Cold weather warning - help for you if you need to close your school

The latest MetOffice weather reports have reported a chance of impending cold weather so we wish to remind all schools of the county council’s school closure service.

For the next week we will be monitoring the School Closure line out of normal hours. The closure line will be monitored from 6:15 AM until 10.30 PM.  If you call the closure line outside of this time your message will be picked up the following morning.

To use the service and register your school closed just make one call to 01926 412611, leave notification of closure, reason why and your DfE number for reference.

The information provided is:

• Sent to parents by text if subscribed to the notification service
• Added to the website www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolclosures
• Tweeted @wccschoolclosed
• Sent to all media as RSS feed

This service is completely free and available to all maintained and academy schools. It not only serves parents and pupils who attend your school, but is also monitored by the radio stations that use the information for their websites and for broadcasting.

To aid you in deciding whether to close your school we have created a portal with handy links and views to give you up to date weather and traffic reports. The portal also includes information about the channels we use to communicate closures to parents and pupils. You can find the portal at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolclosuremonitoring

Launch of the Early Help Single Assessment

Single Assessment, Single Plan is the new approach to be taken across the children’s workforce in Warwickshire.

In April 2016 the Early Help and Safeguarding Teams in Warwickshire County Council merged to create the Children and Families Business Unit.

As part of this merger the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was reviewed and the decision taken to redesign the assessment so that it had a similar look to the Single Assessment used by the children’s teams. This will allow a more seamless approach by providing only one system of assessment within the business unit and meaning parents, carers and children/young people don’t need to keep repeating their story.

To reflect these changes the CAF has now been replaced with the Early Help Single Assessment which went live on 15 December 2016. Alongside this is a newly formatted Family Support Meeting Record. The rest of the process remains the same.

Warwickshire have also introduced the Pre and Post Early Help assessment action plan. These plans are for agencies to use internally to record the early help support they offer outside what was the CAF arena.

Practitioners can access a new library of documents from the Early Help website, www.warwickshire.gov.uk/earlyhelp. The library includes:

• Early Help Single Assessment Consent Form
• Single Assessment Template
• Early Help Family Support Meeting Record
• Early Help Closure Form
• Pre and Post Early Help Assessment Action Plan

Please ensure your staff familiarise themselves with these documents and replace the CAF documents previously used.

Please note your CAF Officers will now be your Early Help Officers.

The Early Help Officers are running some briefing sessions for staff to help them to understand and implement these changes. The dates for these briefings are:

25th Jan at 15.30pm, Outwoods Primary, North Warwickshire

27th Jan 9.30am and 1.30pm at Kings House, Bedworth

31st Jan and 7th March 3pm at Avon Valley School, Rugby

14th and 28th February 3pm South; venue to be confirmed

Booking is not required.  If you have any questions please contact your Early Help Officers or call 01926 414147 for more information.

Statutory spring school census – January 2017

The second statutory school census return of the 2016/17 academic year will take place on Thursday 19 January.  Deadline for submission to Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is Friday 20 January.

Data collected via these returns is used by the Department for Education for funding purposes, to inform policy decisions and to underpin RAISEonline and school performance tables.

As in previous years, the spring school census will be used to fund the pupil premium and the early years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).

It is therefore vitally important that you are satisfied with the accuracy of your school’s return before uploading it to WCC, and that it is returned by the prescribed deadline.

Prior to each census the ICT Development Service uploads census documentation to the Warwickshire Learning Platform (WeLearn365) which can be found at: http://bit.ly/midaspages and on the download site http://wsd.we-learn.com/downloads. These will assist you in preparing and running your census returns.

If you have any technical queries regarding the SIMS system and generating the return please contact the ICT Development Service Desk on 01926 414100.

If you have any other questions about this data collection, please contact Michelle Ali, Business & Commissioning Intelligence, on 01926 742169 or by email at businessintelligence@warwickshire.gov.uk

Thank you for your continued support with these collections.

Business and Commissioning Intelligence (BCI)

Performance, Resources Group

Phishing campaign and ransomware alert

** Please circulate the following alert to staff within your school **

Fraudsters are targeting education establishments claiming to be from the Department for Education requesting the personal email address and/or phone number of the headteacher/financial administrator. The fraudsters are claiming that they need to send guidance forms to the head teacher (these so far have varied from exam guidance to mental health assessments). The person on the phone will claim they need to send these documents directly to the headteacher and not to a generic school inbox, arguing that they contain sensitive information.

The emails will include an attachment - a .zip file (potentially marked as an Excel or Word document).  This attachment will contain ransomware, that once downloaded will encrypt files and demand money (up to £8000) to recover the files.

A similar scam attempt has been made recently by fraudsters claiming to be from the Department for Work and Pensions and telecoms providers (in case they need to speak to the headteacher about ‘internet systems’).

The following advice has been issued by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau:

Having up-to-date virus protection is essential; however it will not always prevent you from becoming infected. Please consider the following actions:  

• Although the scammers may know personal details about the head teacher and use these to convince you they are a real employee, be mindful of where these have been obtained from; are these details listed on your public facing website?  
• Please note that the ‘Department of Education’ is not a real government department (the real name is the ‘Department for Education’).
• Don’t click on links or open any attachments you receive in unsolicited emails or SMS messages. Remember that fraudsters can ‘spoof’ an email address to make it look like one used by someone you trust. If you are unsure, check the email header to identify the true source of communication.
• Always install software updates as soon as they become available. Whether you are updating the operating system or an application, the update will often include fixes for critical security vulnerabilities.
• Create regular backups of your important files to an external hard drive, memory stick or online storage provider. It’s important that the devices you back up to aren’t left connected to your computer as any malware infection could spread to that too.
• Do not pay extortion demands as this only feeds into criminals' hands, and there's no guarantee that access to your files will be restored if you do pay.
• If you think your bank details have been compromised, you should immediately contact your bank.
• If you have been affected by this, or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Keeping children safe online

Following on from last week’s BBC news article, Warwickshire’s Family Information Service has published some top tips for staying safe online. We would encourage schools to share these with staff, students and families via your newsletter, on your website or in other ways around the school.

Top tips for staying safe online:

• Don’t post any personal information online – like your address, email address or mobile number.
• Think carefully before posting pictures or videos of yourself.  Once you’ve put  a picture of yourself online most people can see it and may be able to download it, it’s not just your's anymore.
• Keep your privacy settings as high as possible.
• Never give out your passwords.
• Don’t befriend people you don’t know.
• Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parent or carer about people suggesting you do.
• Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are.
• Think carefully about what you say before you post something online.
• Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views it doesn’t mean you need to be rude.
• If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately.

More information can be found at:

• NSPCC
• Childline
• Safety Net Kids
• Get Safe Online
• Leicester Police YouTube Video - Kayleigh's Love Story. (Please note: Some viewers may find some scenes upsetting).

Get involved in Safer Internet Day 2017!

Safer Internet Day will be celebrated this year on Tuesday 7 February, in over 100 countries, and aims to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

The slogan this year is ‘Be the change: Unite for a better internet’.

Take a look at the saferinternet.org.uk website for ideas on how you can get involved. They have free education packs to download with assembly presentations, lesson plans, posters and activities...and you can join the Thunderclap flashmob to help raise awareness and spread the ‘be safer online’ message.

If you do tweet your activities on the day don’t forget to use the hashtag #SID2017 and @WarksEducation so we can see how you’ve been getting involved!

Reporting prejudice-related incidents in schools

All prejudice-related incidents taking place in schools should be reported to Warwickshire County Council's Equality Team by completing the Prejudice Related Incident Form which can be found on the Intranet.  All incidents occurring between pupils should be reported.

How incidents may happen in schools:

Physical assault

Verbal name calling

Jokes

Graffiti

Distributing leaflets

Refusing to learn about other cultures or to work with people from a diverse background

Headteachers and Teachers can:

• Ensure that all staff are clear about their role in tackling prejudice-related discrimination
• Teachers need to engage not only with the person responsible but with witnesses, bystanders, audiences and supporters
• Clarify to all staff and pupils the procedure for reporting and dealing with incidents, in the context of the school’s work to tackle bullying
• Inform parents/carers and governors of the action schools are taking to combat prejudice-related incidents
• Report all  prejudice-related incidents as they happen to Warwickshire County Council on the incident forms
• Report all incidents that are reported to you (whether or not proof is established)

The full guidance can be found here: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/equalityanddiversityforschools

For further information, please contact Polly Sharma, Senior Equality and Diversity Advisor by telephone, on 01926 412659.

National Funding Formula Consultation - Stage 2

Just before the Christmas break, the Department for Education published its long awaited second stage of the consultation on a new National Funding Formula for schools.

The first phase of the consultation set out the principles that would underpin the new funding system.  This second stage has a lot more detail about the effect of cash weightings that each funding formula factor is due to receive, and what that will mean in terms of cash values per pupil or per school. Therefore, this consultation is incredibly important in assisting schools to understand the future funding that they are likely to receive direct from Government.  

At a national level, there are roughly equal numbers of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. At a local level, it is quite difficult to ascertain a pattern of winners and losers throughout the Warwickshire area, but it looks as if schools that serve pupils who live in areas with above average levels of deprivation have tended to gain.

Overall though, the results for Warwickshire as a whole are disappointing.  In the first year of transition to the new National Funding Formula, the whole of the Warwickshire area gains by only £1.2m, or 0.4%. When the Formula is eventually implemented in full (that is, without transitional protections) there is an overall gain of about £2.2m, or 0.7%.  Clearly we were hoping that Warwickshire, as a relatively underfunded area, would have received far more than this.  In particular, the majority of secondary schools seem to have lost funding.  There are some large gainers (7 primary schools gain over 10%) but equally 28 schools will lose over 2% of their current funding levels.

The consultation itself is called the Schools National Funding Formula Government Consultation - Stage 2.  The closing date for responses is 22 March 2017.  The Department for Education’s website does include indicative future budgets for every school in the country (see ‘Impact of the proposed schools NFF_20161220.xlsm’).  The link is as follows:

https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula2/

Warwickshire County Council and the Warwickshire Schools Forum will be responding to the consultation, but I would encourage individual schools to respond as well.

John Betts

Head of Finance

Resources Group

Early Years Funding Formula

Julia Morris

It is with such a great deal of sadness that we let you know that Julia Morris passed away on New Year's Day after spending Christmas surrounded by her family.

Julia was a much loved and respected head teacher of Kineton High School from 2002 to 2014. She was an inspiration to all who knew her within the school community and so many were touched by her friendship, humour and generosity of spirit.

Julia made a huge contribution to school improvement more widely across Warwickshire - since her retirement she acted as an associate adviser for Warwickshire Local Authority, providing support to a number of schools. Julia's sound advice and supportive approach were very much appreciated by many head teachers.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this very sad time.

School Admissions Service Consultation on Admission Arrangements for entry in September 2018

The consultation period for the Warwickshire County Council Admission Arrangements, for entry in September 2018, has now ended. Any comments will now be looked at and considered and the final, determined, arrangements will be published by the required deadline of 28^th February 2017.

Where a school is its own admission authority, and currently still going through a consultation period, you are reminded that this must be completed by 31^st January. All schools must then publish their determined arrangements for 2018 entry – whether these have been consulted on or not – by the deadline as set out in the Code of 28^th February 2017.

Determined arrangements should be clearly visible on both the school’s own website and on the relevant WCC website pages.

Accident / incident reporting changes (for schools where WCC is the employer)

For all community & voluntary controlled schools, community special schools & maintained nursery schools

Please note that the way that you report accidents, incidents and near misses to the Local Authority has now changed. The WCC online recording system is now available and must now be used. This replaces the paper-based report forms that were previously used.

How do I access the online recording system?

Prior to the Christmas break, a system generated email was sent to all registered users in school. This included a link to the online recording system. 

How do I use the system...?

In order to assist schools, a specific Accident/Incident Recording System User Guide has been produced. This can be downloaded from the WCC schools health and safety document library at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolhsdocs (use normal password to open). Please refer to this document for further information and guidance.

What types of accidents / incidents need to be recorded?

All non-minor accidents, incidents and near misses affecting employees, pupils, parents, visitors, contractors, members of the public and others which relate to school activities (on or off the school premises, including educational visits). 

This includes work-related ill health and violent incidents (verbal and physical) and road traffic incidents, near misses and dangerous occurrences; including outbreak of fire, environmental incidents and security/vandalism/property/equipment damage that has the potential risk of harm to people on-site.

Please refer to the Local authority accident/incident/near miss reporting procedure for schools 

Further queries?

Please contact the WCC Corporate Health, Safety & Wellbeing Service email accidentreport@warwickshire.gov.uk telephone 01926 476803.

Key partnership links with police and local schools

Youth Engagement Officers

Youth Engagement Officers are allocated to different areas across Warwickshire. Their role is to proactively engage with primary and secondary schools and young people through educational packages delivered in the form of presentations, workshops and assemblies.

They are able to deliver a number of key subject areas, safety messages and guidance including Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Drugs/Alcohol, Hate and Knife Crime, Gangs, Sexting, Prevent Radicalisation and much more. For a full list and further details on what can be delivered please see the portfolio at the end of this article.

Youth Engagement Officers are not able to deal with crimes or incidents that have occurred in school because of the size of the geographical area they cover. However, the advice to schools is to continue to use 101 in non emergencies or 999 in an emergency and to report other incidents such as safeguarding incidents through normal procedures.

Youth Engagement Officers in your area:

North Warwickshire (covers Nuneaton, Bedworth, Rugby, Atherstone, Coleshill, Kingsbury and Polesworth) -  PC Lee Marston and PCSO Carly Davis.

South Warwickshire - PC Darren Lund, PSCO Sarah Louise Lighgow and PCSO Robbie Williams

 Alongside this role, these officers are also the Cadet Leaders for their area being responsible for the learning and development of Police Cadets over a two year cadetship. Each year the scheme recruits 14 new cadets. Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police Cadets is a volunteer scheme for young people who wish to gain a practical understanding of policing and develop their spirit of adventure and good citizenship.

If you would like more information about the cadets click here. Cadets are recruiting now- please click here for more information

Safer School PCSOs

PC Lee Marston and PCSO Carly Davis have been in post since May 2016 and with support from Safer-School officers they have delivered topics to a total of 6850 young people to date. Currently there are three Safer School PCSOs for North Warwickshire who are:

• PCSO Joanne Jackson covering Rugby
• PCSO Leigh Chapman covering Bedworth and Nuneaton
• PCSO Jessica Eales covering Hartshill, Atherstone, Polesworth and Coleshill

In 2017, Warwickshire Police are looking to recruit an additional 2 Safer School PCSOs. All the Safer Schools PCSOs work very closely with Youth Engagement and can also deliver educational packages delivered in the form of presentations, workshops and assemblies.

Officers within the Safer Schools and Youth Engagement Team in North Warwickshire have developed some key partnership links within local education organisations. With these key partnerships, they have a vision of developing links and partnerships with all the secondary schools within North Warwickshire and building links with feeder schools and other youth organisations. The aim of these partnerships is to develop better relationships with young people and break down barriers and stereotypes. This is done with a view of assisting schools and organisations in delivering key safety and prevention messages and advice in a safe learning environment. Subjects can be adapted for all age groups from primary school to secondary schools and colleges.

It should not be regarded by any school, teacher, parent or pupil, that engagement with the team is due to a failing school, troublesome school, or a school that has more issues than any other. The scheme is a partnership and there to build relationships, break down barriers and assist with the delivery of key messages.

The team are able to deliver a number of key subject areas, safety messages and guidance as below. Other areas can be delivered on request.

• Alcohol
• Anti-social behaviour
• Bonfire and Halloween
• Bullying
• Careers
• Courts
• Crimes
• Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
• Cyber crime and internet safety
• Domestic abuse
• Drugs
• Female genital mutilation (FGM)
• Gangs
• Hate crime
• Knife crime
• Law and police processes
• Personal safety
• Prison, me no way
• Protective behaviours
• Road safety
• Sexting
• Smoking
• Stop, Think, Act, Reflect (S.T.A.R)
• Prevent radicalisation

Working in partnership with Ofsted, Warwickshire County Council, PSHE Association, Department for Education.

Skills for Employment grants worth £430,000

13 business and education partnerships have been awarded a major grant to tackle skills challenges.

Two of the projects funded are for the Hospitality and Visitor sector. One is led by Shakespeare’s England which with its partners Q Hotels, Stratfordward BID, Stratford-upon-Avon College and Birmingham International Airport will work with schools across the county to increase awareness and understanding of the wide range of employment opportunities available at different levels in the sector.

The Warwickshire College Group was awarded a grant to tackle similar challenges in the construction sector. Two other grants will fund new businesses being set up in schools.

Kineton High School was awarded £30,000 to buy cutting edge technology and set up a student-run, on-site professional services hub. The students will provide creative digital services to the school’s partner businesses, including the British Motor Museum and Ettington Chase Hotel.

Woodlands all-age community school in Coleshill has received almost £40,000 to set up Laser Blazer, an on-line laser cutting micro-business to provide students with the skills and experience to enable them to go on and gain paid employment. Supported by job coaches, students will run their own laser cutting business, trading online as well as at craft fairs and local events.

These awards take the total grant funding awarded by the Skills for Employment programme to over £1m. For more information about the projects awarded grants contact Glenn Robinson (glennrobinson@warwickshire.gov.uk or 01926 418027)

Launch of Heart Shield in Warwickshire Schools

The pilot project aims to ensure that young people in secondary schools in Warwickshire are provided with training in Emergency Life Support, including vital Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).  The sessions have been to designed to help improve bystander CPR rates and increase knowledge of how to prevent cardiovascular disease.  

The delivered learning will incorporate:

• Practical CPR Training for all students
• Knowledge of what to do if students encounter someone who has had a cardiac arrest
• Practical training on how to use an AED
• Learning how to put someone in the recovery position
• Key heart health promotion and prevention messages
• Learning objectives from the PSHE - Personal Safety/Risk unit
• Evaluations completed by all students to monitor learning outcomes

Key information:

• The sessions are offered to year 8 students.  
• Each session is 1 hour long and delivered to groups of 30.  
• The learning is a combination of a whole group presentation, a short film, instructional DVD and a hands on practical session in smaller groups.
• The session content has been designed in collaboration with PSHE teaching staff from Warwickshire schools, Public Health Warwickshire, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue (WFRS) and other partners.  
• The sessions are currently delivered by fully trained WFRS staff and volunteers from Jaguar Land Rover’s Corporate Social Responsibility Department.
• Heart Shield has already been delivered to 4 secondary schools in Warwickshire with a further 2 schools booked.  This will equate over 1600 year 8 pupils being taught key life saving skills.
• Feedback from staff and students has been excellent.

If you would like to be part of this exciting project please contact Niky Moultrie - Project Manager & Partnership Liaison Officer, Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service Office: 02476 314376 ext 2133                            

Mobile: 07870 180305  

Email: nikymoultrie@warwickshire.gov.uk

Governor Training

Warwickshire Governor Services have places available on the following courses:

To book a place please contact Gail Evans as follows:

Gail Evans

Admin Assistant

Warwickshire Governor Services

Education & Learning

Communities Group

Saltisford Office Building 3

Warwick

Tel   01926 745120

Email   gailevans@warwickshire.gov.uk

Counter terrorism training for Governors

Invitation to Chair of Governors/Safeguarding Governor

Warwickshire schools Counterterrorism event - January 2017

Purpose: To receive a strategic overview of the Government's CONTEST strategy with a specific briefing on the 'Prevent' and 'Prepare' responsibilities.

Time: 6-8pm (registration opens at 5.30pm)

Date: Monday 23 January 2017

Location: The Ricoh Arena Community Space, Phoenix Way, Coventry CV6 6GE

Audience: This event is aimed at school governors with a responsibility for safeguarding.

The event is open to both Warwickshire County Council-maintained schools and academies at no charge.  If you wish to register to attend, please follow the links to the attached Google form:

https://docs.google.com/a/warwickshire.gov.uk/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHlKVx2zVLhEafBNLdiDY8z85JWHUZ0o5lA3l2shxd6Y8IEg/viewform

NB this event will now run from 6-8pm on Monday 23 January 2017 at the Ricoh Arena Community Space and not at 7-9pm as stated on the above Google form.

________________________________________________________________

Below is a summary of what the event will cover:

PREVENT

The Prevent strand of the Government’s CONTEST Strategy is all about the pre-criminal space, providing support and redirection to vulnerable individuals at risk of being groomed into terrorist activities. In this event we will be looking at how governors can ensure their school is effectively implementing their responsibilities under the Prevent Duty.

PREPARE

The Prepare strand seeks to minimise the impact of a terrorist attack where it cannot be stopped. In this event we will be looking at how governors can strategically direct and support the School Senior Management to develop and implement a School Emergency Plan in line with best practice.

FAQ from Governors

A very Happy New Year from Governor Services!

EduBase Update

We continue to be asked a number of questions regarding EduBase and have provided this update together with some frequently asked questions and answers which will hopefully help all members of the Governing Board.

The Department for Education has confirmed that academy trusts and maintained school governing boards must provide the Secretary of State for Education with the details of all those involved in governance from September 2016.

For academies, EduBase will have been pre-populated with the information provided through the Education Funding Agency's Information Exchange; however, these entries will still require checking and updating where necessary.

For maintained schools, EduBase will not have been pre-populated. Therefore, information will need to be provided by governing boards to populate the fields. Details about the information to be collected can be found here.

Please note that EduBase is not replacing our Warwickshire Governor Services database, and we still require information from Clerks to enable us to keep our records up to date and to allow us to provide a high quality service to Warwickshire governors.

Q: Is it compulsory for governors to allow their information to be collected for the database?

A: The DfE press release says that from September 2016, academy trusts and governing boards are under a duty to provide the information required for inclusion in the national database. For academies, it explains:

From September 2016 the Academies Financial Handbook will require academy trusts to provide information about their members and trustees as well as (in the case of MATs) those sitting on any local governing boards that may be in place.

For maintained schools, it says that section 538 of the Education Act 1996 sets out the duty to provide the information required on EduBase from September 2016.

Q: Must the database include information on previous governors?

A: The required information includes information on individuals who have served as governors at any time in the 12 months before the requirement was introduced.

Q: Must the head teacher’s details be submitted?

A: All those involved in the governance of the school, including those who are employed at the school, should have their details submitted.

Q: How do we get access to EduBase?

A: Clerks and Governors do not have access to EduBase. 

EduBase is accessed via the school’s secure access account therefore someone within the school’s office (Business Manager, Administrator) will have the log in details and the overall responsibility for keeping it up to date.  Clerks / Chairs can assist this person by ensuring that the governing / trustees board information is always kept up to date and shared as appropriate.

Q: What can we do if a governor does not want to be included on the database?

A:  As this is a legal requirement for maintained schools and academies, it is not possible for an individual to 'opt out'.  It is being suggested to governors that including this requirement in a governing board code of conduct, and making sure it is also covered in any induction programmes will mean both new and existing governors and trustees will understand the requirement and how it relates to them. 

If a governor or trustee remains resistant to the idea of having this information held on the database, it may be necessary for the Governing Board to reconsider his or her suitability for the public role of governor or trustee.

Q: Do we have to keep the information up to date?

A: Yes! 

Academies

Paragraph 4.7.4 of the 2016 Academies Financial Handbook says that an academy trust must notify the DfE of the appointment to or vacating of the positions of:

• Member, trustee and local governor
• Chair of trustees and chair of local governing board, accounting officer and chief financial officer

The notification must be made within 14 days of any change by completing all the specified fields on the governance section of EduBase.

Maintained schools

The DfE says that a maintained school's information must also be kept up to date when those involved in governance change. 

The DfE will update the Governance Handbook to reflect the new requirement

Subscriptions to Warwickshire Governor Services

It’s the time of year when Warwickshire Education Services (WES) contact schools to give them the opportunity to purchase or renew their subscriptions. Governors should be aware of the packages Governor Services provide to enable them to fulfil their statutory responsibilities and to feel confident in meeting an ever increasing range of challenges.

Governor Services provides:

A Training and Support Programme

• A Professional Clerking Service
• GovernorHub
• GEL
• The KEY for School Governors

Please contact Gurby Dhesi on (01926) 745137 or gurbydhesi@warwickshire.gov.uk to find out more information or talk to your Head teacher or School Business Manager to see what your school currently subscribes to and how you would benefit from any of the other packages.

Information for Clerks

Suggested agenda items for your Spring Term Meetings- please click here 

School Health & Wellbeing Service - Briefing for all primary schools including academies

Since the transfer of the delivery of the School Nursing Service to Compass in November 2015, we have been working to transform the service into a fit-for-purpose public health offer for children and young people in Warwickshire. There have been some changes along the way to ensure school health staff have the capacity to deliver the full offer in a safe, efficient and effective way to all children and young people in Warwickshire.

As part of the national Healthy Child Programme (the Department of Health evidence based programme the service is commissioned to deliver), the school health team are required to undertake health needs assessments of children and young people at key staged contacts. Reception and Year 6 are currently offered by the service; year 9 and post-16 will be rolled out during 2017.

The questionnaire is not routinely shared in advance as it is completed electronically; however the school health team are more than happy to offer sessions in schools for staff/parents/carers to discuss the questionnaire in more detail.

Anonymous, aggregated reports are shared with schools and inform the conversation around the tailored support that can be offered to schools by Compass and complement existing resources.

In order to deliver a fully confidential service, Compass are not able to share with schools the individual details of the health needs assessments or the height and weight measurements taken as part of the National Child Measurement Programme. For Compass (or any other provider of a health service) to share individual personal details would be in breach of patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act, which forms part of their core contract with the County Council.

We will endeavour to inform schools where an issue has been identified and it is appropriate to share information, but consent must be obtained by the child and/or parent before we are able to do this.

For example, the health needs assessment in Year 6 asks “Are you being bullied?” If a child responds yes, and the follow-up contact with the family highlights the bullying issue is taking place within the school setting, we will actively encourage the family to raise this with the school in an appropriate way. We will offer support to the school and the family to achieve the best outcome.

Being able to complete the questionnaire in the school setting in partnership with schools is the most effective way to identify the needs of children and young people in Warwickshire. We will work with schools to highlight any particular issues that relate to school in an anonymous way.

I would like to encourage you to raise any questions or concerns you have about the service directly with me so we can work together to resolve them in a positive way. I will also be meeting regularly with Jane Spilsbury and Kate Gover to ensure we are working in partnership with schools and maximising the opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people in Warwickshire.

Kate Sahota

Children’s Public Health Commissioner, Warwickshire County Council

Tel: 01926 413763

email: katesahota@warwickshire.gov.uk

Important Notice – A free Food for Life health check for your school

How are you progressing with your school’s submission for a Food for Life Award?

Many schools have made significant progress but are yet to enter their evidence on the Food for Life website.  During this term, schools enter their evidence for their awards and all awarded schools are presented their certificates and prizes at a special awards ceremony. This also includes a celebratory meal and activities for the school representatives, as well as lots of positive press coverage for each school.  

It is worth noting that a Food for Life Award is recognised as evidence by Ofsted of a school’s commitment to high standards in promoting the health and wellbeing of the children in its care.

This year we will have our first Gold Award school in the county!

Now is the time to carry out a health check of the progress you have made to date while using the programme to raise educational attainment, helping children and families to learn key life skills, improving the quality of food, improving the dining experience at the school itself and encouraging healthy lifestyles for young people.  

We are offering our professional advice and assistance to:

• help identify your progress to date;
• support the delivery of the criteria to achieve your school’s award;
• help you complete your online submission of evidence for an award.

Please contact Bret Willers on 07786 994442 or by email: bwillers@soilassociation.org

If you haven't had a response to your submission within one working week please let us know. You can contact us via phone: 0117 314 5180 or email ffl@foodforlife.org.uk.

Calling all schools in Warwickshire- Food for Life

The national Food for Life Awards Programme helps schools to develop a holistic approach to developing key life skills for children, helping them to adopt healthy lifestyles and to influence positive changes in dietary behaviour. Food for Life also helps to work with caterers and cooks in improving the quality of food, increasing the uptake of school meals as well as raising academic attainment by using the topic of food to help teach academic subjects like maths, science, literature, history and geography etc.

• Educational resources for teaching maths, literacy & key skills
• Practical support for increasing the uptake of school meals and pupil premium
• Promotion of a positive dining experience and healthy eating
• Training and support for teachers and staff.

Schools are also supported with practical links to food producers and the food industry, so children have the opportunity to learn by seeing and doing in real working situations.

Please visit http://www.foodforlife.org.uk/registration/enrol-ffl-school and ENROL NOW*.

 *NB: When enrolling online ignore the reference to payment as this is already covered by the County Council and the system recognises all Warwickshire Schools and early years settings as free entry.

There is no commitment from you to apply for an Award although to date over 30 Schools have obtained awards, increased their uptake of school meals and effectively used the programme to help teach a range of subjects across the curriculum in a lively and interesting way. Schools adopting this approach can provide a clear evidence trail for Ofsted using the Awards framework to demonstrate how they are promoting healthy lifestyles for children and families and helping to reduce the risk of childhood obesity.

If you would like more information about Food for Life please visit our website or contact Bret Willers the County’s Programme Manager on 07786 994442 to assist with your enrolment or to find out more about this excellent offer.

Winter health campaign

As part of our winter campaign, we are wanting to promote very simple messages about the importance of handwashing as one of the most effective infection control measures against winter bugs such as Norovirus. We know that norovirus is now starting to circulate this year.  Norovirus is highly infectious and spreads easily in environments such as nurseries and schools. We would ask you to encourage all staff and children to wash their hands regularly. Please see the norovirus section of our website, where you can download posters to display:

http://publichealth.warwickshire.gov.uk/health-protection/norovirus/

For other advice for the winter season, please see the Stay Well in Winter campaign website:

http://www.nhs.uk/staywell/

Norovirus

Norovirus, also known as “winter vomiting disease”, commonly occurs in the winter months, and causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The symptoms usually last between 12 and 60 hours, and tend to start with the sudden onset of nausea followed by projectile vomiting and diarrhoea.

Good hygiene, including thorough hand washing, especially after toilet visits and before eating, will help reduce the spread of infection. Norovirus can contaminate the hands of children and staff if not adequately washed, and the environment is easily contaminated if a child has been unwell, as virus particles can remain in the air and settle in the environment. Therefore, if a child does become unwell in your nursery or school, it is important to clean up spillages and the surrounding environment promptly, and make sure that cleaning frequency is increased. All areas should be cleaned initially with a detergent and water, followed by a chlorine-based agent (e.g. Milton).  Pay attention to surfaces that are frequently touched, e.g. tabletops, taps and sinks, toilet handles and light switches. Make sure toilets are clean.  

Handwashing, Infection Control and Outbreaks

It is important that hands are washed correctly, please see: bit.ly/16gN5xDfor the recommended washing technique. Liquid soap should be used and not bar soap, which increases the risk of cross contamination.

Commercial products to clean hands are currently being marketed directly to schools and nurseries. These products are similar to hand decontaminants used in hospitals. Some are being sold as a replacement for hand washing. Please be aware that following visits to the toilet, or any other activity where hands may be physically soiled, hand washing with soap and water is the only recommended method of cleaning hands.

If your nursery or school experiences an outbreak, i.e. two or more cases of diarrhoea and/or vomiting, please contact Public Health England on 0344 2253560 option 2, option 1 for advice. In addition to the hygiene and cleaning measures outlined above, it is important that all staff and children with symptoms stay at home until 48 hours after their symptoms stop.

Further information and resources can be found in the “Norovirus Toolkit for Schools and Nurseries” at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140714084352/http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1227851390634

Finally, we hope you will take the opportunity to look at e-Bug, a really useful online resource for schools to help teach children and young people about microbes, infection, hygiene, vaccinations and antibiotic resistance. Please see:

www.e-bug.eu

News round up

Year 6 pupils at Hillmorton Primary School helped to spread goodwill in the run up to Christmas, after the Deputy Headteacher, Craig McKee, came across the idea of a ‘Kindness Advent Calendar. Pupils and members of staff took part by doing a good deed or by spreading kindness on each day of the advent calendar. Activities included pupils making donations to the foodbank, giving someone an unexpected gift such as their favourite chocolate bar and everyone in one class writing down a compliment for someone else and then sharing them.

In the Autumn Term, Clapham Terrace Primary School invited volunteers from the National Literacy Trust and Boots Opticians to deliver an assembly all about eye health. The aim was to emphasise to pupils the importance of caring for their eyes, visiting the opticians regularly and reading for pleasure. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children were all given copies of Zoo Keeper Zoe to take home.

Well done to the pupils from Brooke School, Boughton Leigh Junior School, Northlands Primary School and Henry Hinde Junior School who joined volunteers at a local Tesco store in the run-up to Christmas to collect nearly two tonnes of food for Rugby Foodbank’s Neighbourhood Food Collection.

Congratulations to Boughton Leigh Infant School pupil Sienna-Louise Bent for designing the winning Christmas card in a competition set by the International Literacy Centre (ILC) London.  Her card - which featured a decorated Christmas tree with presents, a reindeer and snowflakes, was sent to a whole host of VIPs, including the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP.  The school follows the ILC’s Reading Recovery programme for pupils who need extra support in reading and writing

Kineton Primary thrilled by live string quartet

In November, pupils and staff at Kineton Primary School enjoyed a performance from the Elias String Quartet.

This was organised by Warwickshire Music in partnership with Leamington Music, to promote live musical performances in schools by young professional artists. Year 5 class teacher, Katie Barritt  commented: "It was a truly memorable experience for our children, that had them buzzing for a long time afterwards." Here are a selection of some of the comments from the Year 2,3 4 and 5 pupils:

Bea - "It made me feel speechless.  It was really amazing opportunity to listen to live music. I loved the one where they were just plucking the strings, I had never heard anything like that before.  It was absolutely AMAZING and I loved every second of it! MIND-BLOWING!"

William - "I enjoyed the whole concert, it just made my day, I will never forget it. What is it like to be famous? I love your music. SENSATIONAL!"

Arthur - "I feel amazed as each song is completely different, so you go through multiple emotions. Also they didn’t just play instruments, they sang and clapped.  LEGENDARY!"

Bilton CE Junior School triumphant in national Maths competition

A huge congratulations to Bilton Church of England Junior School who fought off stiff competition to win the prestigious National Young Mathematicians Award in 2016.

Bilton C of E Junior battled through three rounds of competition; firstly taking part in a regional knock-out at Sainsbury’s Explore Learning Centre, then going through to the semi-final where they competed against other top schools in the region to win a space in the Grand Final at Cambridge University on 7 December. The team - comprising Jessica Naylor, Rachel Hyland, Himansa Hingulage and Sriram Chakka - went on to beat over 400 schools nationally to be declared the best young mathematical minds in the country!

The competition, which has been running since 2010, is designed to inspire and challenge talented mathematicians from across the country and is the only team maths competition for primary schools in the UK.  It is run by Explore Learning in conjunction with the NRICH project at Cambridge University and involves teams of four children working together to solve particularly challenging mathematical problems.

Headteacher, Alex Norton, said: “It was a pleasure to go with them and see them working as such an amazing team and watch them win! The team were praised for their considerable mathematical ability and their care for one another. I feel so proud of them.”

Winners pictured receiving their award from CBBC presenter and author Stefan Gates

‘Employable Me’ Avon Valley students learn about employability skills

For the second year running, Year 11 students from The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College have the opportunity to develop the skills that will make them more employable. Throughout the students’ final year, the school will be working in collaboration with coaching organisation Kokoro on the ‘Employable Me’ programme thanks to a grant from Warwickshire County Council.

In the summer term it was announced that Avon Valley was one of six local schools to receive a share of £112,000 which has been given to schools and colleges across the county as part of Warwickshire County Council’s skills for employment programme.

Since September Avon Valley’s Year 11 students have taken part in two half-day, off-site sessions with Kokoro, the most recent of which was held at Benn Hall. During the sessions the students have worked with Kokoro mentors to develop skills which will help them progress with their applications to Further Education providers, and prepare them for post-16 study.

In addition to the sessions with Kokoro, the school has used its grant money to run a number of events including a careers afternoon during which the students met local employers and colleges. Recently, every student has been interviewed by a representative from a local business as part of the school’s mock interview process. Furthermore, the school’s Year 11 students have heard from the local sixth forms and colleges during special assemblies.

Assistant Headteacher, Elaine Stock, said: “The students have already had two wonderful sessions with Kokoro during which they have examined what makes them employable. These events have included sessions on interview techniques, body language and team building. These are skills which will be very important for our students who are currently applying for sixth form, college and apprenticeship places.”

Alison Davies, Headteacher, commented: “Again this year we are very grateful to Warwickshire County Council for providing the grant that has allowed our young people to work with Kokoro. Choosing what to do once they leave school is a big decision and our students are benefitting from the guidance given by Kokoro.”

Karen Powell, one of Kokoro’s founders, said “The students have been fantastic and we’ve really enjoyed working with them. They are fortunate that they attend a school which invests in, and provides, so much advice and careers guidance.”

FREE CSE Awareness Training for all Warwickshire schools

Warwickshire CSE Team delivers multi-agency training with the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board which is free to access for all professionals in Warwickshire. You can access the training on the WILMa website: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wilma

We recognise that it can be problematic for schools to release staff for multi-agency training and are therefore offering FREE CSE Awareness Raising Training for all Warwickshire schools to ensure that staff are able to identify and respond appropriately to concerns around Child Sexual Exploitation. We can tailor training and support to suit the needs of your staff teams and deliver directly at your school.

Child sexual exploitation is a very real issue for children and young people in Warwickshire and it is important for all universal services to understand how it happens, how to recognise the signs that it could be happening and know what to do if they have concerns.

For more information or to book training contact:  

Katy Shipley (CSE Project Worker)  

Email: katy.shipley@barnardos.org.uk  Telephone: 07702 338667

For more information about the Warwickshire ‘Something’s Not Right’ CSE Campaign please see the website at:  www.warwickshirecse.co.uk

Real Love Rocks- CSE resource pack and training for secondary schools

The Barnardo’s CSE team has developed a resource pack for schools and universal services called ‘Real Love Rocks’ which builds on their specialist knowledge and experience of working with children and young people abused through child sexual exploitation. The resource is aimed at years 7 – 9 and offers lesson plans, interactive workshops and all types of activities covering a number of topics, including:

• Healthy relationships
• Consent
• Grooming
• Contraception
• Risk and Keeping Safe
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Impact of Porn and Sexting

The resource can be purchased to be delivered across PSHE in secondary schools and can be delivered by staff with full lesson plans and resources included.

http://www.barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/the-real-love-rocks-resource/

Barnados are offering free bespoke training to staff alongside the CSE Awareness Training to implement and deliver the ‘Real Love Rocks’ PSHE lessons in your school.

For more information or to book training contact:  

Katy Shipley (CSE Project Worker)   

Email: katy.shipley@barnardos.org.uk     Telephone: 07702 338667

Counter Terrorism Training for Warwickshire Schools

Invitation to Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers and School Business Managers

Warwickshire Schools Counter Terrorism Event - January 2017

Purpose: To receive a strategic overview of the Government's CONTEST strategy with a specific briefing on the 'Prevent' and 'Prepare' responsibilities.

Time: 2.00 - 5.00pm (registration opens at 1.30pm)

Date of Event: Monday 23 January 2017

Location: The Ricoh Arena Community Space, Phoenix Way, Coventry CV6 6GE

Audience: This event is aimed at headteachers, deputy heads and school business managers. This event is open to schools who DID NOT ATTEND the Prevent and Prepared event on 26th April 2016.

The event is open to LA maintained schools and Academies at no charge.  If you wish to register to attend, please follow the links to the attached Google form:

 https://docs.google.com/a/warwickshire.gov.uk/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfobwGiDeCngQVSKYgKa2K5sCo5vhjxHSFfb6SGIbfX5ML4pw/viewform

There is a second event running on the same date, 23rd January, for Governors from 6 - 8pm at the same venue. See the Governors section of the newsletter here for more information.

___________________________________________________________________

Below is a summary of what the event will cover:

PREVENT

The Prevent strand of the Government’s CONTEST Strategy is all about the pre-criminal space, providing support and re-direction to vulnerable individuals at risk of being groomed into terrorist activities. In this event we will be looking at how governors can ensure their school is effectively implementing their responsibilities under the Prevent Duty.

PREPARE

The Prepare strand seeks to minimise the impact of a terrorist attack where it cannot be stopped. In this event we will be looking at how governors can strategically direct and support the School Senior Management to develop and implement a School Emergency Plan in line with best practice.

Professional development for teaching mathematics

Headteachers, Primary maths subject leaders and SLT members are invited to attend professional development with

Andrew Jeffrey Independent Maths Expert on

Preventing the gap - making big impacts through small changes in mathematics

When: Wednesday 8th February 2017 at 9.30am - 3.30pm

Where: Ansty Golf Centre, Brinklow Road, Ansty, Coventry, CV7 9JL

Cost: There will be a non-profit charge of £15 made by the organiser to cover the cost of the venue, refreshments & lunch.

Limited places available so please book soon to avoid disappointment.

Further details are on the flyer here. 

Are You Sitting Comfortably- free training from IDS

Every setting offering provision to children aged 0-5 will be able to access 2 FREE training sessions as part of the Smart Start initiative

This training is appropriate for staff supporting children within the EYFS, including Reception classes, Nursery classes, Pre-schools, Day Nurseries, Child minders, Out of School Clubs.

This training will be free for settings this term only and will support you in:

• meeting the physical needs of children in your school.
• developing independence in children in your care
• managing children's needs safely
• the early intervention of children with SEND
• Assess Plan Do Review Cycle

Full details including an over of what will be covered in each session and how to book are on the attached flyer. Dates start end of January and go through to end of March 2017.

For any questions and queries please contact:

Clare Woodman    IDS 0-5 Specialist Teacher

Tel: 02476 368800     Email: clarewoodman@warwickshire.gov.uk

New qualified teacher free twilight event

Join us for 2 workshops:

Innovative Teaching Techniques using ICT

When employed correctly, innovative teaching practices can result in high quality learning. This session will introduce you to a variety of useful and time-saving programmes and online tools which can be used to enhance everyday teaching.

You will come away with a range of ideas , which will innovate the way you deliver, monitor and assess learning.

Ask an Expert

One problem, many solutions

As teachers we are always seeking examples of good practice to help enhance our own teaching and learning. In this session you will be able to put your questions (anonymously) to a panel of experienced staff from a range of Warwickshire schools. Panellists will help you reflect on your current practice, and speaking from experience, share real-life tips and techniques.

Tuesday February 7th 2017

Refreshments and networking from 3.30pm

First workshop at 4pm prompt

Session will finish at 6pm

For more information please click here

Teacher Subject Specialism Training (TSST) at Polesworth

The purpose of this training is twofold: improve subject knowledge and demonstrate teaching methods.

Which subjects can you do?

• Mathematics
• Physics
• French

Who should do this course?

Existing Teachers
Non Subject Specialist Teacher
NQTs
Ex teachers who want to return to the teaching profession

Examples of how training might support you are:

• a PE teacher who has been timetabled with KS3 Maths from September 2017
• a Biology teacher wants to brush up on their KS4 Physics knowledge
• a maths teacher looking to return to the profession following a career break
• German teacher needs to offer KS3 French
• a Music teacher with A Level French needs to cover a Y7 French group.
• existing teachers want to refresh knowledge because the school is now offering A Level courses in these subjects.

Secondary Maths has limited availability. The next sessions are:

 French

Sessions will be from 2.00 – 4.30 pm

 Physics

3.45 – 5.45 pm during the Summer Term

Bookings being taken for all courses now.

This training is offered free of charge and brings with it £400 per delegate bursary on successful completion of these courses.

Free Food for Life training for teachers

Cooking with Confidence: Teaching Practical Cookery Skills in the Classroom

Venue: Newdigate Primary School, Anderton Road, Bedworth, CV12 0HA

Date: Wed 15th February 2017

Timing: 9.15 – 15.30

This practical one day course covers all essential elements of teaching cookery skills to children of all ages and is an excellent way to develop or improve your current cookery offer, both within the classroom and/or as an after school club. With the strengthened place of cooking and nutrition in the new National Curriculum (Design and Technology programme of study), this course will give staff key skills to deliver high quality, curriculum linked cookery lessons within the classroom as well as advice on cooking with minimal equipment. Participants will receive a memory stick of resources to use in school as well as a free Skill Up, Start Cooking pack with 32 age appropriate recipes with teaching instructions designed to ensure skills progression for the 3–11 years age groups.

From Plot to Pot: Teaching Food Growing Skills in Primary Schools

Venue: Ryton Organic Gardens, Wolston Lane, Coventry CV8 3LG

Date: Wed 8th February 2017 OR Thurs 23rd March 2017                                                                                                                                            

Timing: 9.15 – 15.30

This practical one day course covers essential elements in the teaching of food growing skills in primary schools. With the strengthened place of food education, cooking and nutrition in the new National Curriculum, this course will give staff key skills to facilitate, deliver and embed organic food growing and composting into the curriculum. The training will also demonstrate some of the opportunities to teach elements of science, maths and other curriculum areas through growing and support schools in achieving FFL awards. Also lots of useful advice on the best varieties to plant which require less maintenance so that the school gets a good crop during term time. Delegates will also receive free resources to take away. 

Transforming school food: Embedding healthy living & creating positive food culture with a Whole School Approach

Venue: The SYDNI Centre, Cottage Square, Sydenham, Leamington Spa CV31 1PT

Date: Wed 1^st March OR Thurs 30^th March 2017

Timings: 9.00 - 12.00 or 12.30 - 15:30

This is an excellent, informative course aimed at newly enrolled FFL schools and those Bronze Award schools who wish to embed the Food for Life ethos more deeply into their school culture in readiness for achieving Silver and Gold. The course will cover developing a whole school approach, a table top assessment of your school's current position in relation to the bronze/silver criteria as appropriate, understanding the function of a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) including who to involve and how to run SNAG meetings, have a range of consultation and engagement techniques to use with pupils, parents and colleagues back at school and know where to find resources to help you and to outline the opportunities for the school to attract parental and wider community engagement.

Fabulous Farms: Establishing and embedding farm visits in the curriculum

Venue: Mary Arden’s Farm, Station Road, Wilmcote, Stratford CV37 9UN

Date: Wed 29th March 2016

Timings: 9.30 – 15.00

This excellent one day course covers essential elements in the practicalities of setting up a farm visit including Health & Safety, a farm tour and linking your visit to the curriculum. The course will give staff key skills to plan, facilitate, deliver and embed farm visits into the curriculum and maximise the opportunities for learning from the experience of the visit. The training will also demonstrate some of the opportunities to teach elements of science, maths and other curriculum areas through farm visits and preparatory and follow up work in the classroom.   Farm visits provide memorable experiences for children and are a requirement for achieving FFL awards.

School Farmers Markets: From plan to practice in 8 weeks

Venue: Southfields Farm, Packington Lane, Coleshill B46 3EJ

Date: Wed 8th February 2017

Timings: 9.30 – 12.30

This half day course covers everything you need to know to run a School Farmers Market at your school. This is an excellent enterprise project that can raise money for the school, build your profile within the community, support all of your Food for Life activities and help you get your award in a really fun, rewarding way.  From planning what to grow, cook and sell to how to encourage local producers to your event, fundraising tips, everything you need to know about running a successful School Farmers Market is covered. Each school will also receive a set of free resources.

Get Your Award! Twilight Sessions

Venue: Hill Top Farm, Fosse Way, Leamington Spa (TBC)

Date: TBC contact Bret Willers on 07786 994442 or Valerie Meehan on 07736 888462 to find out where a session will be held near you.

Timings: 15.30-17:30

In addition to the formal training courses offered, our twilight sessions give teachers and support staff the chance to get together informally after school and gain support in completing their awards criteria. We will also share ideas and advice on tackling any criteria that you are finding particularly challenging with solutions that will work best in your particular setting. Delegates will also get the opportunity to explore a range of Food for Life resources and will be treated to a delicious afternoon tea.

Booking Information:

Please log in to your online portal on the FFL website http://www.foodforlife.org.uk/schools click the sign in button located on the top right hand side of the page enter your username and password and click on ‘Events’ in the menu bar to register for a course online. Alternatively, e-mail Valerie at vmeehan@soilassociation.org with the name and date of the course; dietary and access requirements; the delegate name(s); a school contact e-mail and a telephone number.   Up to three places can be booked per school.

Primary Headteachers Briefings

These briefings are run by the Local Authority and are open to all leaders of primary phase settings in Warwickshire, including early years, infant, junior, special schools, academies and Free Schools and are FREE to attend.

We hold two briefings each term with the same agenda to allow colleagues from across the county the opportunity to attend the session most convenient for them. Booking details will be circulated in the next newsletter and via email to all headteachers.

Spring Term:

Tue 28 March 2017, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Wed 29 March 2017, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Summer Term:

Tue 13 June 2017, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Wed 14 June 2017, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Venues for spring and summer to be confirmed. 

Please email schoolpartnerships@warwickshire.gov.uk to confirm your attendance.

Secondary Heads' and College Principals' Briefings

These briefings are run by the Local Authority and open to all leaders of secondary phase settings in Warwickshire, including maintained secondary schools, academies, Free Schools and Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges and are FREE to attend.

Spring Term:

Fri 24th March 2017, 9am - 12pm

Summer Term:

Thu 29th June 2017, 9am - 12pm

Venues for spring and summer to be confirmed.

Please email schoolpartnerships@warwickshire.gov.uk to confirm your attendance.

Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day 2017 will take place on Tuesday 7th February with the theme 'Be the change: unite for a better internet'.

For more information on how to get involved visit: http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2017

Warwickshire Music Open Morning

King Edward VI School 9.00am - 12.00pm

Saturday 14th January 2017 Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6HB

For more information please click here

Evening of Music at Warwick Castle

Warwickshire County Council’s Music Hub is organising an evening of music at Warwick Castle on Friday 27 January to raise money for the Warwickshire Tiffin Club for looked-after children.

The event, which will be held in the splendour of Warwick Castle’s Great Hall, will be taking place between 6:30 and 8pm and feature a variety of music performed by young people from various ensembles around the county including:

County Girls’ Choir – An open access choir that meets weekly during term time with members from all over the county. The Choir perform extensively and have been highly praised both in the Choir of the Year Competition and, more recently, at the National Festival of Music for Youth. They have also performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome in the autumn performance of ‘The Nutcracker’.

'Gutted!' – County Viol Consort – ‘Gutted’ specialise in bringing to life the vibrant music of the renaissance and were recently honoured with a National Partnership Award following their participation in Music for Youth. As part of this prestigious award, they have the opportunity to make a recording in 2017 with professional early music group Fretwork.

County Waits – played in a variety of venues across Warwickshire including Middleton Hall, Warwick Hall and the Lord Leycester Hospital. Further afield they has given performances at Canons Ashby (National Trust) and Lichfield Guildhouse, and the Early Music Exhibition at Greenwich. The instrumental range includes violins, viols, recorders, cornetts, sackbuts, crumhorns, cornamuses, shawms, percussion, harp, rebec and voice.

In addition to this, there will be a raffle on the night with some fantastic prizes to be won, such as vintage wine, a Football signed by players from Birmingham City football Club and an Archaeology Warwickshire Experience Day, amongst other things.

All funds from the night will go towards the running of the Warwickshire Tiffin Club, which acts as a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for Warwickshire’s Looked After Children: funding life-enhancing opportunities, supporting their goals, igniting their dreams and giving them the best start into adult life and work.

Tickets for this fantastic event are £20. Payment can be made by cheque, made payable to 'Warwickshire Corporate Parents' or by cash, sent to Krishna Shindroja, Personal Assistant to Cllr Izzi Seccombe at Warwickshire County Council, Shire Hall, Warwick, CV34 4RL. Further enquiries can be made by emailing: krishnashindroja@warwickshire.gov.uk

Children Missing Education – new requirement for schools around changes in notification

Children who are not in receipt of full-time education may be described as children missing education (CME).

Such children are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life.

In response to recent Ofsted concerns around the need to improve the local authorities’ ability to ensure children are safe and receiving a suitable education, the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 came into force on 1 September 2016. The changes apply to all schools, academies and independent schools and local authorities in England.  

The law requires all schools to notify the local authority of the following:

1. When they are about to remove a child from the school admissions register under any of the fifteen grounds listed in Regulation 8 of the Education ( Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006; 

1. Work jointly with the local authority to establish the whereabouts of the child before deleting from the school admissions register if under regulation 8(1), f and h; 

1. Notify the local authority within 5 days of adding a pupil’s name to the admission register at a non-standard transition point. 

The local authority will be writing to all Warwickshire schools to ensure they are aware about how to meet their statutory duties.

Since 2011 Warwickshire has seen an overall increase of 25% in referrals for children missing education for 10 or more days from school. On average the service receives 450 referrals per year, of which 40% are Warwickshire children. Since September 16, 189 referrals have come into the service, 61% are Warwickshire children. The rise in numbers appears to correlate with the revision of pupil regulations and CME guidance.

The majority of children missing in education are found but increasing numbers are presenting as vulnerable – these children are continually monitored until they are engaging with education. The children we are unable to locate are posted as missing on a national DfE database which is checked on a regular basis for updates.

Since 2014, the local authority has tracked and monitored those children not in receipt of a full time education; this work is overseen by the Lead Professional for Vulnerable Groups. During this time, 179 referrals have been made of which 113 have been returned successfully to appropriate education. 100 children are currently being monitored and tracked; some of these children had in the first instance been missing education for 10 or more days.

Most cases are complex with a number of factors contributing to poor or no school attendance. These can include mental health problems, ineffective parenting and sometimes the perception that schools are not doing enough to meet children’s needs. The Lead Professional for Vulnerable Groups identifies next steps to enable these children to return to school, this includes multi-professional meetings to move forward the most “stuck” cases identifying barriers and agreeing solutions.

Where there is a safeguarding concern the local authority will carry out a home visit for any child missing in education or not in receipt of their entitlement.

Full integration with the MASH has resulted in support for over 500 cases (including triage meetings) via the Access to Education Service.

For further advice or guidance on children missing education or to make a referral please contact the Access to Education Team:

T: 01926 736323

E: cme@warwickshire.gcsx.gov.uk

or visit our webpage at: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/childrenmissingeducation

Further guidance and useful links:

• CME letter and Guidance Tables 1 and 2
• gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/550416/Children_Missing_Education_-_statutory_guidance.pdf
• gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547327/Inspecting_safeguarding_in_early_years_education_and_skills_settings.pdf
• gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/550499/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_Part_1.pdf

Virtual School news

The Virtual School has been tracking and monitoring the education of all Warwickshire children looked after (CLA) wherever they are educated through its online systems and also by visits to all schools where Warwickshire CLA attend.

In 2016 there were some successes with GCSE attainment for Warwickshire CLA being higher than CLA nationally including one young person with 8 A* grades. Also a record number of 21 care leavers have started university. However there is still work to do because the majority of CLA do less well than their peers. This is often due to the legacy of the neglect and abuse they have suffered.

The Virtual School is very keen to encourage CLA to aspire to going to university and recognises that the main barrier to progressing to Higher Education (HE) is poor GCSE performance. Hence we are offering two schemes which enable younger CLA to visit HE institutions and experience some of the wide range of learning opportunities that they could have as an undergraduate. The UniversityGO! programme is for year 7 pupils and involves the University of Warwick and Coventry University and University Explorers is for children in year 6 and takes place on Saturdays at the University of Warwick. Designated teachers of eligible CLA for both programmes will be contacted in the next few days.

Those of you working with CLA will be aware of the need for all of these children to have a Personal Education Plan (PEP) which describes how they will be helped to make better progress. This needs to be reviewed each term together with the child’s foster parents and social worker. Having introduced the electronic ePEP system we are delighted that well over 80% of CLA had a PEP review last term. Where a review has taken place the Virtual School has sent schools £600 Pupil Premium Plus for each child.

Since the new arrangements were established in 2014, the Virtual School has allocated £600 per CLA per term because we believe that schools are best placed to give children the extra support they need. This is set out in the Virtual School Pupil Premium Policy. We are now reviewing this policy and would be happy to receive any feedback from headteachers about this. Please send comments to virtualschool@warwickshire.gov.uk

Further information about the work of the Virtual School is available here.

Elective Home Education

Over the last 4 years the number of Warwickshire children registered with the local authority as home educated has seen a steep increase from 172 in 2011/12 to 539 in 2015/16. Current registrations for 2016/17 are at 399 with enquiries and registrations continuing to grow.

This increase includes a significant rise in the numbers children who present as vulnerable; children with complex emotional and behavioural needs, children (and often parents) with mental health issues, children with poor attendance whose parents are at risk of prosecution, children who are at risk of permanent exclusion from school, parents choosing to home educate while waiting for a school of their choice, and parents who report dissatisfaction with school.

In April 2016 following a Serious Case Review, the local authority implemented a more robust service delivery model which prioritises the safety of home-educated children. Schools are asked to share detailed information about the child via the School Exit Form before the child is taken off roll. Schools are asked to encourage parents to have a 2 week cooling off period. During this time the local authority will talk to parents to understand the reasons for the decision to home educate.

Home visits are always offered and in many cases parents are happy to welcome us into their home and work with us. Priority is given to ensuring that all children are seen to be safe, especially those known to be at risk. Home visits and registration with the local authority are entirely voluntary, we cannot insist unless there is a concern for the child’s well-being and safety.

Parents of children not receiving adequate education will be supported by the local authority to make improvements within agreed timescales. Legal action via a school attendance order (SAO) is an option for the local authority should the parent fail to provide a suitable full time education to their child. Warwickshire is now looking to pursue this option with the legal team although local authorities appear to have limited success with pursuing the SAO route. 

Information for parents wanting to home educate can be found on our website; professionals working in education will find it informative and helpful. www.warwickshire.gov.uk/homeeducation

We expect schools to signpost parents to the following services before electing to home educate so that they can make an informed decision:

SEND Information, Advice & Support Service (SENDIAS)- email: wias@family-action.org.uk , or phone 0247676366054 during normal office hours.

Family Information Service (FIS) - http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fis

For further advice or guidance about home education please contact the Access to Education Team on

T: 01926 736323

E: ehe@warwickshire.gov.uk

Further information and key documents:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education

Warwickshire School Exit Form

Warwickshire Family Information Form