Education Noticeboard

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

A particularly full Education Noticeboard for you this week, including some great news stories, as well as some key information.

Anti-Bullying week is underway, and with it many schools and settings are embracing the ‘One Kind Word’ theme and producing some outstanding work. Apley Wood Primary is one of those, whose pupils designed their own anti-bullying superheroes. I am sure you will agree that their ideas and creativity are fantastic.

Hadley Learning Community held a science and robotics event earlier this week. Some lucky year 4 pupils had the chance to work with a real robot, thanks to a visit from a local company. It is great to see schools and businesses engaging with each other and in this case inspiring the next generation of scientists.

You many have heard about the campaign to raise just over £3million to build the UK’s first cenotaph in tribute to our amazing emergency services. Schools and settings are asked to take part in the Unite the Uniforms day on 3 December 2021 with monies raised going towards the build fund.

As is currently routine, please enclosed some COVID-19 messages, including details of walk in clinics for 12-15 year olds which are taking place in Telford this weekend. As always, please do read all of the information shared to ensure dealing with this ongoing situation in the most effective way. A number of DfE updates are also included as are some important safeguarding resources.

For maintained schools I ask that you take particular note of the proposed changes to the way the Local Authority receives its funding for statutory school improvement duties, in the article below. The DfE have released a consultation on proposals whereby they seek to remove the ‘School Improvement Grant’ they provide directly to the LA. Instead they request the LA to seek funding through additional de-delegation requests to the maintained sector via school forum. This equates to national figure of £50m cut in funding for maintained schools as there is no indication that the money will be ‘recycled’ back through the DSG. Please take a look at the proposals, provided below, and we encourage maintained schools to respond to the consultation and provide their views. For clarity whilst the DfE propose to remove the grant they are no suggesting a removal to the LA statutory duty (as specified in Schools causing concern document). Whilst we await the outcome of the consultation we will prepare a paper for the next school forum meeting (January) to explain the impact on Telford and suggest proposals as to how to move forward.

Finally, and on a much more positive note, this Friday is Children in Need! Sadly there is no 24 hour non-stop drumathon from me but it would be great to hear about your fundraising events and even better to receive photos that we can share in next week’s noticeboard.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Simon

Simon Wellman
Director: Education & Skills

Apley Wood pupils design anti-bullying superheroes

As part of national Anti-Bullying Week, with a focus this year on 'one kind word', year 5 children from Apley Wood Primary have been designing superheroes. The superheroes will be used spread one kind word to help children. Take a look at their great designs, which they shared to Twitter.

Hadley Learning Community science and robotics day

Year 4 pupils at Hadley Learning Community learned all about the day-today use of robots as part of their science and robotics day, held earlier this week.

As part of this event Bauromat UK took a working robot into the school, for pupils to engage with. They were able to try their hand at coding the robot to complete tasks. They also took part in sessions about the history of robots and learnt how circuits work.

Emergency Services Cenotaph Campaign - Unite the Uniforms on 3 December 2021

Pupils across the UK are being invited to wear the colours of the emergency services on Friday 3 December 2021, as part of a major campaign to raise at least £3.2 million to build the UK’s first ‘Emergency Services Cenotaph’.

They will be asked to wear red, blue, green or orange clothing (the colours of the emergency services_ and donate £1. This will go towards the 999 Cenotaph fund.

The 999 Cenotaph is supported by HRH The Duke of Cambridge; the Prime Minister; First Ministers of NI, Scotland, and Wales; and all emergency services. The 999 Cenotaph has the support of all parties in the House of Commons and has a Cross Party Committee which is being co-chaired by Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP and Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP.

What is the 999 Cenotaph and why do we need one?
Almost 2 million people work and volunteer across the NHS and emergency services today, including 250,000 first responders – those who respond when you dial 999. The Emergency Services Cenotaph (also known as a ‘999 Cenotaph’) will honour everybody who has ever served in the NHS and emergency services – from call handlers’, admin staff and porters to first responders, nurses and GPs. Those on the frontline could not do their jobs without people working hard behind the scenes.

Every person in this country has been helped by the NHS or emergency services at some point in our lives. Whether it’s from seeing your GP, firefighter’s putting out a fire or police officers coming to your aid. We all take those who serve in the NHS and emergency services for granted. We know that when we really need help, it will arrive. Despite millions of people having served in the 999 family, we do not have a national monument to celebrate our NHS and 999 heroes. We are working to change that.

Just as The Cenotaph was unveiled in 1920 to honour our Armed Forces and those killed in war, the 999 Cenotaph will be Britain’s national symbol of gratitude, sacrifice and remembrance to the millions who have served in our NHS and emergency services. It is our intention for the 999 Cenotaph to stand proudly alongside The Cenotaph on Whitehall for up to 1,000 years.

What will the 999 Cenotaph look like?
The monument will stand at 21 feet tall and includes six 8ft bronze statues (police officer, firefighter, paramedic, NHS nurse, maritime volunteer and search and rescue volunteer) stood back-to-back on a plinth, wearing the uniform they would wear when responding to a 999 call. There is also a statue of a spaniel dog to represent the important role of service animals. Should funds be secured soon, we are hoping for an unveiling at the beginning of 2023.

More information is available online.

ICT Services shortlisted for supporting education

Telford & Wrekin Council’s ICT Services have been shortlisted for a national award for supporting education in the borough.

The service, which provides information and communications technology support to over 100 schools and 30,000 pupils and teachers across the borough, have successfully been shortlisted for an award at the 2022 British Education Training and Technology (BETT) Awards.

We are one of eight finalists in the ‘technical or IT support service’ award category, which celebrates organisations that provide effective services, support and professional development to ensure that ICT really makes an impact in the classroom.

Finalists will face an online panel of judges made up of education professionals and experts in IT later this month, before the winner is announced at the awards ceremony in January next year.

The annual BETT Awards recognise the very best ICT education products and learning solutions, including education services, products and support systems.

Contingency plans confirmed for GCSEs, AS and A levels

This is an update from the Department for Education

The Department for Education and Ofqual have confirmed contingency plans to support students in the unlikely event that exams in England cannot go ahead next year due to the pandemic.

The government intends for exams to take place next summer. But if they cannot go ahead safely or fairly due to the pandemic, contingency arrangements will be in place to ensure that schools and colleges are well prepared to enable students to achieve their qualifications.

Following a consultation, the department and qualifications regulator Ofqual have confirmed students would receive Teacher Assessed Grades based on a range of their work, similar to this summer.

To help minimise workload burdens on teachers and students, Ofqual has today published guidance for teachers on how they should collect evidence of students’ work during the academic year. This guidance reflects feedback from teachers and school leaders to make it as clear and helpful as possible.

Exams are planned with adaptations next summer to recognise disruption to education during the pandemic and maximise fairness for students. These include a choice of topics in some GCSE exams and advance information on the focus of other exams to help students’ revision.

Exam boards are also publishing formulae and equation sheets to help students in GCSE maths and some GCSE science exams, giving students time to familiarise themselves with them before exams.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: Exams are the best and fairest form of assessment, and we fully intend for them to take place next summer. Planning is underway for exams to go ahead with adaptations to recognise the impact of the pandemic.

But it’s right, and I know schools and families would expect, that we have contingency plans in place so there is a safety net for students to gain their qualifications and progress to their next stage of education or employment, whatever the course of the pandemic.

Ofqual Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said: Students have shown so much resilience in the face of the pandemic. The back-up plans announced today incorporate their feedback, and that of their teachers, and mean students don’t need to worry about the ‘what if?’. They can concentrate on what really matters - studying and revising - as they prepare to show what they know and can do."

The majority of schools, colleges and others who responded to the consultation broadly agreed with the proposals for Teacher Assessed Grades, with more than 70 per cent of people and organisations agreeing that Ofqual’s proposed guidance to support schools in collecting evidence was helpful or very helpful.

Ofqual’s guidance sets out what schools and colleges need to do in advance to ensure evidence is available for determining grades, to be used if exams are cancelled at a later date. Only at that stage would Ofqual and exam boards provide guidance on how to determine a grade, and on arrangements for quality assurance checks, and appeals.

The Ofqual guidance says that, in many cases, schools and colleges need only conduct their normal amount of assessment, and teachers should guard against over-assessment.

Advance information for next summer’s planned exams will be given in early February to help students focus their revision over the final months. The timing will be kept under review, subject to the course of the pandemic. The department has previously published contingency guidance for vocational and technical qualifications.

The government has an ambitious and long-term education recovery plan, backed by an investment to date of nearly £5 billion. It will help children and young people to make up for lost learning and get back on track. This includes delivering world-class training for teachers, providing tutoring across the country, and extending time in colleges by 40 hours a year.

More support for schools to tackle bullying

This is an update from the Department for Education

Thousands of schools in England are set to benefit from further support and training to help pupils combat bullying, learn to value each other’s differences, and improve wellbeing for staff.

As Anti-Bullying Week gets underway, the Department for Education has today (Tuesday 16 November 2021) confirmed funding for five leading organisations, worth over £1 million in total, to support schools and colleges in championing tolerance and respect as part of their responsibility to tackle all forms of bullying.

Over £3.5 million has already been provided to charities and organisations to prevent bullying, with the latest funding boost going towards projects and programmes that tackle bullying including LGBT, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and victims of hate-related bullying.

This will build on the Government’s new relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, which has been designed to reflect a diverse range of views and backgrounds, whilst fostering respect for others and the understanding of healthy relationships. Subjects include teaching about bullying, healthy friendships, equality and the risks of stereotyping.

A new support scheme for school leaders is also being launched today, backed by £760,000 to promote good wellbeing across pupils, teachers and school and college staff. The scheme will provide one-to-one counselling and peer support to around 2,000 school leaders, helping those at deputy head level and above with their mental wellbeing.

Children and Families Minister Will Quince said: “Bullying in any form is unacceptable and can have a devastating effect on children, young people and their families. It is so important that we all take a stand against bullying so we can help create safe and inclusive places for young people both in schools and online.

“It’s crucial that our children and young people know how to treat one another with respect and celebrate one another’s differences. That’s why we are supporting organisations leading the way with providing schools with specialist support and training for thousands of teachers to help respond to any concerns and to make sure bullying never prevents any young person from fulfilling their potential.”

An updated Education Staff Wellbeing Charter will also be published this week, which sets out commitments from the government, Ofsted, education unions and charities, to promote and protect the mental health of the education workforce. Through the charter, the department pledges to work with the sector to drive down unnecessary workload, improve access to wellbeing resources, and champion flexible working, among a range of actions to support staff wellbeing. The department is now encouraging all state funded schools and colleges to sign up to the charter to create a united approach to supporting staff.

The Government’s Online Safety Bill will also deliver a ground-breaking new system of accountability which will require internet companies to protect its users from online abuse, and will make it easier to report harmful activity. Online safety should also be included in a school’s child protection policy and the Department for Education’s Teaching Online Safety in Schools guidance aims to support schools in teaching pupils how to stay safe online within new and existing school subjects, such as RSHE, Citizenship and Computing.

This announcement comes ahead of the UK government hosting its first global LGBT conference in June 2022. As announced by the Government earlier this year, the theme of the event will be ‘Safe to be me’, with an aim to make progress on legislative reforms against violence and discrimination, and protect and promote the equal rights of LGBT people from around the world. The global event will bring together elected officials, policy makers, and the international LGBT community to protect and promote the rights of LGBT people around the world.

Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer, said: “Bullying, especially when it targets an innate characteristic like being LGBT, is particularly damaging and distressing to children. It is vital we stamp it out and equip our brilliant teachers to do so effectively.

Every child has the right to be themselves and thrive at school. I look forward to meeting some of these organisations to hear more about their work.”

COVID-19 Vaccination walk-in clinics for 12-15 year olds

More pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics, for young people aged 12-15 years old, are taking place this weekend. The details are as follows:

Friday 19 November 2021, 11.30am-3.30pm - Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Council, Wellington TF1 1LU
- This clinic also provides boosters as well as 1st and 2nd doses
Saturday 20 November 2021, 11am-4pm - Southwater One, Telford
Sunday 21 November 2021, 11am-3pm - Ludlow Community Hospital

Parents are asked to accompany their child to ensure parental consent is sought.

Walk in and pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics may be limited to an allocated number of vaccines. Vaccines will be given on a first come, first served basis. Clinics may close early if all allocated vaccine has been used.

COVID-19 outbreaks during the 12-15 year old vaccine rollout in secondary schools

This is an update from the Department for Education

Over 1 million 12 to 15 year olds have now had a first dose of the vaccine. It is crucial that schools continue to support the in-school vaccination programme.

Ofsted have confirmed that, in order to support the 12 to 15 vaccine rollout in schools, any school that has been notified of an Ofsted inspection at the same time as administering the vaccine can request a deferral. The vaccine rollout should take priority.

Immunisation sessions should still go ahead as planned when a school has a COVID-19 outbreak, unless specifically advised not to by their local health protection team or director of public health.

Advice on second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination for 16-17 year olds

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that all healthy 16 to 17 year olds should be offered a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The decision is based on a review of the latest evidence and has been accepted by the Government.

The second vaccine dose should be given 12 weeks or more following the first vaccine dose.

For those in this age group who have had the COVID-19 infection, the second vaccine dose should be given 12 weeks or more following the first vaccine dose, or 12 weeks following a positive COVID-19 test result – whichever is later. Those ‘at risk’ will continue to be offered a second dose 8 weeks after their first dose.

16 and 17 year olds will not be vaccinated through the schools programme, but through vaccination centres, community pharmacies and GP led primary care network sites. The national booking service will be available from Monday 22 November for 16 and 17 year olds to book their vaccine.

Office for National Statistics – COVID-19 schools infection survey

If you are approached by the Office for National Statistics for the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, please consider participating.

This study is a collaboration between the Office for National Statistics, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), working with the Department for Education. It will monitor antibodies to better understand the transmission of COVID-19 in schools and immunity in children.

The data collected in 20/21 was incredibly important in tracking the spread of the virus throughout the pandemic and informed key decisions and the government’s response to COVID-19.

Schools have been chosen carefully to ensure there is a representative sample, which will ensure it produces reliable, generalised data and analysis as part of the study. Please consider participating if your school is invited to do so.

Pre-exclusion Hotline – 07816 372459

The pre-exclusion hotline has been working 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 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 requested because a child had got into trouble swearing and telling staff that they were going to kill them. The issue was that this individual had already been on a fixed term exclusion previously. The school had 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 to the child. 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 they were able to discuss this with the school.

Immediately, a visit was planned which allowed the BSAT 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 and the teacher involved enabled the exclusion to be prevented. Following this, school wanted to hold a series of support sessions from BSAT. This will be traded through the service.

In this instance, the ongoing support has allowed the BSATteam to check in weekly with the child, who has remained in school and is now doing well. This demonstrates 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.

The new system is user friendly and easier to use. Please download the user guide (note that you need to be registered to be able to access and use the system).

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.

Prevent Update

The national terrorist threat level has been raised to severe. This means that an attack is ‘highly likely’. The decision to raise the threat level is independently assessed by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC).

Support for Victims of Terrorism
Terrorist incidents can have a devastating impact on the family, friends, peers and community surrounding victims of terrorism. This is a reminder that support is available for those who have been affected:

The Support for Victims of Terrorism page includes relevant helplines, support organisations and the printable included.
The Resilience in Unity Project has recently launched a mapping tool to record the stories and testimony of people affected by acts of terrorism around the world and provide resources for schools, practitioners and communities. You can access the tool and the project’s resource hub online.

Hate Crime Resources
Attacks like these can lead to spikes in hate crime. As always, it needs to be made clear that such action is not tolerated and should always be reported – national guidance on how to do so can be found online, with additional resources also available:

True Vision have created a collection of downloadable posters on reporting hate crime, alongside other resources and materials including guidance on reporting a hate crime. All are accessible on their website.

Tell Mama, which works to tackle anti-Muslim hatred, has developed a number of posters specifically on reporting Islamophobic hate crime, as well as tips on personal safety. All resources can be found online.

Stop Hate UK has also developed various hate crime resources – PDFs are not currently hosted on their website but can be accessed by emailing info@stophateuk.org. Their website is available to read in multiple languages.

New ‘ACT Early’ Videos
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has recently launched two new ‘letters to my younger self’ films as part of its ‘ACT Early’ campaign, aiming to bring to life real stories of extremism and radicalisation. You can watch the new films on the Action Counters Terrorism website.

For more information, please send an email to educationsafeguarding@telford.gov.uk or download the 'Support for people affected by terrorist attacks in the UK' punlication from the GOV.UK website.

Subsidy for Schools: Safeguarding Programmes in 2021/22

As part of the safeguarding programme for 2021/22, schools are entitled to all three of the following offers:

Press & Play
Fully-funded, pre-recorded lessons for Year 7
(running time of 40 - 60 minutes per lesson). You can have one or both of the following lessons:

Talking Heads (on mental wellbeing through the pandemic)
My Mate Fancies You on puberty & transitions

These programmes are usually delivered in Year 6 as part of the Crucial Crew project. Due to the Coronavirus Yearr 6 students missed out last year. We would therefore advise you to run these lessons as soon as possible and by the end of February 2022.

Access the Press & Play sessions

Out Of It
Fully funded, live, face to face assembly for Year 8 on alcohol and drug awareness.
This is a brand new programme that includes a FREE 45 minute, interactive, assembly-style performance plus extra lesson plan e-book and an additional workshop film to use as follow up. The assembly lasts 45 minutes but we are allocating a full hour to allow for any slippage time eg. students arriving late. There is a list of set dates and time slots for you to choose from – please contact Loudmouth for details.

Live RSE performance/workshops for Years 9 – 11
Delivered face to face – part-funded. You can choose up to 2 of the following programmes for any time this academic year:

Working For Marcus on child exploitation.
Safe & Sound on abuse in teenage relationships,
Trust Me on sexual health.
Calling Out, a brand new programme on sexual harassment.

These each consist of a performance to one year group (Years 9, 10 or 11) followed by consecutive, class size workshops. Alternatively, they can be delivered as an hour-long assembly style session. The school is asked to contribute £3 per pupil, per programme.

More details
In terms of the face to face sessions, Loudmouth will have virtual, back-up options in the event of last minute changes due to the pandemic situation. To register your interest or if you’re ready to book, please ring Caroline on 0121 446 4880 or email caroline@loudmouth.co.uk as soon as possible.

Free DBS Workshop

Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership have arranged a free workshop to be delivered on 19 November 2021 between 1-3pm by a guest speaker from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Cathy Taylor. This will cover the following areas:

The role of the disclosure and barring service
Understanding DBS checks and role eligibility including levels of checks and the workforce
Understand when an employee/volunteer is eligible for a check
Understand the DBS Update Service
How regulated activity is defined and what this means in practice
Understand what safe recruitment practices can be in place and how DBS checks can form a part of this.
The three different referral routes
When a DBS Barring referral should be made, including when the legal duty is met
How regulated activity is defined and what this means in practice
How to make a good quality referral
Provide a clear understanding of the consequences of not making appropriate barring referrals and the consequences of being included in one or both Barred Lists

If you are interested in attending this workshop please contact the Partnership Team by sending an email to partnerships@telford.gov.uk and they will send you a Teams invite to the session.

Attendance at this workshop will count towards your CPD.

Release of the 2021 inspection data summary report (IDSR)

Ofsted have released the 2021 inspection data summary report (IDSR) which allows schools (and inspectors) access to the latest available data.

Schools can access your IDSR directly through the Ofsted IDSR service or as a link through the Department for Education (DfE) Analyse School Performance (ASP). Both are located on DfE Sign-in, of which schools will need an account to access and associated permissions for the school/s.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2019 data is the latest available results data. School performance may vary yearly, and, due to the uneven impact of COVID-19 on pupils and schools, 2019 data may no longer reflect a school’s current performance. The IDSR displays both 2021 and 2019 census data to allow users to view the latest contextual data and the data for pupils who took key stage 4 exams or key stage 2 tests in 2019.

The following has been updated:

contextual information based on the January 2021 census
exclusions data has been updated to the final release of 2019/20
autumn 2020 one term absence release with pupil group data
2021 key stage 4 subject entries data
latest key stage 4 destinations data
latest school workforce census data
latest MAT/LA data
latest financial data

The school sixth form section has not been updated, yet. This update will be in early 2022, which will also include two term absence data and several developments following feedback from schools and local authorities. Ofsted will communicate this release and the changes closer to the time.

Please ensure you download the latest version of your IDSR, which will have 12 November 2021 release date.

In addition to these data updates, Ofsted have released some minor developments and have published an updated HTML guidance document for the IDSR. This includes example/anonymised IDSRs and supporting data tables in accessible ODS format.

School inspection data summary report guide

16-19 inspection data summary report guide

Should you have any IDSR or Ofsted IDSR service queries, please contact either the chools team by sending an email to School.Performance.Data@ofsted.gov.uk or the 16 to 19 team by sending an email to FEandSkillsData@ofsted.gov.uk.

Changes to school improvement funding for maintained schools

Introduction
Since 2017, the School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering Grant has been provided to support councils to fulfil core improvement activities, with the amount received by each council proportionate to the number of maintained schools in their area. In 2021/22 the grant received by Telford & Wrekin was £181,652.

These core improvement activities are set out in Part 4 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) and on page 36 of the Department for Education's Schools Causing Concern guidance. Part 4 of the 2006 Act provides councils with statutory powers to warn and intervene in schools causing concern, through issuing a warning notice setting out actions the governing body are to take – with powers to require the governing body to enter into arrangements; to appoint additional governors; to provide for the governing body to consist of interim executive members; or to suspend the right to a delegated budget, if the governing body fails to take the required action.

The Schools Causing Concern guidance sets out expectations that councils should:

Understand the performance of maintained schools in their area, using data as a starting point to identify any that are underperforming, while working with them to explore ways to support progress;
Work closely with the relevant Regional School Commissioner (RSC), diocese and other local partners to ensure schools receive the support their need to improve;
Where underperformance has been recognised in a maintained school, proactively work with the relevant RSC, combining local and regional expertise to ensure the right approach, including sending warning notices and using intervention powers where this will improve leadership and standards; and
Encourage good and outstanding maintained schools to take responsibility for their own improvement; support other schools; and enable other schools to access the support they need to improve.

Since 2017 councils have also been permitted, with the agreement of the schools forum, to de-delegate funding from schools’ budget shares, to fund the provision of additional improvement services that go above and beyond core improvement activities, for example providing or funding access to improvement support. Telford & Wrekin has not asked for this additional de-delegation.

Proposed Changes
The Department for Education (DfE) is proposing to abolish the School Improvement and Monitoring Grant. Half will be removed in financial year 2022/23 and the remainder in 2023/24. No replacement funding is offered (the national grant amounts to £50m). Instead it is proposed that councils ask maintained school members of the schools forum to de- delegate funding for school improvement, to include it’s statutory duties.

This proposal is currently being consulted on, with full details available on the GOV.UK website:

Consultation - Reforming how local authorities' school improvement functions are funded

It is strongly recommended that maintained schools respond to the consultation document. The consultation closes on 26 November 2022. The DfE’s response to the consultation will be published in December 2021 / January 2022.

Open letter from Will Quince, Minister for Children & Families

Will Quince MP, Minister for Children and Families, has written an open letter to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their families and those who support them.

In the letter, the Minister reaffirms his commitment to delivering the SEND Review and the importance of supporting the most disadvantaged children and young people. He outlines his plans to continue to visit schools, nurseries and colleges around the country to directly hear first-hand from children, young people, parents and carers, school, college and local authority staff as well as meet with SEND organisations and experts so they can influence proposals.

The full letter is available online:

Open Letter from Will Quince MP

Alongside the letter, the Department for Education has published information about the members of the SEND Review Steering Group. The new group was set up to assist the department conclude the SEND Review at pace and advise on proposals to be set out in a SEND Green Paper to be published in the first three months of 2022.

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 is, or will be, the autism lead in your school and ask them to sign up to just 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 remaining dates are as follows:

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 whole school training. 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

Telford & Wrekin virtual school conference – July 2022

The Telford & Wrekin Virtual School is pleased to announce its 3rd Annual Conference, taking place Friday 8 July 2022 from 8.30am to 4.30pm. This year’s theme is Belonging, Identity, Adversity & Me – Supporting all young people with a Social Worker and Previously Looked After Children.

The conference is designed for Designated Teachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and Nominated Governors for Children in Care. It will provide delegates with an opportunity to develop links with the Virtual School, health and social care colleagues as well as with other Designated Teachers, Designated Safeguarding Leads and Nominated Governors.

The aim is to work together to increase the progress Telford & Wrekin children in care make in school and beyond. Even if you currently have no children in care at your school, it is important that you remain up to date with processes and expectations, should a child join you. In addition, Ofsted is looking quite closely at the relationship schools have with the Virtual School, and information gained at network meetings has proven very useful to many schools during inspection. Educational outcomes for children in care and children in need are a key priority for Ofsted in the West Midlands Region and inspectors have made it clear that they will be looking closely at how a school prioritises work with children in care when making inspection judgements.

Keynote speakers

Dr Dawn Bradley - currently an advisory Educational Psychologist for the ARC (Attachment Research Community), and introduced the nationally accredited Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) training programme in 2018. She is a member of the national ELSA steering committee, a quality assured ELSA trainer and supervisor, practitioner trainer Emotion Coach (UK) and practices as a psychotherapist in EMDR Trauma Therapy.
Tim Hill HMI - Ofsted, West Midlands Region - Tim Hill is an experienced inspector of primary, secondary and special schools, and pupil referral units. Tim also inspects local authority children’s services. He has extensive senior leadership experience as a head teacher and local authority adviser. His areas of expertise include literacy, science, behaviour management, safeguarding, and leadership and management.
Steven Russell - Steven is the founder of Elements SEMH Support. As a child, he lived with 9 foster families, was placed into two children’s homes and attended 5 schools. With this in mind, he decided to turn his “Pain to Purpose” by creating Elements. As a child, growing up in the care system, Steven has become an effective communicator with children living in care.

Workshop Choices
All delegates have the opportunity to attend two workshop sessions. Please read the descriptions, and clearly indicate your 1st, 2nd and ‘reserve’ choice on the booking form.

Workshop A
The Teenage Brain (The Solihull Approach), Natalie Woodhouse- Fostering Team
Synopsis: This workshop has a particular focus on adolescents and explores a variety of evidence based practice.
This theory was developed in 1996 by professionals including Psychologists, Psychotherapist and CAMHS. It is evidence based and provides professionals with a framework to think about children’s behaviours, this in turn develops an effective consistent approach. It aims to increase emotional health and wellbeing. The aim of this workshop is to:

Explore brain development and the changes that happen in adolescence
Explore why teenagers take risks
Explore why teenagers sleep patterns change
Understand changes in behaviour and why teenagers may find it difficult to understand others emotions.

Workshop B
Edge of Care and Fostering, Jacqui Davis and Dan Chell – Social Care
Synopsis: The workshop will enable participants to understand the impact of going into care verses children to be enabled to stay at home if it is safe to do. The session will also explore Telford & Wrekin invest to save initiative designed to use public money in new innovative ways to break cycles of behaviour and encourage families to successfully promote the welfare of their children.

Workshop C
Gangs and Exploitation, Vicki Ridgwell - Police
Synopsis: This workshop explores the local and national landscape of exploitation and gang criminality. Participants will explore the various types of exploitation, grooming and how to identify the risk factors for young people in our care and vulnerable children.

Workshop D
BeeU, the Toxic Trio and Early Clinical Experiences, Anna Frater - CAMHS
Synopsis: This workshop explores the role of the Toxic Trio and Early Clinical Experiences for children in care, and the role and work of BeeU in offering support.

Workshop E
Care Leavers’ Covenant and Lived Experience, Natalie Latham
Synopsis: This workshop explores life as a Care Leaver and working with those who are approaching leaving care, and the challenges it brings. It explores opportunities and entitlements for those who are leaving care, including lived experience.

Workshop F
Supporting Nominated Governors – Interpreting data and key questions’, Lou Aubrey – Virtual School Team
Synopsis: This workshop explores the role of the Nominated Governor for Children in Care and how you can be a high quality ‘critical friend’ – offering both challenge and support to the Designated Teacher and School through interpreting key data and skillful questioning.

Workshop G
Belonging, Inclusion and Identity’, John Newton – Virtual School Team
Synopsis: This workshop focuses on the importance of belonging and personal identity amongst care experienced young people and seeks to highlight strategies and systems for promoting personal reflection and self-expression within a young person’s educational journey. The workshop also seeks to explore the impact of becoming a ‘child in care’ on the development of identity and interpersonal relationships.

Delegate fees

£120 for one delegate.
£180 for two delegates.
£60 for each additional delegate, up to a total of 4 delegates per school.
Early Bird discount - Save £20 per delegate, if booked before 14 January 2022.

Schools which book by 14 January 2022 are guaranteed two places, with priority being given to the Designated Teacher/Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Nominated Governor for Children in Care. Any 3rd or 4th delegate places can be requested, which will be placed on a reserve list with allocation to be confirmed by 27 May 2022, so please act quickly to secure your places (maximum 4 places per school).

To book, please send a completed booking form to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

If you have any queries about the event please contact virtualschool@telford.gov.uk.

Future Focus Letter to parents of year 11’s in traded Schools

FutureFocus is a specialist careers service run by Telford & Wrekin Council which provides impartial information, advice and guidance for young people in Telford. Please download the example letter, for use when contacting parents and carers about the post-16 options for their children.

Invitation to Capgemini Insight Event 30 November 2021

To support teachers, parents, carers and especially students Capgemini have an insight event on Tuesday 30 November 5-6pm. It is aimed at year 13, however, someone a bit younger who knows that they want to apply in a year or two is welcome, as are those who have left school and feel they are not quite on the right track.

Capgemini are recruiting, in Telford, for Degree Apprenticeships for the Charter Management and for the Digital & Technology Degree. They also have Level 4 Business Analyst roles (May 2022 start). This apprentice programme is now open for applications.

Capgemini’s apprentices work right across the business delivering some of the most innovative business and technology solutions, all whilst having the support to learn, develop and grow. These are permanent roles that will get any career off to a flying start.

Insight Event information

Insight event online registration

NEET Newsletter

Available to download is the latest update on NEET information for the Borough of Telford & Wrekin. Documents mentioned are not available to download from within the newsletter, but can be downloaded below:

NEET Newsletter – November

NEET Project Proforma

NOVA Training Refer a Friend Scheme flyer

Enable Step Up European Union Social Fund information

Any queries can be send by email to sendandinclusion@telford.gov.uk or by calling 01952 385399.

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?!

SHaW maths hub secondary update

The most recent update on the opportunities available from the Salop, Herefordshire and Wolverhampton (SHaW) maths hub is now available.

Subject Leaders and ECTs
There are two places remaining to join the Secondary Subject Leadership Work Group starting next week. Book now to secure your place to collaborate with other Maths Leaders in this Work Group.

The Years 5-8 Continuity (online), Sustaining Mastery and A Level Pedagogy Work Groups start in early December.

Early Career Teachers (ECTs) - Multiplicative Reasoning
The online Work Group for secondary Early Career Teachers is on Monday 29th November 2021. The focus on Multiplicative Reasoning will support development of deeper understanding and connections for a topic that underpins around 80% of GCSE Foundation Tier. Making these connections explicit for children will help to reduce cognitive overload, seeing maths as 'not having much to remember' rather than 'it's difficult because there's too much to remember'.

Following requests teachers in their third year of teaching are now able to join this Work Group, given the disruption they have had over the past two years.

Book now

Developing A Level Maths Pedagogy
These work groups enable Primary and Secondary colleagues to work collaboratively with a focus on pre-symbolic algebraic thinking and the new Checkpoints activities. Much of the excellent collaboration between schools has suffered over the past two years, so these Work Groups offers a chance to rekindle positive relationships.

Schools in the SHaW region that took part in the Multiplicative Reasoning version previously are encouraged to work together again using the enlightening new algebraic thinking materials.

After booking please contact Year 5 and 6 colleagues from your linked primary schools.

Book now

Secondary Maths Leadership
This new work group is proving to be popular, with a focus on curriculum coherence, recovery planning, teacher development and student progress this year.

SKTM - Non-specialists
Although subject knowledge for the teaching of mathematics (SKTM) for non-specialists has already started, new bookings can be accepted, as the online workshops have been recorded so that any late starters are able catch up.

Book for the Telford course

Book for the online course

Opportunities for 2021-22
All of the following are online except where noted:
A Level Pedagogy
GCSE Resit
Secondary Subject Leadership
Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (Secondary non-specialists)
Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (Secondary non-specialists) - Telford
Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (Secondary Early Career Teachers)
Strengthening Partnerships with ITT Providers
Years 5-8 Continuity (Algebraic thinking focus)

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’).

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
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
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

Road safety week

Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest road safety event. This year’s event will be taking place on15-21 November 2021.

Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to shout out for our right to make safe and healthy journeys every day.

The theme of Road Safety Week 2021 is Road Safety Heroes, celebrating the heroic work of road safety professionals, and explaining how we can all play a part in making journeys safer for everyone.

There are a number of resources available on the Brake website, including how your school can get involved:

Get involved in Road Safety Week 2021

Children in Need

Children in Need 2021 will take place on Friday 19 November 2021 from 7pm to 10pm. BBC Children in Need is back in 2021, airing on BBC One and BBC Two. The theme of this year's event is “together we can change young lives”.

Order a free Children in Need fundraising pack

Children in Need fundraising ideas

Children in Need shop

Frequently asked questions about Children in Need

Free littering workshop from Veolia

The Litterbugs workshops, aimed at 5-7 year olds, are a set of primary school workshops offered by the company. If you think your school might like to get involved, there’s more information available online

Veolia – Education & schools

This entry was posted by Claire on Wednesday, 17 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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