Education Noticeboard: 11 November 2021

11 November 2021 Welcome to the Education Noticeboard. A round-up of news, guidance and key updates for education settings.

Included in this update:

Director Update

Dear Colleagues

On this Remembrance Day it is lovely to be able to share with you a display from one of our schools. I am sure this is one of many, scattered across the borough and is a wonderful example of how we strive to educate the younger generations on the history our country shares and their creative response.

I am also pleased to see so many other news stories this week: Woodlands Primary School’s ‘Forest of promises’ work, the participation of Newdale Primary School in the Children in Need ‘Big Fancy Dress Singalong’ and the return of the hugely successful ‘Big Winter Coat and Shoes Scheme’, in partnership with Telford Crisis Support. Please keep your good news stories coming.

The new School and Nursery Closures Line is now open. There are a few settings where we need a lead person to enable full access to the system. They have been contacted separately. We have also supplied the form below to download where you need to let us know.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for 12 to 15 year olds continues. We have provided an update on how to access walk-in and pop up clinics, as well as a reminder to schools and colleges to keep on reporting test results.

Other articles include the recent update to the Department for Education Schools Governance guidance, the November edition of the Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter and a number of CPD opportunities.

As we approach Christmas, which is now only a few weeks away, many local areas will be turning on their christmas lights. Details of some of these, including the event at Southwater this Saturday, are provided.

Have a great rest of the week all.

Best wishes
Simon

Director: Education and Skills

Grange Park Primary School – Remembrance display

Grange Park Primary School pupils have created a beautiful whole school remembrance display, with over 500 poppies on display. Our pupils and their families have worked so hard on poppies made from a variety of mediums. There are 3D printed ones, some have been crocheted, some are even made from Lego! Every different way you could imagine, the children have created. The finished product really is breathtaking.

Woodlands Primary School – forest of promises

Last week, the children at Woodlands Primary School learnt about COP26; the promises that world leaders will be making and how we can all make small changes to help combat climate change.

The children wrote on leaves, to record their promises. Some children chose simple changes such as cycling to places rather than getting a lift, or making food and snack choices that are kinder to the planet. Some children thought further and promised to try and bring about a bigger change in the local community by promoting recycling.

Our promise leaves have been sent to COP26, along with leaves from children all over the world, to allow the voices of our children to be heard! These will be turned into a worldwide 'forest of promises'.

Newdale Primary School – Children in Need ‘Big Fancy Dress Singalong’

On Friday 5 November 2021, Year 4 children from Newdale Primary School took part in the Children in Need ‘Big Fancy Dress Singalong’ and were featured during the BBC Radio Shropshire morning broadcast, on social media and will hopefully feature on Midlands Today as well as the national Children in Need broadcast.

The children raised money to support child mental health charities.

Donate to Happy Heads

The Big Winter Coat and Shoes Scheme Returns

After the success of last year’s Big Winter Coat scheme, Telford & Wrekin have teamed up with Telford Crisis Support, who will lead the project this year. The scheme will be open to referrals on the 12 November 2021.

If you are working with children who do not have a suitable winter coat or footwear you can make a referral directly to Telford Crisis Support (TCS) for assistance.

When will the scheme run?
12 November 2021 – 12tMarch 2022

Who can apply?
Professionals working in schools and other professionals working with families.

How can I apply?
Once you’ve identified a child who needs these items of clothing, speak to the family to ask if they are happy to be referred. You will then need to find out the sizes of any clothing/ shoes needed for each child to complete the referral form.

All applications are made online via a password protected webform. This form is only for professionals please do not share the form or password publicly.
If you are a professional, who wishes to make a referral please contact Debbie Hughes – Clothing Co-Ordinator (contact details are below) and she will be able to give you the login details.

What next?
Telford Crisis Support will source the items and deliver either to school or one of TCS designated pick up points, depending on the preference stated on the referral.

If you have any questions relating to the scheme/ referral process or would like further information you can contact Debbie Hughes – Clothing Co-Ordinator by email to clothing@telfordcrisissupport.org.uk or by telephone on 07878 296958.

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for 12 to 15 year olds: Update

All schools will have hosted or are hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, however, there may be students who were/will be unable to receive a vaccine on the day of the clinic, perhaps due to absence or if a child had COVID-19 up to 28 days prior to the session. For children still requiring a COVID-19 vaccine, please advise parents of children, or the children aged 12 to 15 years old themselves, wanting to receive a vaccination that the following options are available to them in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin:

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Vaccination Centre:
Appointments booked online via the National Booking System or by calling NHS 119

Book for RJAH Vaccination Centre

Walk-in Clinics (no appointment required, limited vaccine availability):
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Vaccination Centre, Oswestry, SY10 7AG
Turreff Hall, Turreff Avenue, Donnington, Telford, TF2 8HG

Full details of days and times that clinics are being held are available online.

Pop-up Clinics:
Pop clinics are being held in various places around the county. Parents are advised to regularly check this site for more details on upcoming pop-up clinics for 12-15 year olds:

COVID-19 vaccination walk-in & pop up clinics

Parents should be reminded that when their child (under 16 years of age) is receiving their vaccine outside of a school setting a parent or legal guardian will be required to be present for the consent process to take place.

This vaccination programme is in place to help protect children against coronavirus (COVID-19) and reduce transmission. Vaccinating children will help protect more vulnerable friends and family by preventing COVID-19 from spreading. The vaccination is free and will be given by our COVID-19 Vaccination Team in collaboration with the School-Aged Immunisation Service.

For further information on COVID-19 vaccination for children and young people please visit the GOV.UK website.

A reminder to schools and colleges about the importance of reporting test results

This update is from the Department for Education

Thank you for continuing to encourage staff, students and pupils to test twice-weekly for COVID-19 at home. Reporting your tests, whether positive, negative or void, is as important as taking the test itself, as reporting results helps the spread of the virus in local areas to be understood.

Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. A recent report has shown that the accuracy of LFD tests was more than 80% effective at detecting any level of COVID-19 infection and likely to be more than 90% effective at detecting the most infectious people at the point of testing.

The GOV.UK notify service enables education settings to remind pupils and parents to test and report easily, quickly and at no extra cost. Please do make use of this service. The Department for Education (DfE) has also provided a toolkit to support schools in encouraging pupils and students to test and report regularly.

Pre-exclusion hotline – 07816372459

The pre-exclusion hotline has been working very well and this has best been used when a school is considering an exclusion, whereby a member of the BSAT team has been able to offer immediate intervention to to discuss the exclusion in more detail and offer a preventative solution. This support is available for both the individual child and their school.

One example of this was a school who telephoned the pre-exclusion hotline requesting support.

Contact was made as a child had got themself into trouble swearing, telling staff that they were going to kill them. The issue was that there had already been a fixed term exclusion. The school noticed that the child has complex needs and has previously utilised alternative provision.

The school felt that information provided to them by a primary colleague did not evidence the complex needs and support that was previously provided. As Local Authority (LA) officers, the Behaviour Support Development and Advisory Team (BSATs) were able to check the protocol system to see the extensive support that had previously been provided and were able to discuss this with the school.

An immediate visit was planned which allowed for the team to support the child and discuss the reasons for their behaviour using a restorative approach. An offer of a restorative justice session with the child, the teacher involved and the school supported the school to prevent the exclusion. Following this, school wanted to hold a series of support sessions from BSAT which were then traded through the service.

In this instance, the ongoing support has allowed the team to check in weekly with the child and that they have remained in school and are now doing well. This demonstartes that with the right support at the right time, exclusions can be prevented.

The Pre-exclusion Hotline number is 07816 372459.

The School and Nursery Closures Line is now live

The new school closure line is now live and will replace the old snowline which had been in place for over 12 years.

All schools, including academies, nurseries and colleges within the borough are part of this new system. This enables staff, pupils, parents and residents within Telford and Wrekin to be kept up to date with closures, when needed.

Each individual school/nursery will be responsible for keeping the information up to date about their respective setting. The new system is easy to use and is user friendly. Step by step instructions will be issued on how to operate the system to the nominated person for your setting.

To ensure the system is effective and efficient it is important that each school/nursey completes the nomination form, stating who will be given admin rights and be responsible for keeping the closure line up to date for their setting (this can be either a general admin person/email address, head teachers, PA’s or a mix of).

If you have not already signed up to the school/nursery Closure Line please download the nomination form and return it once completed, as soon as possible. It should be sent via email to hubprojectteam@telford.gov.uk. If you have any issues with accessing the closure line, or require any further information, the same email address can be used.

DfE Schools Governance Update – November 2021

This week the Department for Education (DfE) published its November 2021 School Governance update. This latest update for governors includes:

Understanding your data: A guide for school governors and academy trustees updated.
National Leaders of Governance: Eligibility for funded support and new designations.
Free services for finding skilled volunteers to become school governors and academy trustees.
Webinar for governors and trustees on implementing flexible working.
The View My Financial Insights (VMFI) tool has been updated with your latest data (academy trusts only).
Update your information: Get Information about Schools (GIAS).

To read the full update, please visit the GOV.UK website.

Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter

The Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) Executive met on 13 October 2021 and the key messages from this meeting to the Partnership were as follows:

Establishment of Safeguarding Adults Board and Safeguarding Children Board
Following the review of the Safeguarding Partnership Arrangements the Executive welcomed the establishment of the Safeguarding Adults Board and Safeguarding Children Board. This enables the Partnership to have a clear focus on the specific safeguarding issues at a strategic level. This includes the re-engagement between the Safeguarding Children Board and school safeguarding boards to ensure that the voice of the child is prioritised within the partnership.

Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges
The Executive endorsed the decision of the Safeguarding Children’s Board to adopt sexual abuse in schools and colleges as a partnership priority and adopt a zero-tolerance policy and for all partners to make it clear sexual violence and sexual harassment is never acceptable. All partners have a role in challenging physical behaviour (potentially criminal in nature). Dismissing or tolerating such behaviours risks normalising them; this policy should include a position statement from partners on the current position of the partnership’s response to sexual abuse in education settings and its future aims and what work it will undertake. It was agreed that the TWSP will develop a work stream to help tackle, sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online and improve the level of oversight and understanding of the issues for children and young people in our local area.

Prevent and Channel Panel
The Executive received an update on Prevent and the work of Channel Panel. Telford and Wrekin’s Channel Panel was formed in July 2015, and refreshed in spring 2020. Telford and Wrekin Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP); is developed by the Police on an annual basis to understand any local identified risks. The Channel Panel own the CTLP and have an action plan to support and implement actions to tackle, explore and reduce risks of vulnerable children or adults being radicalised.

The process is underpinned by a robust partnership process that is centred around all local referrals being submitted into the Counter Terrorism Unit prevent hub (CTU) for registering onto the system and onward allocation to Counter Terrorism Case Officer (CTCO). Prevent training is being refreshed to ensure appropriate referrals are made to channel, discussion currently being planned for the next Prevent board on how we can ensure all front line staff get the training, especially the Home Office online PREVENT training.

Multi Agency Response to Children and Young People in Emotional / Mental Health Crisis in Exceptional Circumstances
The TWSP Partnership Development Sub-Group has approved the multi-agency response to children and young people in emotional / mental health crisis in exceptional circumstances. The Standard Operating Procedure and the Flow Chart explain this process and how all partners can make referrals.

Domestic Abuse: Childhood and How It Impacts Adulthood
At the most recent Domestic Abuse Forum meeting, the group decided domestic abuse training focusing on the effect it has on children and young people would be most beneficial – this will be delivered as a presentation by The Haven Wolverhampton. This will be taking place on Wednesday 1 December 2021 at 10.30am until 12pm.

If you’d like to register to attend or would like more information, please visit the Eventbrite page. This is set to private, so only those with the link will be able to register – please feel free to share to those you feel would benefit from the training in their roles.

Other Articles included:
Adult Exploitation Sub Group.
TWSP are proud to support the ‘I statements’.
White Ribbon 16 Days of Action Campaign (White Ribbon Day 25 November 2021).
Improving Public Health Services for Children Aged 0-5.
Homelessness and safeguarding.
Upcoming Multi-Agency Training.

The full Newsletter is available to download:

TWSP Newsletter

Funded Autism Spectrum Condition Training

Currently underway is a huge drive on increasing the understanding of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) within Telford & Wrekin schools, to increase inclusion. All schools are asked to co-work towards achieving this whole-borough vision. To support this co-work, and make achieving this vision a reality, a funded place is being provided for a one member of senior staff from each setting to attend the ASC Lead training, during the forthcoming Autumn Term.

Why does my schools need an ASC Lead?
A lead autism practitioner is needed in every school in Telford. The ASC Lead can then drive planning the support and provision for children with social communication needs, across the school.

What impact will the ASC Lead have in my school?
Having an ASC Lead will enable all young people to have an increased sense of belonging to their school and promote inclusion. This is essential because it will increase the holistic development of each young person identified with ASC.

In addition, if requests are made for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), schools will be able to demonstrate levels of interventions linked to the graduated response. Furthermore, the acquired skills across all school staff will assist with the presentation of young people to the emotional health and wellbeing panel for consideration to be placed on the ASC pathway. The content of the Autism Education Trust (AET) links to the Ofsted framework for inspection, and therefore will support each school when engaging with Ofsted Inspectors.

Next Steps
Schools are asked to sign up one member of staff for the ASC Lead training. Please identify the member of staff who will be the autism lead in your school and ask them to sign up to one of the dates below. The autism lead will need to be a senior member of your team who is able to oversee the development of policy and practice.

The dates are as follows:

17 November 2021
24 November 2021
1 December 2021
8 December 2021

To book a place on a course, please send a completed CPD booking form by email to CPDschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.
The booking form is available online.

Once your member of staff has received the ASC lead (Leading Good Autism Practice, or LGAP for short) training, they are encouraged to then begin to organise the delivery of training with other staff throughout the school. This can be achieved by contacting Michael Lane (Senior Educational Psychologist and ASC Lead) who will co-ordinate the allocation of training staff to schools. He can be contacted by sending an email to Michael.lane@telford.gov.uk

Teacher Panellists Required for the Teacher Regulation Agency

The Department for Education is currently recruiting teacher panellists for the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) - Professional Conduct Panel (PCP). The Department for Education (DfE) want to recruit around 50 serving, or recently serving teachers.

Successful applicants will be required to sit as one of three PCP panellists to consider allegations of serious misconduct referred to the Secretary of State by employers, the police, the Disclosure and Barring Service, other regulators, other interested organisations, and members of the public. The PCP will consider the evidence and determine whether the facts in the case are proven and if it amounts to unacceptable professional conduct, conduct that brings the profession into disrepute and/or conviction of a relevant offence. The PCP will make recommendations to the Secretary of State as to whether a teacher should be prohibited from teaching.

This role will suit those teachers who have experience in dealing with investigations into school procedures, systems and processes and those with experience in pastoral roles. The position will most likely suit senior school leaders, heads of department and teachers with responsibilities such as Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO) and/or Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs). Applications from classroom teachers with the necessary skills and experience from outside of their current teaching role would also be welcomed.

The position will most likely suit senior school leaders, heads of department and teachers with responsibilities such as Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO) and/or Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).

For more information on this vacancy please visit the GOV.UK website.

Anyone interested in applying for or would like any more information on this vacancy, please contact the Panellist Recruitment Team via email to TRA.RECRUITMENT@education.gov.uk.

Family Learning in Schools

Following the publication of the COVID-19 Management letter for Education settings in last week’s Education Noticeboard, there have been some questions regarding the continuation of family learning in schools.

Despite the additional controls that are being recommended it is expected that there should be a limited impact on the provision of services so family learning can continue delivery. Risk assessments are in place for this provision.

If you have concerns please contact Lynn Anslow-Green via email to Lynn.Anslow-Green@telford.gov.uk, or call the Health Protection Hub on 01952 382888 / 07773932459.

Free of charge science CPD opportunity for primary schools

The 'Managing safety in primary learning: Making the most of your CLEAPSS membership' course is available for Telford & Wrekin schools. This online briefing is free of charge (as part of your CLEAPSS annual service level agreement) and will be led by Ant Snowden, Science Teaching and Learning Specialist.

The session will take place on Tuesday 30 November 2021 from 4pm to 5pm via Microsoft Teams.

Places can be booked by simply sending an email to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk with your name, school name and email address – places are limited to 3 per school in the first instance.

CLEAPSS is a national body which supports schools in ensuring that they meet their statutory duty of care in the practical subjects of Science, DT and Art. It is recognised throughout Europe as a leading expert in its field, yet many schools do not make best use of its resources and services.

This course offers an informative overview of the support available to schools through their CLEAPSS subscription, including:

The scope of range of services available through the web site
Teaching resources
Competitions
Novel and engaging ideas for enquiries and STEM activities
Developing risk assessments
Studies outside the classroom
Managing risk associated with: forces, sound and light
Electricity, heating and burning, chemicals
Surely that’s banned in primary schools?!

Certification for safeguarding training

Please note that we are unable to issue historical certificates for safeguarding courses. It is the responsibility of each school and individual to maintain their own training records. Thank you for your understanding.

CPD courses for school staff, senior leaders and governors

The 2021-2022 CPD Booklet continues to be available on the Telford Education Services site and we very much look forward to receiving your bookings.

Course bookings with a course code are made by sending a completed CPD booking form via email to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

Other courses and briefings without a course code are usually booked by sending your email address name and school name to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk

Please note: with effect from Monday 27 September 2021 the majority of our training was moved to online training delivery to support business continuity in schools. This will continue after half term (unless specified as ‘face to face’).

Primary ICT Coordinators' Update (CPD 512)	Tuesday 16 November 2021	4pm to 5.30pm
Teaching Children with SEND: Meeting the Needs. Session 2: Ready for Learning: Supporting the Social and Emotional Needs of children with SEND (LSAT 508)	Tuesday 16 November 2021	4pm to 5.30pm
Early Career Teacher Network (CPD 720)	Tuesday 16 November 2021	4pm to 5pm
Autism Spectrum Condition Training (EPS 107)	Wednesday 17 November 2021	9am to 4.30pm
Managing Employee Capability (Performance Management)	Thursday 18 November 2021	3pm to 5.30pm
Management of Actual or Potential Aggression (MAPA training) - Part 1 (BSAT 201) face to face	Thursday 18 November 2021	8.30am to 4pm
Governors’ Responsibilities for SEND (LSAT 212)	Thursday 18 November 2021	5pm to 7pm
Red Book Training face to face	Friday 19 November 2021	all day - TBC
Safeguarding Arrangements for School Leases	Monday 22 November 2021	5.15pm to 6pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 6: Knowledge & Understanding of the World (EY 308)	Tuesday 23 November 2021	1pm to 2.30pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 6: Knowledge & Understanding of the World (EY 309)	Tuesday 23 November 2021	4pm to 5.30pm
Assessment - termly update (morning) (CPD 502)	Tuesday 23 November 2021	9.15am to 10.45am
Assessment - termly update (twilight) (CPD 503)	Tuesday 23 November 2021	4pm to 5.30pm
Autism Spectrum Condition Training (EPS 107)	Wednesday 24 November 2021	9am to 4.30pm
Raising Awareness of Prevent (SG 101)	Wednesday 24 November 2021	9.30am to 11am
Early Years Coordinators – Termly Update (EY 007)	Wednesday 24 November 2021	4pm to 5.30pm
Management of Actual or Potential Aggression (MAPA training) - Part 2 (BSAT 201) face to face	Wednesday 24 November 2021	8.30am to 12.30pm
Child Development: Personal and Social development in the EYFS (EY 312)	Wednesday 24 November 2021	9.15am to 12noon
Safer Recruitment Administration	Thursday, November 25, 2021	3pm to 5.30pm
Managing Sexual Violence & Sexual Harassment in Schools (SG 201)	Thursday, November 25, 2021	9am to 12noon
EAL and SEND? (CPD 601)	Thursday, November 25, 2021	1.15pm to 4pm
Making the Most of CLEAPSS	Tuesday 30 November 2021	4pm to 5pm
Bright Ideas and Inspiration – for your breakfast, holiday and out of school provision (EY 303)	Tuesday 30 November 2021	9.15am to 11.15am

Southwater Christmas lights switch on – 13 November 2021

The Telford Town Centre Christmas Lights switch on event takes place this Saturday, 13 November 2021 at Southwater, 11am- 6pm, with a host of outdoor activities available.

Entertainment includes arts and crafts for children; performances from the Got 2 Sing choir, the Darby singers, Festive Strings and a steel band; interactive games and a chance to win tickets to the Telford panto. There will also be additional activities taking place inside the Town Centre, including face painting and bauble making for kids, and a walkabout Santa.

The actual light switch on will take place at 5pm.

Various food and drink stalls will be available, as well as pop-up market stalls.

Malinslee Christmas lights switch on – 19 November 2021

Malinslee Christmas lights switch on marks the start of Great Dawley's festive season and the countdown to Christmas with free rides, attractions and inflatables for all children attending the event along with free face painting and much much more each year!

Don’t forget to visit Santa and his sleigh at Santa’s Grotto where he has a gift for every child. Community stalls are located in the Marquee on the main car park and include craft activities, sweets, personalised gifts, tombola’s and table top sales.

The end of the event is marked with a spectacular firework display lighting up Malinslee Centre, you don't want to miss them!

For all recent updates please visit the Facebook event page.

Dawley Christmas lights switch on – 26 November 2021

Dawley Christmas Light Switch On is one of our many Christmas events to mark the festive season and the countdown to Christmas

The beautiful High Street in Dawley looks beautiful lit up with the Christmas lights that decorate the street from top to bottom and not forgetting the big red bow on Dawley Town Hall!

On the day visitors can enjoy Live music and entertainment in the Bandstand from 12 noon from local school choirs counting down to the start of the event. From 3pm performers will put on a range of entertainment for everyone to enjoy until it turns dusk!

There are free Rides, attractions and inflatables for all children attending the event along with free face painting and much more added each year! And not forgetting the Dawley Express Land Train which you can board and take a tour of Dawley Park which is all lit up and hosts more activities.

Now are you on the naughty or nice list? Don’t forget to visit Santa and his sleigh at Santa’s Grotto where he has a gift for every child!

Community Stalls are located within the Christian Centre who kindly open their doors every year to support the event. Community stalls include craft activities, sweets, personalised gifts, tombola’s and table top sales and businesses in the High Street open late with special offers and discounts for visitors to the event.

Lights will be switched on around 5pm and will be led by Santa himself with special guests so don't miss it!

Follow all the updates on the Facebook event page.

This entry was posted by Claire on Wednesday, 10 November 2021.

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Every week during term time we publish a new update for the education community. It includes essential briefings and specialist information about education.

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