Online safeguarding in the early years

Earlier this month the UK Council for Internet Safety published guidance to help those who work in early years settings consider their practice and to take steps to safeguard both children and adults online.

There are two guides available:

• one for managers of early years settings to help ensure their online safeguarding practice is in line with statutory requirements and suggested practice

• one for practitioners to help them understand their role in promoting the online safety and wellbeing of children in their care as well as things to watch out for in terms of their own online safety. 

You can find the guides on the Gov.uk website. 

Religious Education support for schools

During the spring and summer terms, Warwickshire SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) will be conducting Religious Education monitoring visits.

SACRE will use Ofsted and SIAMS (Church school) reports to offer support to schools where Religious Education (RE) or SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural) development has been highlighted as an area for improvement.

SACRE would also like to offer schools the opportunity to request an RE monitoring visit. This might be particularly useful to provide an external view in the following circumstances:

• Schools expecting an Ofsted inspection soon
• Schools expecting a SIAMS inspection soon
• RE is on the school development plan
• Schools with no one currently leading on RE

To request a visit, please email Jennifer Jenkins (RE Facilitator for Coventry and Warwickshire) at jenniferjenkins@warwickshire.gov.uk

This previous Heads Up article has more information about SACRE's monitoring policy.

Police warning after Fortnite pens concealing knives found in West Midlands

This is a warning from the police and the community safety team, after pupils in some Birmingham and Coventry schools have been spotted with ‘fortnite’ pens which look harmless but once unscrewed reveal a knife/blade inside the body of the pen.

There have been cases of a number of pupils in the West Midlands area being found in possession of these pens. There is some concern that pupils in Warwickshire may be able to access these pens, especially considering the current craze with the video game ‘fortnite’.

Below is an example of one of the pens in circulation.

You can read more in this article from the Birmingham Mail. 

Annual Music Conference for Warwickshire Schools

Thursday March 7th 2019, 9.30am - 3.30pm at Bulkington Village Centre

Last year Warwickshire Music ran its first Schools’ Conference for colleagues from all key stages and it was a remarkable success with increased delegate numbers – so we are doing it again.

Why should you allow your music specialist to attend?

• Free attendance
• £200 to pay for a cover teacher
• Free gift for all delegates
• The priceless opportunity to meet, to play, to talk and to learn with musically minded colleagues

The Warwickshire Music Annual Schools’ Conference is for everyone working in education who values music: classroom teachers; music teachers; music co-ordinators; secondary music teachers and head teachers.

There was a strong request from last year’s delegates for more practical workshops and more information about the amazing range of music opportunities that Warwickshire Music supports.

This year we will also focus on supporting schools for the Music Mark Award and Artsmark awards.

There are limited spaces so book now using the online form to guarantee your place:

Book my place at the Warwickshire Music Annual Schools' Conference

Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues in your school or setting. Come along and find out how Warwickshire Music can contribute to a broad and balanced curriculum for your school.

Jeremy Dibb
Director Warwickshire Music

Show your support for Self Harm Awareness Day - 1 March

Many young people self-harm at some point in their lives, but stigma and misconceptions can make it hard to reach out for support. Friday 1st March marks international Self Harm Awareness Day which aims to tackle stigma and ensure people get the support they need.

Partners across Coventry and Warwickshire are working together to review the support available for young people who are self-harming as well as their parents, carers and professionals that they are in contact with.

We encourage schools to consider raising awareness around the day to help support students that may be experiencing emotional distress that leads to self-harming.

The Young Minds project: No Harm Done, provides an informative toolkit which includes videos and guides about recognising self harm, seeking help and coming out the other side. Resources are available for young people, parents and professionals. 

Rise is Coventry and Warwickshire’s emotional well-being and mental health service for children and young people. The service has a community offer for both young people who self-harm and their parents. Further information can be found via their website:

https://www.cwrise.com/for-young-people
https://www.cwrise.com/for-parents

For any further information please contact: Public Health Admin, Warwickshire County Council: phadmin@warwickshire.gov.uk

Maths Expert Event - Mike Askew

Velo Birmingham & Midlands - is your school up for the challenge?

To gear up for Vélo Birmingham on May 12, Vélo Birmingham & Midlands is launching the first ever Vélo Schools 100 Challenge. Taking place in April 2019, the challenge offers school children from across the Midlands the opportunity to take on a 100-mile challenge of their own. The challenge involves pupils collectively cycling 100-miles in a week of the school’s choice in April. 

All children are invited to take part and each participant can cycle their preferred distance: every little bit of cycling will help the school complete the challenge!

The challenge is free to join and, with this year being Coventry and Warwickshire’s Year of Wellbeing, this is a great way to encourage local children to get active and enjoy cycling.

Once signed up, each school will receive a resources pack which includes more information on the challenge, printable Vélo Schools 100 Challenge certificates and a Vélo 100 route map and mileage tracker to help your school track those miles.

For more information, and to sign your school up, visit https://www.velobirmingham.com/event-info/schools-challenge/

DfE-funded training available for early career teachers

Accelerate is a brand-new professional development programme, tailor-made for teachers in the first five years of their career. It’s free for teachers from eligible schools; those that are Ofsted graded 3 or 4 and/or are in a DfE-identified ‘opportunity’ or ‘priority’ area.

Accelerate will provide teachers with the tools and support they need to fast-track their teaching skills and build their confidence. The programme has been specifically designed to improve pupil attainment and keep talented teachers within the profession.

The four-term programme, which aligns with the new Government Recruitment and Retention Strategy, and particularly The Early Career Framework, starts in the 2019 spring term. Registration is currently well underway, and it is advisable to apply as soon as possible as spaces are limited and will be allocated on first-come-first-served basis after eligibility.

How does Accelerate work?

Accelerate delivers evidence-informed training that has been designed around what works and with the demands of a teaching timetable and the needs of the school in mind. The blended learning programme is delivered with maximum flexibility through a unique mix of online learning, expert instructional coaching, workshops and a local peer support network to minimise time away from the classroom. In addition, an in-school mentor will ensure that coaching and support is aligned with school priorities and culture.

The wider school community benefits from specialist training for existing or new mentors while school leaders will be able to access professional development in the use of research and evidence to improve teaching.

Accelerate is designed and managed by Education Development Trust in partnership with The Chartered College of Teaching. Find out more and register at accelerate-teaching.co.uk

New film highlights exciting opportunities in hospitality and tourism in Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Council has produced a new film to highlight the varied and exciting career possibilities for young people in the hospitality and tourism sector.

Last year in Warwickshire alone, the industry was worth £1.1billion, providing more than 20,000 jobs, and by 2025 it is expected to be worth £257.4 billion nationally, providing 3.7m jobs.

The film is designed to dispel some of the myths around this important sector, and shine a light on the different career paths, including fast-tracks to management, and opportunities to travel, many of which can lead to senior roles, including CEO, or head chef.

Viewers will see 22 people working in a variety of roles talking about their career progression, the opportunities for training they’ve had, the skills they’ve picked up on the job, and what they love about working in the industry.

You can watch a taster of the film below:

Schools are being encouraged to share the film with pupils and parents throughout the county. It will also be shown throughout the upcoming ‘My Hospitality World, Warwickshire’ event (27 February – 5 March). You can read more about that here.

The full 15 minute film is available here.

Latest update from the Apprenticeship Hub

There is plenty going on in the world of apprenticeships right now and in schools specifically, there has never been more take up of apprenticeship training since ‘modern’ apprenticeships returned roughly a decade ago, which is fantastic!

We've pulled together some useful information for schools, whether you are already engaged with apprenticeships, or yet to be. The attached update includes:

• an update on apprenticeship levy funds  - as of April 2019, any unspent levy funds from two years previous will expire and be deducted from levy accounts for all levy paying employers

• apprenticeships available for school employees

• details of the apprenticeship training providers currently contracted to deliver apprenticeships for WCC schools

Also, don't forget it is National Apprenticeships Week from 4th to 8th March so take this opportunity to share your involvement on social media using the hashtag #Fireitup, or perhaps take the chance to promote apprenticeships among students as a route to employment and a first career step.

Further help, advice and support

The Apprenticeship Hub at Warwickshire County Council will be happy to support you and your school with advice and information about apprenticeships and the apprenticeship levy. We can help you to choose a training provider, promote your apprenticeship vacancies, and enable you to pay for apprenticeship training via the levy if you are a maintained school.

To contact the Apprenticeship Hub, call 01926 418040 or email apprentice@warwickshire.gov.uk.