Children's services
Walsall’s Virtual school and the success of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Published on
Walsall Council’s Virtual School works with children in care and care leavers aged 3 to 19 aiming to raise the educational attainment and aspirations of children and young people in care.
The service also provides advice and guidance to parents and teachers of children who have previously been in care and to promote high expectations through support and challenge to schools, social care staff and parents/carers.
“ Walsall Virtual School is not a usual teaching institution. It’s a model by which the council delivers services and support for the education of children in care, previously in care in a holistic way. Education settings, parents/carers, social care and other professions come together to offer a cohesive approach to support with the young person at the centre. The Dolly Parton imagination Library is an example of one of the schemes the Virtual school has accessed to get the best start in life for our children in Early Years. The council first became aware of this in 2019 at a West Midlands Virtual Heads Annual Conference and launched it in 2020. The virtual school provides learning resources to children from the age of 3 so this was a great opportunity to provide books to our younger aged children. It is now well established and over 200 children benefit from the resource.
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Reading with children in the Early Years is a fundamental part of supporting Children’s learning and development and can help develop vocabulary, understanding of the world, early reading skills, imagination and it helps to nurture a bond between child and caregiver.
Every month our children in care aged 0-5 receive an age appropriate book in the post, directly from the Imagination Library. An activity sheet to go alongside each book is also made available and can be accessed by parents/carers on the Virtual school website.
Parents have given positive feedback from the project. Susan is a foster carer with Walsall council and has fostered with over 200 children.
She currently receives books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library through Lorraine’s team and said,
“ Reading is so important, whether it’s a small baby or an older child. It’s one of the first ways in which you can spend time bonding with a child. I have found that having the first book arrive is crucial because it starts off a ritual and the children always look forward to receiving their next book and working through the activity sheet. Often the children have had difficult times and the vibrant colours and noises from the books help. I’d encourage every organisation that works with children to take up this arrangement with the Imagination library to access a fantastic resource. “
Virtual School contact details
Telephone number: 01922 652 837
Email: walsallvirtualschool@walsall.gov.uk
Website: https://wvs.sch.life/
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Notes to editors
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting programme for children aged 0-5 operated by the Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton’s own charity. Their mission is to inspire a lifelong love of books and reading by placing books into the hands of children. All children enrolled in the Imagination Library programme receive a free book every month from birth until their 5th birthday. We register children when they come into care at any age between birth and five. All titles in the Imagination Library are published by Penguin Random House (PRH) and carefully selected by a panel of experts in early childhood development and reading. Each age group from birth upwards receives a different book, all of which are age-appropriate, except for the first book, ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. This is a special edition with a forward from Dolly herself.
