• Director Update
• 10 by 10 Initiative
• Hindu Festival of Holi- 18 March 2022
• Green School Project
• Love Telford Event- 19 March 2022
• Red Nose Day 2022 - 18 March
• Leader and Cabinet Members Young Person Grant Scheme
• School Improvement Arrangements – Telford and Wrekin Maintained schools – Let’s start the conversation
• IRIS Relaunch
• Creating an Engaging Curriculum
• DfE Updates
• CSE Awareness Day- 18 March 2022
• Residential Schools Investigation Report - March 2022 (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse)
• Communicating with children: A guide for those working with children who have or may have been sexually abused (Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse)
• DBS Checks
• Enough Campaign
• NSPCC Guidance: Safeguarding considerations for getting changed at school
• NSPCC Guidance: Podcast: understanding denial in children displaying harmful sexual behaviour
• NSPCC Guidance: Safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and young people
• Change of Date – SENCo Network Meeting
• Free Training - AET Post 16 Leading Good Autism Practice
• Autism Lead Professionals Training in Telford and Wrekin
• Neurodiversity Celebration Week 21-25 March
• Pre-Exclusion Hotline
• Virtual School Education and Well-being Clinics
• NEETs Update
• Supporting Settings to Raise the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters
• CPD
• Shropshire BEAM Wellbeing Support for Children and Young People
• Think Bricks Workshop
• Under 11’s Cross-Country Champs!

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Director Update

Dear all,

At the forefront of many of our minds at the moment is the appalling situation in the Ukraine and what we can do to help. This week we received confirmation from the government that they will facilitate our work to support Ukrainian refugees to settle in the borough as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We will be doing everything in our power to help those searching for safety and ensure they can access our public services including educational settings.  I will keep you updated as we get further information

Recently the Leader and Cabinet Members’ Young Person Grant was launched for the sixth year. The grant of up to £500 is available for young people who live in Telford and Wrekin who are seeking support to help get them into education, employment or training.  Additionally, the grant is also available to young people who need support overcoming a hardship of any kind to help them strive towards a better future. Over the last five years, 232 young people have been awarded a total of £57,202 which has made a huge difference to their lives. If you, or someone you know, may wish to apply, visit www.telford.gov.uk/ypg to get advice, read about past recipients, and start an application.

As the longer days kick in and spring is in the air, the council’s events programme for 2022 is quite literally just around the corner…Love Telford, our first event for 2022, takes place on Saturday.  We are working in collaboration with the Interfaith Council to bring a truly community feel to our Love Telford event.  It will be a great afternoon of art and sporting activities, music and performance acts alongside representation from community groups from across the borough.

This week Telford and Wrekin Council have become one of the first in the UK to launch the “Ten by Ten” initiative, following approval by Cabinet. This is an ambition that all children have the opportunity to take part in ten life-enhancing activities before they are ten years old.  You can read more about this ambitious and enriching scheme further in the newsletter.

This Friday 18 March is National Child Exploitation Day.  It aims to highlight the issues surrounding child exploitation, encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse.  The national campaign calls for us all to take a zero tolerance approach to child exploitation, which means adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children exploiting and abusing their peers.  Child exploitation encompasses sexual and criminal exploitation, trafficking, modern slavery and other forms of adolescent vulnerability.  Together, we can work to inform, educate and prevent child abuse within the UK.  This week our CATE team are working with different groups of young people in schools and in the community to raise awareness of child exploitation.  Check out further information below. 

Friday is a busy day as we also celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi, known as the festival of colour and do you have your red noses at the ready?  I know many of you will be enjoying Comic Relief activities at the end of the week.

As always, plenty to keep us busy!

Best wishes

Simon

Simon Wellman

Director of Education and Skills

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10 by 10 Initiative

Telford & Wrekin Council is the first council in the UK to launch the “Ten by Ten” initiative, following today’s (17 March 2022) approval by Cabinet.

The “Ten by Ten” initiative is set to start from April this year and will encourage and enable all borough children to take part in ten life-enhancing activities by the time they are ten, in particular children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The ten ambitions that the council has for every ten year old (or younger) in Telford and Wrekin are for them to have the opportunity to:

1. Join in competitive sports
2. Play an instrument
3. Learn to swim
4. Take part in drama and performing arts
5. Visit the seaside and the countryside
6. Experience museums, galleries and heritage sites
7. Take part in camping trips and overnight residential
8. Learn to ride a bike
9. Take part in debating
10. Use a library

Council Leader Shaun Davies said: “As a council we are ambitious for our young people and this is another way in which we are helping our children have a great start in life!

“We are delighted to be the first in the UK to launch the “Ten by Ten initiative” locally and help our children thrive, especially those that might not otherwise benefit from essential extra-curricular activities.

“Starting from April this year, the “Ten by Ten” initiative will make a diverse range of leisure, social and cultural activities as accessible as possible to all our children in Telford and Wrekin, regardless of their family, cultural or health background.

“A happy and fulfilling childhood gives the best start in life, and this is what we are committed to providing to every single child in our borough.”

Councillor Shirley Reynolds (Labour), Cabinet Member Children, Young People and Families, added: “Learning to swim and ride a bike, playing a musical instrument, visiting museums and heritage sites, taking part in drama and performing arts and many other activities can be eye-openers for our children and set them up for new life opportunities.

“We want to ensure no child in our borough misses out on these opportunities during their primary school life, especially children less likely to take part (such as children from disadvantaged backgrounds, with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities or children in care).

“By working with parents and carers and a range of local partners (such as schools, community providers, charities), the council’s led “Ten by Ten” initiative will expand the wealth of extra-curricular activities in our borough and ensure many more children have the opportunity to actively benefit from them during their childhood.”

Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet report on the “Ten by Ten” initiative can be viewed from later today (17 March 2022) on the council’s website.

If you want to receive future updates about the “Ten by Ten” initiative, you can subscribe to the “Ten by Ten” newsletter.

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Hindu Festival of Holi - 18 March 2022

This Friday 18 March 2022 marks the Hindu Festival of Holi, the Festival of Colours. Cllr Raj Mehta, Chair of the Interfaith Council, introduces this special day.

"Holi marks the arrival of Spring and the start of harvest season, and celebrates love, joy, and colour. Holi is celebrated on a full-moon day of the month of Phalguna, as per the Hindu calendar, and celebrates the story of Lord Vishnu defeating an arrogant evil king.

In India and around the world, people celebrate with feasting, spending time with friends, family, and communities, and by throwing coloured powders and paints on each other as part of saying farewell to winter.  To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark an occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships, end conflicts and rid themselves of any bad feeling from the past.”

What is Holi? - BBC Bitesize

If you or your school are marking this special day, please share with us by sending any pictures to educationnoticeboard@telford.gov.uk or tagging @TelfordWrekin on your social media posts.

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Green School Project

Grange Park Primary School, Donnington Wood Infant School and Southall School Outdoor Learning Department are excited to announce that they have been shortlisted in the 'Best School Green Project' in the Telford Pride Community Awards. 

This award celebrates green projects that have demonstrated success in the protection and or conservation of the environment and who deliver a family message to increase the reach of the project. 

The judges are looking for projects of any scale and are especially interested in….

• Pupil participation and enthusiasm
• Creative approaches to environmental issues
• Positive improvements to the school
• On-going impact and future plans
• Educational and awareness outcomes

Nominations are welcome from all primary, junior and secondary schools. The awards evening will be on 31st March, and you can find out more on their website.

Telford Community Pride

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Love Telford Event- 19 March 2022

Love Telford is taking place on Saturday 19 March, brought to you by Telford & Wrekin Council’s Culture and Events Team. This brand new event is a cultural celebration taking place in Southwater on Saturday, in support of local diverse communities, demonstrating what makes Telford great. The event will be an afternoon of art and sport activities, music and performance acts alongside representation from community groups from across the Telford and Wrekin borough. Activities will be taking place between 11:00 – 14:00 and will also include a great selection of international themed street food.

Love Telford is the first event of 2022 brought to the residents of Telford and Wrekin borough by the Culture and Events team at Telford & Wrekin Council, in partnership with the Interfaith Council and supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Welcome Back Fund.

For more information, see a recent press release about the tree planting which marks the event.

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Red Nose Day 2022 - 18 March

Red Nose Day returns on 18 March, and we are excited to hear of what you and your classes might be doing to fundraise on this special day.

Whatever you do, you can help people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination. This includes funding organisations that are supporting people right now in Ukraine, and those attempting to cross the border to safety.

This year’s theme is ‘superheroes’ and we would love to see some of your pupils in their sponsored mufti, if that’s your thing. Other settings may choose to hold a bake sale, a Red Nose and Spoon race, or hold a sponsored quiz.

There are many resources available for schools and children of all ages on the Red Nose Day website.

If you would like to share any photos or stories of your fundraising events, please email us at educationnoticeboard@telford.gov.uk or tag @TelfordWrekin

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Leader and Cabinet Members Young Person Grant Scheme 

The Leader and Cabinet Members’ Young Person Grant Scheme will be opening on the 14 March 2022 and is open to young people aged 15 (current Year 11s) to 25 who are resident in Telford & Wrekin, or are a Telford & Wrekin Child in Care or Care Leaver who is currently not a resident in the area. 

The grant is an award of up to £500 to support young people in their education, employment or training, to support starting up a new business, and to support those who are overcoming adversities particularly over the last two years. 

Previous awardees of the grant have achieved the following:

•           Gained places on training courses.

•           Been able to go to university with extra funding.

•           Bought a new laptop for studies.

•           Invested in specialist equipment for their job.

•           Started a business.

•           Applied for travel funding.

Applications will be open until the 22 April 2022 and all applicants will be contacted by the 27 May 2022 informing them whether they have been successful or not.

Successful applicants to the grant will be invited to a celebration event in mid-June where they will receive their award. 

More information about the grant scheme can be found on the grant scheme webpage.

You can also contact Jen Bullas or Ollie Cooper via email: hubprojectteam@telford.gov.uk.

 

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School Improvement Arrangements – Telford and Wrekin Maintained schools – Let’s start the conversation

Since 2017, the Local Authority School Improvement Monitoring and Brokering grant has been allocated to LAs to support them in fulfilling their statutory school improvement functions. The DFE consulted on and then implemented changes to this grant which will result in allocations being halved from April 2022 and removed completely from April 2023. However the LA statutory duties currently remain and are summarised as follows :

• monitor performance of maintained schools including governance,
• broker SI provision,
• intervene in maintained schools as appropriate.

These statutory duties are set out in Part 4 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 with additional SI expectations set out in the Schools Causing Concern (SCC) guidance.

School Forum recently agreed to de-delegate funds to plug the gap for 2022-2023 but with an understanding that further conversation would take place to clarify the offer, review quality and streamline partnership arrangements.

Feedback from our maintained schools will now allow us the opportunity to:

• refine and improve processes while continuing to fulfil statutory role
• review the quality of both the monitoring and brokerage roles of the LA
• clarify the role of the LA and other partners in improving the effectiveness of our schools and how this interfaces
• explore with schools alternative approaches to fulfilling this statutory role effectively and efficiently.
• Consultation opens on 17 March 2022 and closes on 8 April 2022

Link to consultation form

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IRIS Relaunch

The IRIS system has been upgraded and improved to included new enhanced recording for all racist incidents to ensure all information needed can be accurately recorded. Reassuringly, any incident from 2003 to 2022 will be archived from 1 April but can be accessed in the event of any investigations/ claims. All schools will be able to continue to access the system in T&W for free. All schools have a user login & password, which will be given to schools to enable them to report any incidents when they occur. The enhanced recording has a new feature to allow the uploading of any evidence, taking into account cyber or social media based incidents. Victim & perpetration information can be more accurately recorded as IRIS now has capability for specific gender recording, extended ethnicity codes and postcode recording to ensure schools and the LA have an accurate picture of school specific and local trends. These enhanced features are automatically included within the annual return. This report enables schools & governors to analyse their data and therefore target support in the key identified areas. IRIS (individual racist incidents and annual return) information is held confidentially within the council and is used to inform council agencies to ensure that the appropriate support is put in place for schools to access. Schools can request support from MDT if they have specific concerns or questions relating to any incidents or IRIS. The free training is  available to all school staff responsible for recording incidents on IRIS.

• Tuesday 29  March 2022 
  3.30pm – 5pm
  or
• Wednesday 6 April 2022  
  9.30am – 11am

MDT support for individual schools to deliver quality bespoke CPD is available upon request.

If you would like to attend or express an interest in the training, please contact the MDT team.

To book a place on the training course please click here

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Creating an Engaging Curriculum

This course will provide an outline of an engaging curriculum, which encompasses age-related learning and Diversity and British values within an inclusive curriculum for a) new to English pupils and b) pupils with continuing EAL needs.

It will consider:

• content which is appropriate and engaging and what it can offer our EAL pupils
• planning for EAL learners
• example programme and resources for EAL beginners
• targeted lessons to challenge and engage ‘more advanced’ EAL learners through vocabulary development and enrichment

There will also be an opportunity to share resources and access up to date material.

Key Outcomes

Delegates will be able to support their school in planning and delivering effective curriculum provision for EAL pupils that inspires learning.

• Thursday 24 March 2022
• 3.45pm – 6pm
• online via Microsoft Teams

MDT support for individual schools/ settings to deliver quality bespoke CPD is available upon request.

If you would like to attend or express an interest in the training, please contact the MDT team.

To book a place on the training course please click here

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CSE Awareness Day- 18 March 2022

Friday 18 March 2022 is National Child Exploitation Day.

It aims to highlight the issues surrounding child exploitation, encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse.

The national campaign calls for us all to take a zero tolerance approach to child exploitation, which means adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children exploiting and abusing their peers.

Child exploitation encompasses sexual and criminal exploitation, trafficking, modern slavery and other forms of adolescent vulnerability.

Together, we can work to inform, educate and prevent child abuse within the UK. There is a course on child sexual exploitation awareness available through Ollie - it takes around 20 minutes. It is an absolute priority that we continue to learn more about how we can play our part in keeping children and young people safe. If you haven’t completed the course or you need to remind yourself of the content, I do recommend taking the time to complete the training, or any additional training which may be provided from your setting. 

We also have some resources available from the NSPCC further down in this week's noticeboard which are very useful. 

Click here to view the National Child Exploitation Day campaign webpage.

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Residential Schools Investigation Report - March 2022 (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse)

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has published its latest report, this time into residential schools (although the report does include a day, primary school). The report found that there were weaknesses in safeguarding at the eleven schools looked at by the inquiry, including 'poor leadership in schools, where Headteachers did not understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities, particularly in relation to taking the lead role in referring allegations against staff.'

Some of the report’s recommendations can be seen below:

Recommendation 1: Residential schools

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should:

• require all residential special schools to be inspected against the quality standards used to regulate children’s homes in England and care homes in Wales;
• reintroduce a duty on boarding schools and residential special schools to inform the relevant inspectorate of allegations of child sexual abuse and other serious incidents; and
• introduce a system of licensing and registration of educational guardians for international students which requires Disclosure and Barring Service and barred list checks to be undertaken.

Recommendation 2: Responding to allegations and concerns

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should:

• introduce a set of national standards for local authority designated officers in England and Wales to promote consistency; and
• clarify in statutory guidance that the local authority designated officer can be contacted for informal advice as well as when a concern or allegation needs to be referred.

Recommendation 3: Governance

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should:

• amend the Independent School Standards to include the requirements that there is an effective system of governance, based on three principles of openness to external scrutiny, transparency and honesty within the governance arrangements, and the ability of governors to have difficult conversations both internally and with those providing external scrutiny;
• amend the Independent School Standards to stipulate that the proprietor cannot be the designated safeguarding lead; and

Recommendation 4: Training and awareness-raising

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should:

• set nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools;

Recommendation 5: Inspection and monitoring

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should:

• require schools to inform the relevant inspectorate when they have referred a member of staff to the Disclosure and Barring Service, the Teaching Regulation Agency or the Education Workforce Council; and
• include in the national standards for local authority designated officers a requirement that local authority designated officers should share information on referrals from schools with the relevant inspectorate (see recommendation 2)

Recommendation 6: Vetting, barring and teacher misconduct

The Department for Education should amend the Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 to bring all teaching assistants, learning support staff and cover supervisors within the misconduct jurisdiction of the Teaching Regulation Agency.

The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should amend Keeping Children Safe in Education and Keeping Learners Safe to:

• make clear that Disclosure and Barring Service checks are free of charge for supervised volunteers, and should be obtained wherever practicable.

Report's Conclusion

Report's conclusions 

Download the full report 

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Communicating with children: A guide for those working with children who have or may have been sexually abused (Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse)

Many more children are being sexually abused in England and Wales than are identified or safeguarded. Half a million children are estimated to experience some form of sexual abuse each year, yet research indicates only around one in eight cases of child sexual abuse ever reach statutory services’ attention.

In this new guide, the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse aims to give all people working with children guidance in talking about child sexual abuse and to help children speak about what is happening. It brings together research, practice guidance, and expert input – including from survivors of abuse - to help give professionals the knowledge and confidence to act.

Download the guide

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DBS Checks

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has recently create a really useful animated ‘Guide to DBS checks’ and accompanying leaflet. 

DBS checks video 

Download the related leaflet

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Enough Campaign

The new website provides information on the steps people can take to safely challenge violence against women and girls, guidance for victims of these crimes and advice for perpetrators who recognise their behavior needs to change.

The ‘Enough’ campaign also includes television adverts, billboards, social media and radio advertising and will highlight different forms of violence against women and girls and the simple acts that anyone can take to challenge perpetrators of abuse. Forms of violence against women and girls represented include street harassment, coercive control, unwanted touching, workplace harassment, revenge-porn and cyber-flashing.

Home | VAWG (campaign.gov.uk)

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NSPCC Guidance: Safeguarding considerations for getting changed at school

NSPCC Learning has published a briefing for schools outlining best practice for changing areas and supervising children and young people when getting changed for physical education (PE), drama and other activities. The briefing, which points to regulations in each of the four nations, also covers staff supervision and using off-site changing rooms.

Safeguarding considerations for getting changed at school | NSPCC Learning

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NSPCC Guidance: Podcast: understanding denial in children displaying harmful sexual behaviour

NSPCC Learning has released a podcast focussing on shame and denial when working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour (HSB). The podcast discusses: what denial looks like and the ways it can present itself; how denial is dynamic and can change over time; what practitioners can do to put themselves in the shoes of the child or young person they're working with to understand why they might deny; how to build a trusting relationship with a child over time; and how to take a more therapeutic and trauma-informed approach.

Listen to Podcast

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NSPCC Guidance: Safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and young people

NSPCC Learning has published content to help professionals safeguard LGBTQ+ children and young people. This is one of a series of pages that highlight the specific vulnerabilities and safeguarding needs of different groups of children and young people. The content covers: safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and young people; adversities faced by LGBTQ+ children and young people and their increased risk of some forms of harm; taking an intersectional approach; supporting children and young people; and creating policies and procedures.

Safeguarding LGBTQ+ Children and Young People

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Change of Date – SENCo Network Meeting

The next SENCo Network Meeting has been moved forward one week to:

• Thursday 31 March 2022
• 4pm – 5.30pm

Please save the date in your diaries.

An invitation to the meeting will be sent out one week before to all SENCo’s in Early Years settings, Primary, Secondary and Special Schools and Post 16 providers. The theme of the Network meeting will be on Transition, there will be opportunity to network and discuss best practice.

If you would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: SENDandInclusion@telford.gov.uk

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Free Training - AET Post 16 Leading Good Autism Practice

Don't forget to book your place on the free training session provided by Telford & Wrekin Educational Psychology Service and the Autism Education Trust for Post 16 providers.

Our vision is that every college, sixth form, independent education/training/work-based learning provider and adult/community learning provider will have an Autism Lead. This should be a senior member of staff on the Senior Leadership Team or in a management role that can impact upon inclusion and will ensure effective policy development around autism.  As part of the training, delegates will be supported to develop a plan of action, drawing on the AET Post 16 Standards & Competency Frameworks, to identify areas of strength and for development.

Course Dates:

• Thursday 28 April 2022
  9am – 4pm
• Friday 29 April 2022
  9am – 4pm

Course tutor: Dr Jane Park
Telford & Wrekin Specialist Practitioner EP for Post 16/PfA

To book a place on this course please contact:

Email: cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk

Tel: 01952 380861

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Autism Lead Professionals Training in Telford and Wrekin  

Gratitude is expressed to everyone who bought into the new drive for the Autism Education Trust training across Telford & Wrekin schools. There was a huge response and there is now an autism lead professional in almost 80% of schools across the borough.

The next step of the programme of professional development is to deliver training to classroom practitioners plus all additional staff. This will consist of two training inputs: The Good Autism Practice (GAP) is for classroom teachers and Making Sense of Autism (MSA) is for all additional school staff. 

The Autism Standards document was distributed during the LGAP training last term, and is the document that will help you to evaluate your school. Many attendees completed an action plan at the training, and this should continue to support you in your role. The benefit of engaging in additional training will be to further equip your staff in understanding autism and how to not only adapt the curriculum, but to also adapt learning environments to further include young people and be able to understand the perspective and experiences of the young person.  A positive outcome of this training will be an increase in attendance in schools as well as an increase in attainment levels, alongside improved experiences of positive mental health and wellbeing. 

Jo Jenks (SENDCo, Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CE Primary school) wrote: "In order to develop our knowledge and, more importantly, our understanding of Autism, we recently received the Good Autism Practice and Making Sense of Autism training for all the staff in school.  This training has enabled us as a school to reflect upon our approaches and strategies when working with autistic children.  It has given all staff the knowledge of the key areas of differences, and how these impact learning.  Following the training, we have carefully considered our learning environments and have made simple adaptions so that all the children in our school experience a positive education that supports their wellbeing."

To access GAP and/or MSA training, please make direct contact with Michael Lane via email to michael.Lane@Telford.gov.uk. Either an EP or LSAT staff member will then be allocated to you. 

The costs of the training packages are:

GAP £300 
MSA £100

GAP is a 3 hour session which can be delivered in one whole or via twilight sessions. 
MSA is 1 hour and can be delivered via twilight or otherwise depending upon your schedule.

The aim is to accept and commit to all the training by July 2022 so please take the time to assess your training needs before you make contact. If you have questions, please liaise with your link EP and/or your LSAT link.  If you have not undergone the initial leadership training with AET and would like to receive the training, you can also make contact using the email address above.

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Neurodiversity Celebration Week 21-25 March

Neurodiversity Awareness Week: 21-25 March 2022

Some words from Sue Bayley, co-chair and co-founder of the Neurodiversity staff led group in T&W

“My biography is one of being mute, determined, spatially challenged, and at all times self-destructive. One day, I made the decision to move away from my conditioning, and to try a new way. The way of the Autistic Whisperer. Initially the whispers came from within. I had found my voice.”

My Moments Myself. How I Manifested Myself. by Sue Bayley. (Available from the author)

If you are a parent, professional or significant other of someone with autism, or you have been diagnosed yourself, and you are worried about independence and integration into the world, allow me to show you some gateways, resources and strategies that will maximise your or your beloved’s independence and potential.

I was diagnosed as being within the Autistic spectrum as an adult. I was shocked, but at least I had an explanation of the difficulties I had always encountered in communicating in social and work situations. Gradually I began to understand the value of looking at things in a different way. Over the last twenty years I have been on a journey to investigate my own neuro-diversity and to act as a witness and advocate for those the World often doesn’t understand or appreciate.

Currently I am in transition, I am working 30 hours a week as a Careers Adviser in a local authority. My intention is to gradually reduce my hours, so that I can work with parents, professionals and significant others who influence the lives of neuro-diverse individuals.

In my practice, I work with the neuro-diverse, both children and adults, and those around them to understand the challenges they face, isolate their often incredible inherent strengths, and to create strategies to support them in their dealings with the neuro-typical world. I have discovered many things I wish I had known when I was younger and I do my best to pass them on. Every child deserves the right to be seen, recognised and given permission to unleash its full potential.

I became a co-founder of tangledtreetribe.com, an on-line forum for families with neuro-diverse children. I want to help them find solutions, strategies, and tactics and to collapse time for them so they don't have to wait for their beloved one to reach midlife or beyond before they feel resourceful enough to be courageous themselves.

You can contact me at:

Website: https://tangledtreetribe.com/ 

Wordpress: https://myinnertribe.me/ https://suebayley303.wordpress.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAutisticWhisperer/ 

Email: sue_bayley_3@icloud.com 

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DfE Updates

Special Educational Needs and Disability Division – School Attendance Webinars

This is an update from the Department for Education

School attendance best practice webinars are now underway. This series focuses on how a range of schools across the country have maintained or improved their attendance levels, and the approaches they have taken. Details on our two upcoming webinars with special schools and how to register are below:

17 March 2022 (16:00-16:45)	St Giles School, a community special school in Nottinghamshire.	Sign up here
31 March 2022 (16:00-16:45)	Abbey School, an academy special school part of the Nexus Multi Academy Trust in Rotherham.	Sign up here

All webinars will be recorded and shared via the following GOV.UK page improving attendance good practice for schools and multi-academy trusts. This page will also be updated with recent attendance effective practice blogs and links to work from the Behavioural Insights Team.

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Pre-Exclusion Hotline

Pre-exclusion Hotline 07816 372459

The pre-exclusion hotline is working well. It has best been used by schools that are considering an exclusion.

The pre-exclusion hotline is working well. It has been used by schools that are considering an exclusion.

A member of the BSAT team has been able to offer immediate intervention by discussing the exclusion in more detail, and offering 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 the information provided to them by a 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 to the child and they were able to discuss this in more detail with the school. 

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 purchased further support sessions from BSAT. 

In this instance, the ongoing support has allowed the BSAT team 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 can prevent exclusions.

The Pre-exclusion Hotline number is 07816 372459.

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Virtual School Education and Well-being Clinics

The Virtual School are thrilled to offer a series of workshops aimed at KS3, 4 and 5 students and their Carers.

The sessions will include well-being sessions led by our Educational Psychologist, which will be invaluable for those entering the exam period, and will also provide a sound basis for those who would like to learn how to cope with any pressures that education can bring.  There will also be sessions led by secondary and post 16 specialists who will be able to provide additional tips regarding exam technique and revision strategies. Furthermore, the Virtual School Team will also be putting together a session dedicated to achieving your goals. This session will focus on interests, hobbies, education and career goals, and look at how you can put plans into place to achieve those!

For Carers, there will also be an additional session afterwards dedicated to how you can provide support at home, and it will be the perfect opportunity for you to ask any questions you have regarding education.

All of these sessions will be via Microsoft Teams, and the timetable of sessions can be seen below:

Date	4.00pm-5.00pm (young people)	5.00pm-5.15pm	5.15pm-6.00pm (carers)
Monday 28 March 2022	KS4 Goal Mapping	Coffee break	How you can support, and general Q and A
Monday 4 April 2022	KS3, KS4 and KS5 Wellbeing	Coffee break	How you can support, and general Q and A
Monday 25 April 2022	KS4 Mind Mapping	Coffee break	How you can support, and general Q and A
Tuesday 3 May 2022	KS4 Exam Busters	Coffee break	How you can support, and general Q and A

If you have any questions, please do email the virtual school: virtualschool@telford.gov.uk

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NEETs Update

What is the impact of Risk of NEET work?

Each academic year FutureFocus Advisor resources are allocated to all our Telford schools to deliver support to those Year 11 young people who are identified as being at risk of NEET and may not have a smooth transition into post 16 options.

Young people are identified as being in this group at the end of year 10 through a collation of data collected within the Local Authority - this includes key factors such as attendance, free school meals, exclusion, in the care system, special education needs and any Key Stage 3 attainment data.

This system gives young people a rating depending on the numbers of these factors and allocates them as high, medium or low risk.

This of course only provides a statistical perspective so FutureFocus Advisors then liaise with key staff in schools to work through the list before the end of the summer term and discuss the ratings.

Schools know their own young people very well and following discussions, ratings are adjusted based on the current position of these young people. Schools also know about any other social or contributing issues that may also effect the transition to post 16.     

During the summer term resource from the FutureFocus team is then allocated to schools based on the numbers of high and medium risk young people, ready to start work in the Autumn Term.  

This resource ensures that there is extra support targeted at these young people with the  FutureFocus Advisor working with the school to improve young peoples readiness for their post 16 transition.

Looking at our current Year 12 and 13 cohorts, over the last 2 years the FutureFocus team has worked with over 4000 young people and of these:

611 were identified as high risk of NEET

617 were identified as medium risk of NEET

In our NEET data at the end of February 2022 only 41 of these were NEET and from the high risk group and only 17 of these were NEET and from the medium risk group

Only 6.7% of our high risk RONI group actually  became NEET, a whopping 539 of our high risk group made a successful transition in to education training or employment with training.

Only 2.7% of our medium risk RONI group actually  became NEET, a huge 594 of our medium risk group made a successful transition into education or training or employment with training.

We are keen to continue to build on this success and can only do so by working in partnership with our schools and your key staff. We know that situations can change, and a young person may not have been identified as being risk of NEET at the end of Year 10.

If you have young people who are now experiencing difficulties, are on modified timetables or alternative provision, or are just finding they do not feel ready for their next step, please get in touch with your FutureFocus Advisor, or contact Tara Foran, FutureFocus Team Leader, on tara.foran@telford.gov.uk and let’s see how we can support them together to remain in a positive destination.

By continuing to work together, we can support your young people to prepare for and sustain a positive post 16 destination.

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Supporting Settings to Raise the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters

As part of our response to supporting schools in reducing the impact of COVID, we have been delighted to work with colleagues at both Challenging Education and the Education Endowment Foundation. It is widely understood that the impact of the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact upon disadvantaged pupils and it is our aim that, through an equitable approach to high quality teaching in our schools, that we can give all pupils the support that they require to reach their potential. Foci this term have included:

• Telford and Wrekin RADY (Raising Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters) Conference.
• Primary Network RADY Meetings.
• Briefing Session for Governors: The role of evidence in improving outcomes for pupils, particularly those from a disadvantaged background.
• Visits to Schools focused on evaluating the impact of Pupil Premium spending.

As we continue to develop our support for schools in evaluating provision for our disadvantaged pupils in Telford and Wrekin, we are delighted to be building capacity in working alongside colleagues at the Education Endowment Foundation. For more information, please see the flyer below, or contact claire.killick@telford.gov.uk

Flyer

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CPD

The CPD Booklet continues to be available on the Telford Education Services site.

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 (unless stated otherwise)

SACRE Conference for Students	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	9am to 12.30pm
Assessment - termly update (morning) (CPD 502)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	9.15am to 10.45am
Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher (SG 107)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	9.15am to 3.15pm
Preventing and Dealing with Racist Bullying (CPD 533)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	1.15pm to 4pm
Assessment - termly update (twilight) (CPD 503)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Recently Qualified Teacher Development Programme (CPD 507)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Assessment - termly update (twilight) (CPD 503)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Recently Qualified Teacher Development Programme (CPD 507)	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Designated Teachers & Governors for Children in Care Network (compulsory school age) – book via Virtual School Team	Wednesday, March 23, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Creating an Engaging Curriculum  which excites, inspires and develops the learning of EAL pupils (EY 716)	Thursday, March 24, 2022	3.45pm to 6pm
Talk Boost - KS1	Thursday, March 24, 2022	9am to 4pm
Verbal Intervention Training (BSAT 213)	Thursday, March 24, 2022	9am to 11.30am
Verbal Intervention Training (BSAT 214)	Thursday, March 24, 2022	3pm to 5.30pm
Early Career Teacher's Annual Professional Development Conference (CPD 514)	Friday, March 25, 2022	9am to 3.30pm
Creative approaches and new ideas for sharing stories within the EYFS (EY 301)	Tuesday, March 29, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Accredited Safer Recruitment Training - part 1	Tuesday, March 29, 2022	9am to 12.30pm
Preparing for Statutory Assessment at the End of KS1 (CPD 505)	Wednesday, March 30, 2022	9am to 12.30pm
Developing the Role of Teaching Assistants in Supporting SEND Part 1 (LSAT 507)	Wednesday, March 30, 2022	9.15am to 12noon
An Introduction to EAL for Early Career Teachers (CPD 527)	Wednesday, March 30, 2022	3.45pm to 6pm
Accredited Safer Recruitment Training - part 2	Wednesday, March 30, 2022	9am to 12.30pm
Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher (SG 107)	Thursday, March 31, 2022	9.15am to 3.15pm

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Shropshire BEAM Wellbeing Support for Children and Young People

Beam offer low level, brief intervention emotional wellbeing support for children and young people up to the age of 25 as well as their parents, carers and professionals

‘Drop in’ sessions are now running on the following days:- no appointment is needed, please come along and talk with an Emotional health and wellbeing Practitioner.

Monday ‘Drop Ins’

• 12pm – 4pm  (last session 3.15pm)
• The Lantern, Meadow Farm Drive, Shrewsbury, SY1 4NG 

Tuesday ‘Drop Ins’  

• 10am –6pm (last session 5.30pm) 
• Beam, 9 Market Square, Wellington, TF1 1BP 

Thursday ‘Drop Ins’  

• 10am –6pm (last session 5.30pm)
• Beam, 9 Market Square, Wellington, TF1 1BP

If you have any queries please email on shropshirebeam@childrenssociety.org.uk

Shropshire BEAM website