Education Noticeboard - 24 March 2022
Welcome to the Education Noticeboard. A round-up of news, guidance and key updates for education settings.
Included in this update:
- Director Update
- COVID-19 Update
- "We Are Telford" Carnival is back!
- T&W Council Staff Charity Fun Run 2022
- Month of the Military Child- Resources for Teachers
- Pedestrian Training Workshops
- Red Nose Day- some Pictures from our Schools!
- Arthog is 60
- Leader and Cabinet Members Young Person Grant Scheme
- Reminder: Education Setting Status Form
- SEND Support Training from the LSAT Team
- Autism Lead Professionals Training in Telford and Wrekin
- Pre-Exclusion Hotline
- Neurodiversity Celebration Week
- Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters – Sharing Excellent Practice in Schools
- Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters – Supporting and Developing Practice in Schools
- CPD
Director Update
Dear all,
Spring has arrived and I hope you have been enjoying some of the recent warm weather and have started to put plans in place for your Easter holiday which is not too far in the distance now!
This week we have some great community news, the ‘We Are Telford Carnival’ is back this July and we would love your school to be part of this celebration of unsung heroes in our local area. You can apply to get involved before 15 April.
Our hugely successful Staff Fun Run returns in June. I will be there and it would be great to see you as we ‘dash’ around the Town Park. Sign up links are further below.
We also have some lovely pictures of your fundraising for Comic Relief, thank you for sharing them!
Our SEND section contains some excellent resources for our Teaching Assistants and Early Career Teachers, and we have some further RADY information sharing current good practice and how to develop this further in your own settings.
Many thanks as always for your continued hard work.
Simon
COVID-19 Update
There are some upcoming changes to COVID-19 guidance, which will come into effect from the end of this month.
Testing
Changes in Covid-19 testing from the end of this month!
As part of the government’s Covid strategy, free PCR and LFT testing will soon be stopped for the general public, except for a small number of at-risk groups (with details to be announced).
- Free PCR testing will end on 30 March.
Until then, if you have symptoms, book a PCR test - Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Free LFT testing will end on 1 April.
Until 31 March, you can still order LFT tests online (Order coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow tests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or collect from centres & pharmacies across the borough (Find where to get rapid lateral flow tests - NHS (test-and-trace.nhs.uk) for free.
According to the latest government’s guidance, most people without Covid symptoms do not need to get rapid tests. You should continue to get rapid tests if you visit someone who is at higher risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19 or in other special circumstances – check the full guidance Rapid lateral flow coronavirus (COVID-19) tests - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Vaccination
COVID-19 SPRING BOOSTER VACCINATIONS
People aged 75 and over, and people aged 12 and over who are immunosuppressed, are now eligible for a Spring COVID-19 booster vaccine.
The NHS will contact eligible people to book their next vital jab.
Find out more on http://nhs.uk/covid-booster
"We Are Telford" Carnival is back!
"We Are Telford" Carnival will be taking place on Sunday 17 July, a carnival of colour and celebration with groups from across Telford coming together to shout “We Are Telford”, celebrating Telford’s people and places, heritage and future.
Telford & Wrekin Council are looking for schools and community groups from across the borough be part of an amazing parade celebrating the Giants of Telford in the "We Are Telford" Carnival. The event, brought to you by Telford & Wrekin Council in partnership with the people of Telford, is open for groups from across the borough to form sections of carnival in the parade.
Get involved;
- Be part of the parade. Groups will be selected and paired with an artist to create a giant for the parade.
- Dance groups who can animate the procession in carnival costumes, coming together to form a mass dance piece in Telford Town Park.
- Groups who already have carnival costumes or can play music can also apply to be part of the parade.
"We Are Telford" Carnival 2022 is a sustainable event and the use of vehicles or diesel-powered generators will be discouraged. Within the parade itself the Events Team are looking for structures that can be carried, walked, pushed, pulled, cycled or wheeled.
On the day, within the arena at Telford Town Park, alongside the stalls and community groups sharing their stories will be the community performance stage, showcasing the best talent from across Telford and applications from performance groups for stage slots are welcomed.
If you wish for your school to take part, apply by emailing events@telford.gov.uk by 15 April 2022 and you too can be part of "We Are Telford" Carnival 2022.
You can find out more at one of two drop in sessions:
At: The Place Telford theatre in Oakengates
On: Tuesday 29 March 2022
When: 3pm – 4.15pm or 4.45pm – 6pm.
Find out more: Newsroom - Get involved in We Are Telford Carnival 2022
T&W Council Staff Charity Fun Run 2022
Some of you joined us for the Telford & Wrekin Staff Couch to 5 K and Fun Run at the Town Park last year and we’re delighted to tell you we’re bringing it back bigger and better for 2022!
We’d love to extend the offer of taking part in the C25K course and the Fun Run to more of our colleagues in schools and academies across the borough. You have all worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and we all know that being active and outdoors has such a positive impact on our health and wellbeing.
The C25K course is open to all employees and starts on Thursday 7th April at 6pm. It runs weekly for 10 weeks and you will receive the support of our qualified run leaders (LiRF) along with our wonderful support runners, many of whom took part in the C25K course themselves last year. It promises to be an enjoyable and encouraging weekly programme to build you up to taking part in our wonderful Fun Run event.
The Fun Run itself takes place on Wednesday 8th June, with the Staff Fun Run starting at 6pm, and is open to all employees and their families (including children aged 11 and over) covering a 5K distance within the Town Park. We’re also delighted to offer a Junior Fun Run event for 2022 for children aged under 11, taking place in the arena before the main Fun Run from 5pm. The Junior event will be your choice of one or two laps of the arena where you can run with your child/children or watch them from the start/finish line.
It will be a fun packed evening with lots of support for all of the runners, with medals, water and fresh fruit available for participants who sign up in advance.
Last year more than £500 was raised through entry fees for the Mayor’s charities and we hope to exceed that this year. Places are limited so come along and join us in 2022! Sign up via the link below or email funrun@telford.gov.uk for details.
Month of the Military Child - Resources for Teachers
April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, which highlights the important role Service children play in the Armed Forces community. It is a time to applaud Armed Forces families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome.
SSCE Cymru has created some resources to encourage education settings to carry out activities during this month to celebrate and raise awareness of the unique experiences this group of children and young people have and become a more Armed Forces-friendly environment. Click here to see their online presentation.
Pedestrian Training Workshops
We are now taking bookings for Summer Term 2022 Pedestrian Training workshops.
A scheme which increases children’s knowledge of the Green Cross Code and teaches them age appropriate pavement behaviour skills. A classroom based workshop followed by accompanied walks in the local area. A pre and post evaluation takes place, outliers are highlighted and results are fed back to the class teacher. Feedback on this scheme has been excellent with post evaluation results consistently high.
For more information or to book a course please email gemma.marchant@telford.gov.uk
Red Nose Day - some Pictures from our Schools!
Red Nose Day returned on 18 March, and we have been so pleased to see what you and your classes have been doing to fundraise on this special day, to help and support people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination.
This year’s theme was ‘superheroes’ and it has been great to see all the Spidermen, Iron Men, Wonder Women and even a Super Ladybird!
Many thanks for all your hard work marking this special day, and raising money for the range of charities Comic Relief supports.
Arthog is 60!
This year we're celebrating Arthog's 60th anniversary!
So many of us have fond memories of school trips and team building adventures as well as holidays and road trips to Arthog Outdoor Education Centre - so to mark this milestone we'd love to hear from you about the memorable trips over the years from your school
Join the Arthog Memory Maker by submitting your photos and stories – email us at educationnoticeboard@telford.gov.uk.
You might even feature in the Memory Maker project we're putting together for the anniversary date in May.
And, by sharing your memories, we can work to make Arthog even better as we celebrate another 60 years in the future!
Find out more about Arthog and the memories your school can make > Arthog Outdoor Education Centre (telford.gov.uk)
Leader and Cabinet Members Young Person Grant Scheme
The Leader and Cabinet Members’ Young Person Grant Scheme opened on 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.
Reminder to complete the education setting status form
We have moved the educational setting status form to a weekly collection to reduce the reporting burden on schools and further education colleges. The form should now be completed on Thursdays.
SEND Support Training from the LSAT Team
The LSAT Team are hosting a series of training events across this term, for our Early Career Teachers and those involved in the deployment of Teaching Assistants.
30 March and 19 May - LSAT 507: Developing the Role of Teaching Assistants in Supporting SEND.
5 April - LSAT 502: Supporting SEND in the Classroom for Early Career Teachers.
You can find out more information in the flyers attached below. For any enquiries and to book on, email cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.
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.
Pre-Exclusion Hotline
Pre-exclusion Hotline 07816 372459
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.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
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:
Email: sue_bayley_3@icloud.com
Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters – Sharing Excellent Practice in Schools
As part of our work with schools, aiming to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, this term has seen more than 30 school visits take place. School visits are a valuable opportunity for schools to spend focused time reflecting on the impact of spending of Catch Up, National Tuition and Pupil Premium monies. Discussions during school visits are invaluable in identifying next steps with a holistic view of the education of our young people – thank you to those schools who have engaged so positively and openly.
Examples of excellent practice shared by schools:
- Considered implementation of the National Tuition Programme: providing small group tuition to those who need it.
- Sharing definitions of ‘disadvantage’ within each setting.
- Identifying approaches that are supported by research and evidence (use of the Education Endowment Foundation Toolkits and Guidance Reports).
- Pupil Voice activities focus on identifying children’s’ barriers to accessing learning at home. Analysis of information supports school improvement planning.
- Equitable support and interventions for pupils who have gaps in their learning ensure that expectations of our young people are high.
- Pastoral support is extensive and aims to ensure that all pupils are ready to learn.
- Reviewing a focus on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and using aspirational measures to ensure the highest possible expectations.
In addition to school visits, colleagues have also been attending a range of professional development opportunities:
- The RADY Conference led by Challenging Education at the beginning of Spring Term was a huge success with over 70 attendees!
- We have now extended the license for accessing the Challenging Education (RADY) resources to 10 years: a testament to the value that they are adding to schools’ repertoires!
- RADY Network groups are providing valuable reflection opportunities with like-minded colleagues - collaborating and improving on the practice in our schools.
- Pupil Premium Strategies have been updated and published in line with the latest Department for Education guidance.
- Working alongside our colleagues at the Education Endowment Foundation to evaluate implementation planning.
- Access to Research Schools’ CPD offer: Supporting Recovery.
- Continuous Professional Development planning both within and across schools with a view to sharing excellent practice.
- Development of the 10 by 10 strategy which will work to further remove the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face during their earliest years.
At the heart of our response to supporting pupils is the understanding that disadvantaged youngsters require an equitable approach: they, by very definition, need to be given an ‘advantage’. We thank schools for all that they do to ensure that all children within our borough are enabled to thrive.
If your school has not yet had a school visit, or is not part of the RADY Primary Network and you are ambitious about securing excellent provision for disadvantaged pupils in your setting, please email claire.killick@telford.gov.uk (primary settings) or rebecca.carey@telford.gov.uk (secondary settings).
Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters – Supporting and Developing Practice in Schools
As part of our work with schools, aiming to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, this term has seen more than 30 school visits take place. School visits are a valuable opportunity for schools to spend focused time reflecting on the impact of spending of Catch Up, National Tuition and Pupil Premium monies.
- Have you seen, reviewed, or evaluated your school’s published Pupil Premium Strategy for this academic year?
- Has your school had a visit from our COVID Recovery Advisor this term? If so, have you seen the Note of Visit and discussed the resultant actions with your Senior Leadership Team and/or fellow governors?
- Have you accessed the recording of the thought-provoking Education Endowment Foundation governor briefing (7 March 2022)? Are the approaches that have been chosen in your Pupil Premium Strategy based on research and evidence?
- Has your school made effective use of the Challenging Education (Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters) online resources?
At the heart of our response to supporting pupils is the understanding that disadvantaged youngsters require an equitable approach: they, by very definition, need to be given an ‘advantage’. We thank schools for all that they do to ensure that all children within our borough are enabled to thrive.
If you are unsure of the answers to any of the above, or your school has not yet had a school visit and you are ambitious about securing excellent provision for disadvantaged pupils in your setting, please email claire.killick@telford.gov.uk (primary settings) or rebecca.carey@telford.gov.uk (secondary settings).
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)
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Tuesday, March 29, 2022 |
9am to 12.30pm |
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Preparing for Statutory Assessment at the End of KS1 (CPD 505) |
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 |
9am to 12.30pm |
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Developing the Role of Teaching Assistants in Supporting SEND |
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 |
9.15am to 12noon |
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Wednesday, March 30, 2022 |
3.45pm to 6pm |
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Wednesday, March 30, 2022 |
9am to 12.30pm |
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Thursday, March 31, 2022 |
9.15am to 3.15pm |
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Supporting SEND in the classroom for newly qualified teachers (LSAT 502) |
Tuesday, April 05, 2022 |
9.15am to 12noon |
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EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development |
Tuesday, April 05, 2022 |
1pm to 2.30pm |
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EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development |
Tuesday, April 05, 2022 |
4pm to 5.30pm |
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Development Matters, Birth to Five Matters and other non-statutory Guidance for the EYFS (EY 317) |
Wednesday, April 06, 2022 |
4pm to 5.30pm |
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SENCO Network Meeting - Transition Workshop (Cross Phase) (LSAT 227) |
Thursday, April 07, 2022 |
4pm to 5.30pm |