.
Access to Social Care Records
If you have had involvement with Wirral Social Services or Wirral Children and Young People’s Department as a child, there may be some written information about you.
Social, Communication and Interaction Difficulties Team (ASD)
The Social and Communication Specialist Team is available to all schools.
Special Education Needs (SEN)
Children have Special Educational Needs (SEN) when special arrangements have to be made for them to learn successfully. This may be because the child has more difficulty in learning than other pupils of the same age or that the child has a disability that means that they cannot make use of the facilities and resources normally available in schools and require additional help. Mostpupils with SEN are educated in mainstream schools with support provided by the school itself but some pupils requiring a higher level of support may need to attend a special school.
Special Educational Needs – assessment
Special schools Most children with Special Educational Needs are educated in mainstream schools but some pupils require additional provision within a special school.
Special Education Support Service
The Special Education Support Service consists of a number of teams and specialist personnel offering advice/consultation, support, training and assessment regarding pupils who have or may have special educational needs. Two teams can provide direct teaching for individual/small groups of pupils – Hearing Support Service and Minority Ethnic Achievement Service. Many of the teams work across phases potentially from 0-19 whilst the remainder will direct time to specific age groups. All activities undertaken have regard to and are underpinned by the guidance in the SEN Handbook. SESS places particular emphasis upon effecting positive outcomes for children and young people through their direct involvement as well as engagement with key adults including parents/carers, teachers and non-teaching staff. An annual SESS Plan is published outlining key developmental objectives/actions.
Teaching in Wirral
It is our mission within the Children and Young People's Department to develop potential, promote well being and reduce social exclusion. Our aim is to provide excellent education and to achieve continuous improvement in schools through the delivery of our support and services.
Toy library
Toy library A toy library is based at Seacombe Family Centre and is available for childminders. Call (0151) 630 1845 for more information.
Term Dates
Here you can view and download the term and holiday schedule for the next few academic years.
Transition between schools
Admissions to schools other than at the normal admission age are managed in the same way as admissions at age 11. You can say which school you prefer and the admissions authority will meet that preference as long as it does not affect the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources.
Support for travelling children
Children who live in travelling families are at a higher risk of experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties and it is for this reason that we provide extra support to this group of young people.
Truancy
By law, all children between 5-16 must get a proper full time education and parents are responsible for making sure this happens.