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

I am delighted to share a number of great news stories from across the Borough. These include Cllr Shirley Reynolds visit to Lawley Academy on Unite the Uniforms Day and success from Emilia of Lightmoor Primary School who was awarded a Blue Peter badge for her outstanding artwork.

You will be aware by now that the Government have announced the implementation of Plan B, in relation to COVID-19. The Department for Education have released information for all education and childcare settings which is included below.

In addition to this, other new and updated information has been provided, including news of government action following the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. The tragedy of such a young life taken so cruelly is something that has touched many of us.

Other topical items make up the rest of this Education Noticeboard including details of pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics, CPD opportunities to the end of January 2022 and the return of the popular reindeer trail at Telford Town Park!

Hang on in there – the end of term in nearly here!
Have a great week.

Simon

Simon Wellman
Director: Education & Skills

Unite the Uniforms: Visit to Lawley Academy from Councillor Shirley Reynolds

Councillor Shirley Reynolds visited Lawley Academy on Unite the Uniforms day, were she she talked to the pupils about the initiative. All of the schools across the Borough have been encouraged to get involved with the initiative.

Emergency services help to keep the country together in times of hardship and so, to recognise this, 999 Cenotaph are calling on people up and down the country to help fund a monument to celebrate the NHS and other 999 heroes.

As part of the fundraising, children and young people in schools and colleges joined forces in 'uniting the uniform' by wearing blue, green, red or orange clothing - to represent the emergency services colours - and by encouraging people to donate to the charity.

Watch the short video to see how it went:

Lightmoor Pupil awarded a Blue Peter Badge

Emilia in Class 5 has been awarded a Blue Peter badge for her drawing of Henry the dog.

Playdays Oral Health Awareness Project

To raise awareness on the importance of oral health, Playdays have provided a home learning activity. These packs were kindly donated by a local dentist for every child who attends their setting.

The children have to fill in their chart twice a day for four weeks and on completion they can present it to one of the dentists and get a certificate! The aim is to get the children into good habits in the run up to Christmas when there are so many treats around.

Alongside this Playdays introduced a tooth brushing song which parents have said their children have been singing at home. Next half term they are planning for a parent who is a dental nurse to visit the children.

Picking, preparing and cooking seasonal vegetables from the nursery allotment

Playdays are lucky to have an allotment area at nursery and the children helped to pick and wash the carrots and parsnips this week.

It was then decided that the following day that they would make soup with them, for that the children to have as a nutritious snack.

This was an amazing learning opportunity for the children who were involved in every aspect of the activity, and best of all, it was lots of fun!

School lunch with a difference at Ladygrove

The Christmas school Lunch at Ladygrove was a little different this year. The School Council asked all the staff to come dressed as Elves for the day to add to the festivities! This also coincided with ‘Elf Day’ for the Alzheimer’s society. The staff combined the two and donated to this good cause. The day really improved everyone’s Mental Elf and Wellbeing’.

Telford Priory debate team attend House of Parliament workshop

The Telford Priory Year 7 Debate Team have taken part in an online workshop on laws and debating, run by the House of Parliament’s Education team. As part of the session they were given a walkthrough of how Laws are introduced in the U.K.

Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby pupils donate food items

Pupils from Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby are donating food items in support of the Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions 100 Bag Challenge to provide food parcels for local residents in food crisis this Christmas. So far the school have donated 18 bags of food and will continue to collect until the end of term.

The 100 Bag Challenge is their annual Christmas Food Appeal, which enables the club to donate food parcels to those families and individuals in crisis over the Christmas period.

Information for all education and childcare settings on implementing Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan

This is an update from the Department for Education.

On Wednesday 8 December 2021, the Prime Minister announced the implementation of Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, to reduce pressure on the NHS. Plan B sets out a number of additional measures across society to control transmission of COVID-19.

The Government is clear on the critical importance of not disrupting the education of children and young people and the Government will prioritise keeping all education and childcare settings open. The measures set out below will support this.

Attendance
School attendance remains mandatory and all the usual rules continue to apply. Enabling children and young people to attend their education setting regularly continues to be a national priority. As usual, schools are able to grant leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances.

Face coverings
Face coverings should be worn by pupils and students in year 7 and above (which would be children who were aged 11 on 31 August 2021), staff and visitors in communal areas, unless exempt. This is a temporary measure. Pupils and students in year 7 and above in these settings must also wear a face covering when travelling on public transport and should wear it on dedicated transport to and from school, college, or higher education provider.

We do not recommend that pupils and staff wear face coverings in classrooms, unless their Director of Public Health advises them to temporarily do so in one of the circumstances described in the Contingency Framework Guidance.

Wrap around provision
Schools and early years settings should continue to offer their usual before and after-school activities, including wraparound childcare. These activities provide valuable childcare for working parents and carers and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

Working from home
Office workers who can work from home should do so from Monday 13 December 2021. Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go into work – for example, to access equipment necessary for their role or where their role must be completed in-person. In-person working will be necessary in some cases to continue the effective and accessible delivery of some public services and private industries.

We expect all education and childcare settings, including further and higher education providers, to continue to provide face-to-face teaching, and staff should continue to attend their place of work if required in order to deliver this. Teaching and learning should not be moved online as a result of the work from home guidance and we continue to expect higher education students (unless distance learners) to receive an element of face-to-face tuition. Therapists and wider children’s service professionals should continue to be invited into education and childcare settings.

Education and childcare leaders are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their children, pupils and students. Education and childcare leaders will need to consider whether it is possible for specific staff undertaking certain roles to work from home, while minimising disruption to face-to-face education and care.

Following expert clinical advice and the successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, people previously considered to be particularly vulnerable, clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV), and high or higher-risk are not being advised to shield again.

Children and young people previously considered CEV should attend their setting and should follow the same COVID-19 guidance as the rest of the population. In some circumstances, a child or young person may have received personal advice from their specialist or clinician on additional precautions to take and they should continue to follow that advice.

Testing
We strongly encourage all those involved in education and childcare settings to continue regular testing (LFD not PCR) and reporting their results, and to encourage pupils and students in year 7 and above to test and report their results.

Settings are strongly encouraged to ask parents, guardians and other visitors to take a lateral flow device (LFD) test before entering the setting.

Isolation
All individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, irrespective of vaccination status and age, will continue to be required to self-isolate and asked to book a PCR test.

The Government plans to introduce Daily Contact Testing as soon as possible as an alternative to self-isolation for contacts of positive Omicron cases who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 years and 6 months.

January return
We continue to learn more about the impacts of the Omicron variant. To prepare for any possible changes in public health advice, all education and childcare settings should now revisit their existing outbreak plans to ensure they are well prepared for any future changes and ensure they are familiar with the Contingency Framework Guidance.

Similarly, colleges and higher education providers should review their outbreak plans and ensure that contingency plans are up to date.

There are exams for vocational and technical qualifications timetabled for January. Students who are due to sit these exams will be prepared and it is right that they should be given every opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt. Exams and formal assessments will go ahead. Consequently, it is essential that students continue to prepare for these assessments.

We have recently asked all secondary schools to provide an on-site test for pupils on return in January. Testing in school helps to boost participation and will help reduce transmission after a period of mixing over the holidays.

For those in settings closing over Christmas, all staff and students should test over the holidays in line with national guidance. This means that they should test if they will be in a high-risk situation that day and before visiting people who are at higher risk of severe illness if they get COVID-19.

For settings remaining open over the Christmas period (such as private nurseries, higher education or adult education providers), staff and students should continue to test at home twice per week over the holiday period.

Further and higher education students, and staff in all educational and childcare settings, should take one self-test at home either the evening or morning before they return in January. Then they should continue to test in line with government guidelines and we recommend all staff and eligible students take up the offer of a vaccine.

Inspection
Early years settings, schools and colleges will be using the final days of term to put in place these measures and consider contingency measures for January. In order to do that contingency planning, the Secretary of State for Education and Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector have agreed that early years settings, schools and colleges will not be inspected next week unless there are safeguarding concerns.

Ofsted has already confirmed that secondary schools will not be inspected, unless there are urgent concerns, during the first week of schools’ return in January, in light of the onsite pupil testing that secondary schools will be undertaking that week. Ofsted inspections will continue to play an important role in providing independent assurance as schools and colleges continue to respond to the pandemic.

Ofsted visits for Children’s Social Care, local authority SEND services and joint targeted area inspections will continue.

Government action following the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

This is an update from the Department for Education.

A major review into the circumstances leading up to murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has been launched by the Government to determine what improvements are needed by the agencies that came into contact with him in the months before he died.

The Department for Education will work with both the National Panel and the Solihull Partnership to agree a timeline for publication of the national review, as well as confirming the full scope of the Joint Targeted Area Inspection with the agencies involved.

The full update is available on the GOV.UK website:

Government action following murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

National tutoring programme webinars

This is an update from the Department for Education.

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) is hosting a number of webinars that will give an insight into the programme, the three routes to tuition available and how you can get involved. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions that you would like answered by the NTP team.

National webinars:

an introduction to the NTP – Thursday 9 December 2021 at 4pm
live demo of the NTP Tuition Hub – Monday 6 December 2021 at 4pm and Friday 17 December 2021 at 4pm

Regional webinars are also available that provide an introduction to the NTP:

Yorkshire & Humber – Thursday 2 December 2021 at 4pm
East Midlands – Friday 3 December 2021 at 4pm
Bradford – Monday 6 December 2021 at 4pm

Regional webinars are also available that provide an introduction to the NTP:

Update to the contingency framework

This is an update from the Department for Education.

The contingency framework has been updated with the latest information on face coverings, contact tracing and isolation.

The full guidance is available on the GOV.UK website:

Contingency framework: education and childcare settings

Update on the delivery of CO2 monitors

This is an update from the Department for Education.

Over 99% of eligible schools and colleges, and the majority of early years settings, have now received their CO2 monitors. Final deliveries will be made before the end of term. You should have received sufficient monitors to take representative readings from across the indoor spaces on your estate.

For any problems with deliveries, please contact the supplier, Rexel, directly on 0330 0450 606. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm.

If you believe you have not received your correct allocation of monitors, please contact the DfE COVID-19 helpline on 0800 046 8687 by Wednesday 15 December with the following information about your setting:

number of pupils
number of teaching spaces
number of sites
your URN
full name of your setting.

CO2 monitors are an additional tool to help settings manage ventilation. For practical tips on balancing good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm, please see section 5 of the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on ventilation and air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Update to the educational setting status form to reflect changes to the guidance on face coverings and isolation

This is an update from the Department for Education.

The existing questions on the education setting status form (EdSet) has been updated to reflect the recent temporary measures introduced in response to the Omicron variant. No new questions have been added to the form.

The list of additional control measures that you can implement to manage an outbreak in your setting has been updated, to reflect the new guidance on face coverings in communal areas.

As face coverings are now recommended to be worn in communal areas by staff in all settings and by pupils in secondary schools, their use does not need to be recorded in the EdSet. Only the use of face coverings in classrooms (which are not advised, but Directors of Public Health may temporarily advise for individual settings experiencing an outbreak) should be recorded in the EdSet as an additional control measure.

Reasons for absence related to COVID-19 will be updated to reflect the self-isolation requirement after contact with a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant.

Pupils who are self-isolating after contact with a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant should be recorded under ‘required to remain at home or isolate in line with government guidance’. Pupils required to isolate after returning from abroad or pupils required to isolate because they are over the age of 18 years and 6 months who are not fully vaccinated should also be included in this category.

Staff who are self-isolating after contact with a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant should be recorded under ‘required to remain at home or isolate by NHS Test and Trace or in line with government guidance due to close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19’ either within or outside your setting.

Free flu vaccinations for staff working in Telford & Wrekin schools

Telford & Wrekin council have been able to secure a number of flu vaccinations for school staff and are pleased to announce an evening session on 5 January 2021. The session will take place between 3:30pm and 7pm at HLC, Waterloo Rd, Hadley, Telford TF1 5NU. Please book via Ollie and report to reception five minutes before your timeslot.

Staff Flu Clinics
Those who cannot get a free NHS flu vaccine should book into the council clinics via Ollie.

In order to book onto the course please log onto Ollie using the green log in box. Your username is your employee number and your password is set by default to welcome unless you have logged on and changed it. You can reset your password using the provided link. Should you still encounter a problem please log a call through ICT Self Service using the provided link, call to the Ollie@telford.gov.uk email address will not be picked up as this is a unmanned inbox.

On the day of your appointment please:

arrive 5 minutes before your allocated appointment time so officers can check your information,
ensure that you present your ID badge to the officers so that we can record your attendance,
can you also ensure that you are wearing appropriate clothing to present your arm quickly and easily to the nurses to administer your vaccine.

Please note:

These clinics are for staff working in Telford and Wrekin schools only.
You can only receive your vaccine if you have booked a slot via Ollie.
Due to anticipated demand, this year, we can only book in those who are NOT eligible for a free NHS flu jab.

Staff who can get a free NHS vaccination should not book through the Staff Flu Vaccination Programme
Many more people can get a free NHS jab this year, including:

people over the age of 50,
those with certain long term health conditions,
those who are pregnant and those who live with people who are high risk.

To learn more about who is eligible for a free NHS flu jab, please visit the NHS website or read the NHS leaflet.

Those eligible for a free flu jab do not need to wait for your GP invitation. Many Telford town centre supermarkets (Tesco, Asda) and pharmacies (Boots, Lloyds, Superdrug) offer the jab onsite:

Find a pharmacy that offers the NHS flu vaccine

Please send any questions via email to Nicola.Dennis@telford.gov.uk.

COVID-19 vaccination pop-up clinic for 12-15 year olds

A pop-up vaccination clinic for 12 to 15 year olds has been confirmed every Saturday until Christmas, in Southwater Library.

Details:
Every Saturday, 11am – 4pm (until Christmas)
Southwater Library
Age 12+
16+: 1st or 2nd jabs. For 2nd doses if you are 16+, there needs to be a minimum of 12 weeks from the first dose. For 18+, a minimum of 8 weeks from the first dose.

Can't make it on Saturday? Visit a different pop-up clinic!

Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council Building, Wellington
Every Friday, 11.30am - 3.30pm (until Christmas)
Offering 1st dose for 12-15 year olds, booster jabs, 1st, 2nd and 3rd doses

Check the latest details and times of all COVID-19 vaccination walk-in and pop-up clinics in the local area online.

All vaccines will be given on a first come, first served, with limited vaccines available.
Parents must accompany children aged 12-15.

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, and 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 previously been on a fixed term exclusion. The school had noticed that the child had complex needs and had 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, the school wanted to have 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 the 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.

SEND CPD Opportunities

There are a number of CPD opportunities coming up with a focus on supporting pupils with SEND and developing the capacity of settings and staff to meet need.

LSAT 508 Teaching Children with SEND: Meeting the Needs (twilight series)
19 January 2022 – Provision Map Writing
9 March 2022 – Supporting Memory Across the Curriculum

LSAT 509 Using Assistive Technology to Support Pupils with SEND – 16 February 2022
CPD 601 EAL and SEND (delivered jointly by the MDT and LSAT teams) – 10 February 2022
LSAT 502 Supporting SEND in the Classroom for Early Career Teachers – 5 April 2022

Please see the flyers for each event for further details of course content.

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

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.

Raising Awareness of Child Protection (SG 108)	Wednesday, January 05, 2022	3.30pm to 5pm
Induction Training for New Governors (GO 502)	Wednesday, January 12, 2022	9.30am to 3.30pm
Promoting Cultural Diversity and Equality of Opportunity in EYFS (CPD 606)	Thursday, January 13, 2022	1pm to 3pm
Safety Intervention Refresher Training (formerly MAPA Refresher) (BSAT 212)	Thursday, January 13, 2022	9am to 11.30am
The Essential Induction Event for Newly Qualified Teachers (CPD 521)	Thursday, January 13, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Teaching and delivering Outstanding EAL provision for New to English pupils and Advanced Bilingual learners in Primary Schools (CPD 712)	Monday, January 17, 2022	3.45pm to 6pm
Child Protection Supervision (SG 203)	Tuesday, January 18, 2022	9.30am to 12.30pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 1: Personal, Social and Emotional Development (EY 308)	Tuesday, January 18, 2022	1pm to 2.30pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 1: Personal, Social and Emotional Development (EY 309)	Tuesday, January 18, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Recently Qualified Teacher Development Programme (CPD 507)	Tuesday, January 18, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
NQT Celebration Event – TBC (CPD 704)	Wednesday, January 19, 2022	5pm to 7pm
Teaching Children with SEND: Meeting the Needs. Session 3: Provision Map Writing (LSAT 508)	Wednesday, January 19, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher (SG 107)	Wednesday, January 19, 2022	9.15am to 3.15pm
The Strategic Role of Governors (GO 601)	Wednesday, January 19, 2022	4pm to 6pm
Developing a Communication Friendly Environment in the EYFS (EY 307)	Wednesday, January 19, 2022	9.15am to 12noon
Promoting Oral Health in the EYFS (EY 310)	Thursday, January 20, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Absence Management of Employees (book via HR)	Thursday, January 20, 2022	3pm to 5.30pm
Early Career Teacher Network (CPD 720)	Thursday, January 20, 2022	4pm to 5pm
Online Safety – a Safeguarding Responsibility (CPD 609)	Tuesday, January 25, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
ECT Induction Tutor - initial training (CPD 520)	Tuesday, January 25, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Designated Teacher for Children in Care Network Meeting (Post 16 ) book through the Virtual School Team	Tuesday, January 25, 2022	4pm to 5pm
Weaving Literacy and Mathematical Development into a Broad EYFS Curriculum - Part 1 (EY 304)	Tuesday, January 25, 2022	1.15pm to 4pm
Newly Appointed Designated Safeguarding Leads' Training (2 days) - part 1 (SG 102) Face to Face – FULL	Wednesday, January 26, 2022	9.15am to 4pm
Teaching and delivering Outstanding EAL provision for New to English pupils and Advanced Bilingual learners in Secondary Schools (CPD 711)	Wednesday, January 26, 2022	3.45pm to 6pm
Child Development: Supporting self-regulation development and positive behaviour outcomes with children in the EYFS (EY 313)	Wednesday, January 26, 2022	9.15am to 12noon
Developing the Behaviour Policy (PSS 103)	Wednesday, January 26, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Newly Appointed Designated Safeguarding Leads' Training (2 days) - part 2 (SG 102) Face to Face - FULL	Thursday, January 27, 2022	9.15am to 4pm
Safety Intervention Training (formerly MAPA training) - Part 1 (BSAT 201) Face to Face - FULL	Thursday, January 27, 2022	8.30am to 4pm
Taking the Chair - part 1 (GO 504)	Thursday, January 27, 2022	4.30pm to 6.30pm
Belonging Conference – TBC	Friday, January 28, 2022	TBC

Panto Aladdin opens at The Place, Telford

Aladdin – The Pantomime Where All Your Wishes Come True opened its doors on Wednesday.

School Groups of 10+ can save on tickets with a choice of daytime performances at 10am and 1.30pm until the 17 December 2021. For further information contact the Theatre Team on 01952 382370 (Option 2) for availability.

The show stars Tom Roberts (Coronation Street) as Abanazar, Sario Solomon (winner of BBC's Let it Shine) as Aladdin, Sam Lavery (X Factor finalist) as Princess Jasmine, and back by popular demand, Carl Dutfield as Wishee Washee, local favourite Chloe Barlow as The Spirit Of The Ring, the hilarious Ian Smith as Widow Twankey and introducing Nigel Peever as The Emperor Of China.

This magical pantomime features great songs, dazzling dance routines, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and amazing special effects. With interactive storytelling, humour and audience participation of this classic story brought to life on stage.

Reindeer trail returns

Last year Santa lost his reindeer here in the park, they enjoyed their trip so much that they have decided to come back and visit.

Collect a map from the Telford Town Park visitor centre and discover which reindeers are here in Telford.

This entry was posted by Claire on Wednesday, 08 December 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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