Virtual school training

Find and book virtual school training and courses.

Attachment Aware training and accreditation

Our Attachment Aware schools training and accreditation programme has been developed with our Educational Psychology Service.

84% rated the course content as "Excellent", with the rest as "Good". 

The following comments are just a few from those who’ve taken part in the programme:

"Thank you ever so much. This has been really thought provoking and informative for me. It was relevant, informative and provided a good opportunity to share experiences"

"An excellent, englightening course. Thank you. We will now complete the audit, try a solutions circle and deliver training to staff on different attachment styles"

"We will use this training to support the implementation of culture change alongside TPP to show different types of attachment in the classroom"

Attachment Aware training

Places on the training programme are limited and we can only accept 1 delegate per school. The course is always oversubscribed so if you cannot attend after booking a place, let us know as soon as possible so we can give your place to someone else.

Spring 2025 - Thursday 6 February 2025, 9:30am to 3:15pm
To find out more and book use our online booking form.

The training will be delivered face-to-face at The Hamptons in Chelmsford.

Other training materials

For other attachment training materials visit the Bath Spa University Training​ materials on ​attachment​​ web pages.

Attachment Awareness - accreditations through the Attachment Research Community (ARC) and the Essex Virtual School

From September 2024, Essex Virtual School will be using the Attachment research Community's Bronze, Silver and Gold standards as the basis for Attachment Aware Accreditation. The training and accreditation will still be administered by Essex Virtual School in Partnership with the Educational Psychology Team, and it will align to Essex's Trauma Perceptive Practice offer. 

Educational settings will benefit from a national recognised accreditation, networking opportunities and membership of ARC and its electronic resources. 

Rationale

Essex Virtual School has offered Attachment Aware training and accreditation for many years. Since the comprehensive offer of Trauma Perceptive Practice for all schools and settings in Essex has been brought in, we have found that our attendees are generally more knowledgeable about attachment, brain development and the importance of relationships. 

We have therefore adjusted our Attachment Aware offer so that it complements and deepens the knowledge gained from TPP. It focuses on attachment in relation to supporting learning and considering the networks and systems around the child. 

In addition, we would like schools and settings to continue to be recognised for their attachment aware approach. Feedback from schools and settings is that this is important to them. They also want the opportunity to enhance their practice by connecting to Attachment Aware networks. 

The requirements for accreditation allow a school/setting to use documents and examples, such as case studies, SDPs and audits, that they already use and that are aligned to TPP and other Essex initiatives, so it will be a cohesive approach built into the wider Essex offer.  

Finally, the electronic recording system streamlines the evidence and accreditation process, which is a benefit to schools/settings as well as to the local authority. 

Please note that our Attachment Awareness accreditation is under review. The below will be updated shortly. Any questions that you may have please contact virtual.school@essex.gov.uk

Our Attachment Awareness accreditation is organised into the following 3 phases:

  • Bronze
  • Silver
  • Gold

There is also an opportunity to become a Learning Hub.

The requirements for each phase can be found on the ARC Pathway website.

For more information about the accreditation process download the following documents:

Accredited schools

Schools accredited using the Attachment Aware Accreditation criteria include the following:

  • The Belsteads School - Bronze, Silver and Gold
  • Cherry Tree Primary School - Bronze and Silver
  • Crays Hill Primary school - Bronze​
  • Great Easton C of E (VA) Primary School - Bronze
  • Great Leighs Primary School - Bronze
  • Little Waltham CEVA Primary School - Bronze
  • Noak Bridge Primary School - Bronze
  • Northlands Primary School - Bronze
  • Open Box Education Centre, Epping - Bronze, Silver and Gold
  • Paxman Academy School - Bronze
  • Spring Meadow Primary School - Bronze and Silver
  • St Andrews Primary School at North Weald - Bronze
  • St Margaret's Prep School - Bronze
  • St Mary’s Burnham Church of England Primary School- Bronze
  • Thomas Willingale School and Nursery - Bronze, Silver and Gold
  • Woodcroft Nursery School - Bronze, Silver and Gold
  • Wyburns Primary School - Bronze

If you’ve taken the attachment training and completed the certification process make sure you submit your evidence to us at virtual.school@essex.gov.uk​