Reminder: Chimp Management: Extra FUNDED training opportunity available due to popular demand
Our CHIMP programme still has places available!
Due to popular demand, 2 more cohorts of the Chimp Management: Mind Management Skills for Life programme will be FULLY FUNDED by Warwickshire County Council for Warwickshire school staff.
The programme is a tailor-made ‘CPD accredited’ online course that enables you to enhance your resilience, improve your communication skills, establish more productive relationships and gain insight into your mind, using ‘The Chimp Model’.
The programme, developed by Professor Steve Peters (author of The Chimp Paradox), encompasses eight workshops exploring the neuroscience of the mind in an accessible, relatable and practical way. Participants will develop an in-depth understanding of their own unique mind, along with skills to manage and optimise thinking, emotions and behaviour.
There will be a cohort for staff from maintained schools and another specifically for colleagues from our special schools. Both cohorts will commence in March 2022 and will be FULLY FUNDED by Warwickshire LA (RRP £400pp) for Warwickshire school staff.
All participants will also receive a complimentary copy of Prof. Steve Peters latest book ‘A PATH THROUGH THE JUNGLE’.
For more information please see the programme flyer or watch this short video from Professor Steve Peters.
SUMMARY
What?
8 online workshops, delivered via Zoom.
When?
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Mainstream cohort 2
(3:30-5:30)
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Special schools’ cohort
(3:45-5:45)
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Tues 8th March
Weds 23rd March
Thurs 7th April
Weds 11th May
Weds 25th May
Weds 15th June
Tues 28th June
Tues 12th July
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Thurs 17th March
Thurs 31st March
Mon 25th April
Thurs 12th May
Thurs 26th May
Mon 6th June
Thurs 23rd June
Thurs 7th July
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Sessions will NOT be recorded and we would ask that participants are able to commit to all 8 sessions.
Who?
This programme is for teachers or support staff working in all Warwickshire schools. We would recommend that 2 members of staff from a school should attend. Places will initially be limited to a maximum of 2 people per school (up to 3 for special schools).
Cost?
FREE for Warwickshire schools.
This programme is being organised by the Gateway Alliance. For more information, please contact Helen Martin on martin.h@welearn365.com.
ACTION: To apply to join the programme please COMPLETE THIS GOOGLE FORM. Places are limited and will be offered on a first come first served basis.
Information for Parents on Child Exploitation
Loudmouth Theatre Group have commissioned a short awareness film for parents relating to criminal and sexual exploitation.
This film contains 2 short films that explore child exploitation. The first looks at criminal exploitation and the second on child sexual exploitation. The films are based on dramas that are used in Warwickshire schools to educate around these topics as part of young people's compulsory education on Relationships and Sexual Health Education (RSHE).
The film also includes extra information for parents on the issues, ideas for talking to their children about the topics and where to get further support and information.
Reminder: Could one of your pupils win £2,500 for your school to spend on climate change projects?
Warwickshire County Council is inviting school pupils in Coventry and Warwickshire aged between 4 and 19 to submit their ideas on what it means to be a climate change hero as part of the Young Green Shoots competition.
To apply, pupils must answer the following question:
What does being a climate hero mean to you?
Climate heroes do both big and small things, from planting a huge forest to turning off the lights when they aren’t needed. And anyone can be a climate hero – it could be somebody famous, a government, a business leader, a local council, or it could even be you! Show or tell us how your hero will protect the environment and fight climate change.
Submissions can either be a short piece of writing or a drawing by the deadline of 27 February. Please submit the work by emailing childfriendly@warwickshire.gov.uk with name, age, school’s name and address.
Warwickshire Schools Library Service (SLS) offers support to schools and education settings
Warwickshire Schools Library Service (SLS) is available to support schools and education settings this year.
Warwickshire SLS can support schools and education settings with a wide range of enrichment tools, reading and curriculum resources, awards, initiatives, events and more that will re-engage children and young people following a pandemic-disrupted education.
In collaboration with Warwickshire Libraries, the SLS supports primary and secondary schools across Warwickshire by offering a subscription-based service at great value to help create lifelong readers and learners in students. SLS staff are on hand to offer professional advice for the development of literacy and learning in educational settings, and can help schools develop their own library and reading spaces onsite to establish text-rich environments that help pupils to make the educational progress they deserve.
The SLS subscription service provides a great range of hand-picked library resources, supporting both the changes within the school curriculum and reading trends to help schools meet the needs of their pupils. This is offered at great value as borrowing books is much cheaper for schools than buying them, whilst ensuring that the stock is always kept up-to-date and in great condition. The range of books available includes hi-lo texts for struggling readers, and more challenging age-appropriate titles to extend those children who are progressing well. The stock of books is always inclusive to ensure that pupils can see themselves and others reflected in the books they read. Printed books provided by the SLS also offer an educational advantage in an increasingly digital world, as printed texts can be easier to comprehend and absorb, particularly for longer and more complex texts, visually less demanding and have spatial and tactile cues that help students with processing.
The full list of SLS services available to help get children and young people back on track this year include:
- Annual Reading for Pleasure Loans. Reading levels have been impacted by COVID-19. SLS Reading for Pleasure loans can help establish a reading culture within a school - with evidence indicating that reading for pleasure can improve empathy, relationships, well-being and reduce symptoms of depression.
- Curriculum topic boxes. These help with lost learning in other areas of the curriculum and are hand-picked to suit a school’s requirements. Each topic box includes high quality texts at the appropriate key stage level and tangible artefacts related to the topic.
- Creating great school libraries. The SLS team work with schools to help create engaging and inspiring reading spaces for pupils. Evidence shows that school libraries and librarians positively impact on attitudes to reading and learning as well as reader enjoyment, reading outcomes and attainment. SLS staff can also support the enhancement of pre-existing library spaces by implementing stock audits, library management system support, design and layout advice, and offering book recommendations.
- Supporting school staff. The SLS provides training programmes and support for teachers and librarians, including regular primary and secondary school network meetings for school staff. Telephone and email support and advice services are also available.
- Book Awards, initiatives, and events. A range of motivating awards, events, initiatives and fun activities can be provided for all year groups to inspire and engage pupils in reading more for pleasure. To view previous examples, visit https://bit.ly/3IXT1By
Read more here.
Surveys for RE Leads from SACRE
Please find below links to 2 surveys which SACRE are currently running.
Teacher CWAS review – this covers feedback on the current Agreed Syllabus, and will help with planning/writing the next one.
School visits – please could you complete this (very short!) survey when you have visited a place of worship, this will help us to keep the recommended visits document up to date.
School Attendance Update
Ofsted Securing good attendance and tackling persistent absence
On 7th February 2022 Ofsted published a short report that looked at different aspects of attendance and how schools tackle the challenges they face.
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said there was "no doubt that schools continue to face some very tricky challenges around pupil attendance". She summarised that schools that have improved or maintained high attendance levels during the pandemic through a principle of “Listen, Understand, Empathise and Support- but do not tolerate”.
There were seven approaches that schools can use to promote attendance in any setting:
- Communicating high expectations
The report stresses the importance of having high expectations for every pupil's attendance at school and communicating these expectations clearly, strongly and consistently to both parents and pupils. Communicating with parents without paying equal attention to communicating with pupils is unlikely to be successful in securing good attendance at school.
- Leaders setting a positive tone
Some heads emphasised the importance of the leadership team having a positive presence in the school. Leaders wanted to be out in the playground or at the front of the school to greet pupils at the start of the school day. They emphasised how this first interaction of the day must be a positive one and not "someone barking at them about uniform or being late".
- Explaining why good attendance is important
Schools should explain to parents and pupils why good attendance is important and how it helps pupils to achieve.
- Listening to parents
Schools should listen to parents carefully to find out why their children are not attending so that they can act accordingly. This means both challenging parents who do not make sure that their children attend and offering support where needed. By listening, schools told Ofsted they found that sometimes problems can be solved easily.
- Ensuring attendance is recorded and analysed
The report states that ensuring attendance is always recorded accurately and analysed for patterns and trends helps target action - both for individuals and at a whole-school level. In schools that are systematically removing barriers to attendance, pupils' anxieties are not dismissed but are also sensitively analysed. It says schools will question if this is a mental health issue that needs serious action or a worry that can be alleviated by some discussion or adjustments.
- Linking attendance to school curriculum and ethos
Ofsted says there is a relationship between "attendance and the quality of the school's curriculum, ethos, behaviour and inclusivity". The report highlights the importance of a school ethos on attendance. One primary school leader said: "Kids should feel safe and happy when they come to school."
- Not being content to reach national average
Successful schools do not stop pushing for whole-school improvement once attendance reaches the national average, "Rather they see the process of securing good attendance as an ongoing process that is never finished."
Ms Spielman said headteachers who have successfully improved attendance at their schools understand the importance of making their school "a safe place where pupils really want to be", and they "also seek to understand what is stopping individual pupils from attending regularly and they put the right support in place to help solve the problem".
The full report can be found at the following address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/securing-good-attendance-and-tackling-persistent-absence/securing-good-attendance-and-tackling-persistent-absence
School attendance: Improving consistency of support
The DfE consultation is still open and is seeking views on what should be included in measures to improve the consistency of school attendance support and management. There are 4 proposals linked to the following areas:
- School attendance policies
- LA attendance services
- Introduction of a national framework for the use of attendance legal intervention
- Leave of Absence
The consultation closes on 28th February 2022.
https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-attendance-policy-and-strategy-team/school-attendance-improving-consistency-of-support/
COVID-19 Attendance Advice
If you have any specific questions about COVID-19 related absence, please feel free to email the Warwickshire Attendance Service:
was@warwickshire.gov.uk
Find out more about Inquiry-Based Learning and your secondary school library.
All schools are invited to join Warwickshire Schools Library Service for their next free virtual network meeting on Monday 28th February at 3.30pm-4.30pm. 
We are delighted that we will be joined by Darryl Toerien, Head of Inquiry Based Learning at Blanchelande College. Darryl has been instrumental in the development of the FOSIL group, a growing community of schools and education professionals, which aims to enable learning through enquiry and librarians and teachers have a key role in facilitating this.
FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning) is a highly regarded model of the inquiry learning process and a framework of cognitive, emotional and social skills stretching from Reception to Year 13. It is a powerful tool in fulfilling our educational and moral purpose, and the session will consider how we might go about using it to this end.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, network and share ideas/experiences with other teachers and librarians. We will also share lots of useful links, resources, training and CPD opportunities.
The network meeting will be hosted by Warwickshire Schools Library Service (WSLS).
Please email us if you would like to attend or if you have any questions: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk
For more info, see here