Dear colleagues,

Hello and welcome to Heads Up.

The end of term is in sight and I hope that you have some time set aside over the holiday period for taking a break, whatever that might entail for you.

The matter of safeguarding has been at the forefront of much of my thinking this week. Later on in the newsletter you will see that there is a new safeguarding offer to schools. This joins up all areas of safeguarding across Warwickshire’s provision and will enable our approach to identify and address areas of concern and to make the necessary interventions, knowing that safeguarding issues are seldom not linked to other issues going on in and around family life. The huge disruption to families that has been brought about by the pandemic means that this critical area of work is brought into even sharper focus.

You will have seen from previous messages from me that I am a firm advocate of evidence-based action. This new safeguarding offer is steeped in that, with partners across the county feeding into the process. The Local Offer (including training and support) is valued in successive LSCB audits and course evaluations. Our advice, guidance and training is led by research from NSPCC, learning from national and local case reviews, academic reports, triennial studies of serious case reviews and statutory guidance.

It is important that we build on this in the time ahead.  That is integral to us having a clear picture of what needs to be done and allows us to take the best practice being carried out and integrate it into our schools provision. It is in my DNA that learning is a continuous process and this approach is underpinned by that; that we will continue to see how our approach can be refined and improved.

Our work will be informed by the safeguarding audit process and our future support will be shaped to respond to the issue that this identifies. We will respond with the help and input of other agencies across Warwickshire or, where needed, by commissioning any specialist input where we feel it will strengthen our own offer.

Your own input is key to this collaborative approach and you will see that there will be termly updates and briefings to you. You are a key partner in this and it is important that you are involved at every step. More details will be sent to you next week, detailing the training programme, improved access and revised costs so please do keep an eye out for that.

We have also added in further details this week about leadership support to promote the wellbeing of head teachers. I cannot reiterate enough how we want to make sure that all the support available to you is accessed and perhaps the coming holiday might be a time when you can take a breather and look at that. We know that you shoulder so much responsibility that sometimes your own welfare takes a backseat but, for us, it is absolutely critical and why so much work has gone into making this offer available to you.

Also included in this week’s edition are the dates for the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) and Assessment meetings for the academic year 2020-21. Could I ask you to please make sure your SENCo and pastoral leaders are aware of these dates.Thanks again for all your hard work: it is hugely appreciated. Enjoy the warm weather we have been promised this weekend and we will be back in touch on Monday with the daily briefing.

With best wishes, 

Ian Budd

Assistant Director for Education Services