New forum providing support for home educators

A group of home educators and their families from across Warwickshire attended our very first forum at Hill Close Gardens (pictured right) on Wednesday 23rd January.

The afternoon was lively and informative with debates on a range of topics including social media, special educational needs, resources and activities, signposting to pots of funding and support to access services and businesses only geared up for school term times.

Attendees talked passionately about wanting Warwickshire County Council to raise the profile of home education in a positive way, to “dispel misconceptions” and to celebrate the success of their children.

We asked the children at our forum to tell us their success stories and one great thing about being educated at home and this is what they said:

“ I’m doing physics now (I’m 14 now)”

“I did a GCSE at 13 years of age and got an A."

 “I have taken Grade 5 trumpet and passed with distinction” 

“I rolled a kayak and went down an artificial white water course” 

“12 performances Big PlayBox Christmas Show!”

“Home Education, Better Education”

“Outside school I can run around. Inside school I’m not allowed to run around. (5 years old)”

“That I am free to be anything I want, well sort of. One of the many reasons I left school was bullying”

“You don’t have to be shouted at by school teachers and you can do what subject you want”

Parents told us the forum was really positive and they were keen to work with us on a variety of activities. As a result of the forum we are now progressing the development of a county wide directory of resources and activities for home educators (including those new or about to embark on home education) and will all meet up again in March 2019.

In Warwickshire, the numbers of home educated children mirrors a national upward trend: 480 children are currently home educated (0.6% of Warwickshire’s school age population). Nationally, there are in excess of 57,000 children now educated at home. There are proposals for reform to the current guidance for home education which is due to be debated in the House of Commons in the near future. 

You may also be interested in an article dispelling some myths around home education, published in the TES last week.

For further information, queries or to offer any support for our home educating community please contact Annette Firman, Lead Professional for Vulnerable Groups:

Email: annettefirman@warwickshire.gov.uk        Tel: 01926 736323

Web: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/homeeducation

Monitoring of Religious Education in schools

Monitoring visits in schools

In accordance with Warwickshire SACRE’s (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) commitment to offering support to schools and developing good quality Religious Education, during the spring and summer term 2019 SACRE will be conducting some monitoring visits in schools.

These are intended to offer support and guidance to schools and should not be seen by schools as an inspection.

If you are selected to receive a visit you will be contacted by the RE Facilitator, Jennifer Jenkins, who will arrange a visit at a convenient time. Alternatively, if you would like to nominate your school for a visit please contact the RE Facilitator directly: jenniferjenkins@warwickshire.gov.uk

Visits may also involve other SACRE members and will adhere to safeguarding guidelines in place for schools.

An outline of the nature of the visits can be further understood through the SACRE monitoring policy and visiting protocol. 

Other mechanisms for monitoring RE

SACRE also uses the entry numbers and results of GCSE and A-Level examinations, as well as Ofsted reports, to form part of it's monitoring process of Religious Education in Warwickshire schools. 

For more information about SACRE please visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sacre

English as an Additional Language Coordinator network meetings

Warwickshire Music introduces Direct Parental Billing for secondary schools

In time of considerable change for education, a growing number of secondary schools are embracing the opportunity to work even more closely in partnership with the Warwickshire Music Hub to support and increase their music provision.

We are pleased to announce that from September 2019, Warwickshire Music will be offering Direct Parental Billing to all secondary schools in the county.

The main advantage of moving to Direct Parental Billing is that Warwickshire Music will take on the administration, organisation and parent invoicing for in-school music lessons, helping to reduce school time and budgetary pressures. 

If you would like to discuss moving to Direct Parental Billing from September 2019, please complete the Google Form to register your interest and arrange a meeting with Warwickshire Music.

 

Sydenham Primary awarded Gold Standard for EAL

Sydenham Primary school in Leamington Spa have achieved the GOLD award - the highest accolade available to schools working towards the EAL Quality Mark Award (English as an Additional Language). The award recognises a schools' work with pupils, parents and communities whose first language is not English.

EAL specialist, Sara McLaughlin, from The EAL Academy in London visited Sydenham Primary School on 29 November, 2018. The inspection visit was rigorous; consisting of meetings with staff members, EAL parents, pupils and EAL governor, Nikki Ajibade from the Warwickshire Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS). Tracking data, children’s work and practice against policies was also closely scrutinised.

In her email to the school, Sara wrote: “The Gold award is only given where the school can demonstrate that supporting pupils with EAL is part of a successful whole school culture of teaching and learning, leadership and working with parents.”

Some of the key strategies mentioned in the full report include:

• promoting the first language both in terms of celebrating linguistic diversity but also as a tool for learning
• engagement with EAL parents to support school learning effectively at home
• the Language Ambassador’s Scheme
• Talking Partners Oral Language Programme
• Talk for Writing (Pie Corbett) which is embedded across the school
• EAL training provided by an experienced EAL specialist (EMTAS)

There are over 27 languages spoken in Sydenham Primary and nearly half the pupils in school are learning through EAL.

The school, assessed by OFSTED as outstanding in 2011 and 2015, demonstrates that when a whole school approach is adopted and practice is embedded, the strategies and techniques that support EAL learners also work for every pupil. Quality EAL provision has all the hallmarks of quality first teaching. It is often said that what is good for EAL is good for ALL learners.

Get talking on 7 February to tackle mental health head on

                    

In Coventry and Warwickshire, we are working throughout our Year of Wellbeing 2019 to inspire and empower people to make changes that will improve their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of people around them. That’s why we’re supporting Time to Talk Day. And we hope you will want to join in, too!

This year’s Time to Talk Day, on Thursday 7th February, is all about bringing together the right ingredients to have a conversation about mental health. Whether that’s tea, biscuits and close friends, or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma, we want to get talking.

There are lots of things you can do to support Time to Talk Day 2019 and ways to help you promote Time to Talk in the run up to the day:

• Free editable Time to Talk resources are available for you to customise and print out
• Time to Talk Conversation Packs featuring ideas, materials and prompts to action, are available for schools here
• Visit Coventry and Warwickshire Mind’s campaign bus which will be stationed in Broadgate, in Coventry city centre, on Thursday 7 February, 1.00pm - 3.00pm. Please come along, and do tell your friends and colleagues!
• Email us to request further Year of Wellbeing resources to support your activity
• Please join in, and post pictures of your activity on social media with the hashtag #letsdothistogethercw
• Join the national conversation at #timetotalk

Read more about Coventry and Warwickshire's Year of Wellbeing here.

Training to support SEND and inclusion

The following training courses are offered by Warwickshire's SEND and Inclusion service. For full details, including costs and how to book, please click the title of each course to view the attached flyer.

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Talking Partners

Talking Partners is a structured oral language programme which raises levels of achievement by improving learner’s listening and speaking skills.

Target audience: Teacher and TA required to attend to run programme successfully

Talking Partners Primary: 1.5 day training course: 8^th and 15^th Feb 2019 at Northgate House, Warwick

Talking Partners Secondary: 1.5 day training course: 22^nd and 29^th March 2019 at Northgate House, Warwick

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Fischer Family Trust Wave 3 Programme

This is a three-day training package designed for the class teacher and the teaching assistant. They will be expected to deliver a programme aimed at Year 1 children who despite targeted interventions have made little progress.

When & where: 1^st, 8^th and 15^th March 2019 at Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

Target audience: It is essential that a teaching assistant who has worked within the Literacy Hour delivers the programme.

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Assessing EAL new arrivals: build EAL capacity in your school

1.5 day training course. Two free funded places for all local authority primary schools.

When & where: 8^th March 2019, 9.30am – 4pm & 15^th March 2019, 9.30am – 12.30pm at Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

Target audience:  An essential criteria for participating schools is to send two staff members, ideally one senior teacher coordinating whole school provision and one TA to deliver direct pupil support.

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Mike Askew Expert Event - "First Among Equals: The importance of reasoning in primary mathematics"

The course will cover: The three curriculum aims and how they relate to teaching for mastery; why is reasoning so important in primary mathematics and making a start on reasoning.

When & where: 18^th March 2019, 9.15am – 3pm,  Nuneaton

Target audience: Primary headteachers. Senior Leaders, Mathematics Subject Leaders

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Inference Training: improve students ‘ reading, vocabulary and comprehension

When & where: 25^th March 2019, 9.30am – 4pm, Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

Target audience: SENCos, teachers and teaching assistants

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Autism Education Trust Training Tier 2

Develop capacity to meet the needs of Pupils on the Autism Spectrum

When & where: 29^th March 2019, 9am to 3.30pm, Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

Target audience: For all professionals working with pupils with Autism across educational settings

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Maths learning difficulties – exploring successful strategies to support

When & where: 21^st May 2019, 1pm to 4pm at Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

Target audience: TAs, LSA, teachers and SENCos who wish to explore maths difficulties further in the primary phase

Training for designated teachers of CLA and CPLA

There are places still available on the training sessions in March for designated teachers of Children Looked After (CLA) and Children Previously Looked After (CPLA). 

Available Dates - Spring Term 2019

Tue 5th March, Bulkington Centre, Bedworth
9am to 12pm – Understanding trauma
1pm to 4pm – Developing resiliency

Mon 4th March, Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington Spa
9am to 4pm - Inclusive responses to behaviour that challenges

Tue 19th March, Bulkington Centre, Bedworth
9am to 4pm - Inclusive responses to behaviour that challenges

How to Book

To book, please email the Warwickshire Virtual School virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk or phone 01926 742018.