Targeted IAG Services Delivered by Prospects during COVID 19
At this time, Prospects Careers Advisers are still here to help young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training aged 16-19, or 16-25 if a Care Leaver or with an Education, Health & Care Plan. In Warwickshire the team is able to see young people face – to - face by appointment at their Nuneaton Centre and some outreach venues (all COVID safe environments). They continue to provide support across the county and Coventry City via phone, text, email or video chat.
Prospects Careers Advisers can help with choosing a career, developing CVs, completing applications etc. Also, the team can support young people to access a range of local training opportunities (including online courses).
Please check their website for more information and contact details: www.prospectsnow.me
Free Phone: 0800 7313219
Option 1 for Coventry
Option 3 for Warwickshire.
Maths CPD Opportunities for primary and secondary schools
Origin Maths Hubs works in partnership with local schools, colleges, Universities, CPD providers, maths experts and employers to drive improvement in maths education. This is facilitated through funded professional development opportunities, national projects, Work Groups and collaborative projects.
Each Maths Hub puts together its own programme of Work Groups to run locally. Work Groups in this project are aimed at schools who are currently developing a teaching for mastery approach.
Download here "Primary Work Group Opportunities" leaflet
Download here "Post 16 Work Group Opportunities" leaflet
Download here "Opportunities for NQTs & RQTs" leaflet
Research in Action Conference 2020
Research in Action Conference 2020 takes place on Monday 14 December. Owing to the current global pandemic, this year’s event will be taking place online, between 10:00 and 16:00 approximately (exact schedule still TBC).
This conference is a crucial part of the calendar for trainee teachers across Primary and Secondary phases, but can be of interest to practising teachers across Warwick’s wider partnership. The focus of the day is to extol the benefits of educational research to PGCE trainee teachers and communicate its importance in developing practice and facilitating change. Engagement with high quality research and evidence-informed approaches is also enshrined within the new Core Content Framework for ITT, so this conference fulfils an important compliance requirement as well as being a force for professional development.
You have the chance to join this event, and/or be able to provide a session. The online format affords some additionally flexibility this year, in that the team is able to accommodate asynchronous content. So if you would like to present something but can’t attend in person, you can send a pre-recorded video or similar.
If you are interested in attending and/or presenting then please contact john.thornby@warwick.ac.uk for more information.
New premises for Schools Library Service
A message from Warwickshire Library Service and Warwickshire Schools Library Service:
"I am delighted to confirm the long-awaited move of the Schools Library Service (SLS) into Hawkes Point.
All our book stock is ready on the new shelves - we are just sorting out the incredible amount of other bits and pieces that help us get our books out to you all in your schools each term!
Our address is now:
Schools Library Service, Unit 4 WCC Hawkes Point, 1 Hawkes Drive,
Heathcote Industrial Estate, Warwick, CV34 6LX
but the emails and phone numbers remain the same: schoolslibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk and 01926 413461 / 413462
We still hope some kind of welcome session can be arranged in the New Year for you to see the premises, if Covid restrictions are eased. We are very pleased that we have a lovely space as our new training room and are really hoping to get physical courses and meetings back up and running as soon as possible too.
In the meantime, we will be starting to put together the boxes for the Spring Term and collecting at the end of this term as planned.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about using SLS .
Headteacher Wellbeing
We have refreshed our Headteacher Wellbeing materials to bring them together in one document
(please download the document here) and to reflect one or two changes to the group of professionals available to provide coaching support to colleagues. As a reminder, we are happy to fund up to three one to one sessions for Warwickshire headteachers. Heads may contact the professionals directly and the support will remain completely confidential unless there are safeguarding concerns.
Remote Learning
Data protection will probably not be your number one concern right now, but it is important to ensure you are considering your data protection obligations in any plans for remote working and the delivery of education via alternative means.
Please find here & here some useful advice from Sophie Hill and Sophie Scullion of WCC Legal Services School DPO Services.
This information will be useful whether or not your school buys into WCC DPO Services.
Guide to Update Synergy Web/Sam with Number of Children on Roll
The Admissions Service is continuing to review the way our processes work for both Warwickshire families and our family of schools. At the end of September new functionality was made available Synergy Web (previously known as SAM) for schools to provide live updates on the number of pupils you have on roll in each year group.
Thank you to all those schools that are using the new function and we ask again for all schools to please check this information currently displayed and keep this information up to date.
We are committed to improving communication around admissions and remind heads there is now a dedicated inbox for any concerns, queries or feedback you may have regarding the Admissions process.
headteacheradmissions@warwickshire.gov.uk
SEND and Inclusion Services Delivery Principles
Service delivery from SEND and Inclusion Services, including the Educational Psychology Service (EPS), Education Entitlement Team (EET), Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement (EMTAS), Flexible Learning, Integrated Disability Service (IDS), and the Specialist Teaching Service (STS) has adapted in response to the ongoing Covid-19 advice and guidance from Public Health England, Warwickshire County Council, the DfE, and in line with Government guidance for school/settings.
All SEND and Inclusion services offer contact via face to face meetings. They can also offer meetings via Microsoft Teams, email, and phone. Services have significantly developed their virtual offers of delivery including webinars, most recently in evidence from the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) in relation to Reading. For the full online CPD offer from SEND and Inclusion Services please see WES website: https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/Wes/
Direct work in educational settings
Where professional engagement cannot be undertaken virtually and direct working is mutually agreed by the setting, the professional, and by all engaged i.e. parents, CYP, and other professionals, service staff will undertake direct work in a setting as it is safe to do so.
SEND and Inclusion staff will request the settings’ risk assessment, and confirm with the setting the schools’ arrangements for entering and exiting the school, agreements on appropriate work space, arrangements for pupils/staff/parents alongside ensuring signed informed consent for the visit is in place, and school cleaning protocols for the area to be worked within are confirmed.
Risk assessing the need for direct engagement will include time limited face to face contact with regard to 2 metre guidance, on the agreed/planned for activity, and will include appropriate/necessary use of PPE. Setting risk assessment requirements will be followed and adhered to.
Telephone contact will be made immediately prior to (the morning of, or the day before) the visit to ensure risk assessments are current and to confirm staff well-being. Individual staff will attend no more than one setting/’bubble’ per day.
SEND and Inclusion staff will work with school staff to pre-plan engagement to maximise safety and reduce incidental contact with external visitors.
This guidance will be subject to constant review following further changes to guidance. Remaining safe and well, and reducing risk are key to all service delivery considerations.