Welcome

In the last edition of Heads Up, Hayley shared the new leadership arrangements within Education Services and some key updates - if you missed it, you can read it here. Unfortunately, Ian Budd, our new Assistant Director for Education Services, is still unwell and we will continue with the arrangements that have been in place for the past two weeks, with Hayley Good as the main point of contact. 

I am currently covering the post of Interim Strategy and Commissioning Manager, SEND and Inclusion 0-25, while a recruitment process will take place this term to appoint a permanent post holder. In the meantime, there is lots still going on and plenty to share with you.

It was a privilege on Friday 10 May to welcome 16 of our Early Years settings, including childminders, to Shire Hall for the latest Warwickshire Inclusion Kitemark Scheme (W.Inc.K.S) Awards ceremony. We now have 56 settings recognised for the high quality of their inclusive practice.  To find out more, read the article in this edition.

If you were at the recent Jonathan Jones HMI event on 8 April in Rugby, you will have heard from Tammy Mason about the launch of the Warwickshire SEND and Inclusion Quality Mark for schools.  This is a way of recognising excellent inclusive practice and follows the success of WIncKS in our Early Years’ sector. Awards for primary and secondary settings have been developed: at Primary level we are recommending a minimum of three schools, ideally 3-6 in the same geographical area in a consortia, cluster or MAT work together towards the award, whilst at secondary level we envisage departments/faculties within a school working towards the award.  There is a toolkit to support schools to evidence what they are doing and to provide ideas for additional support. Although it is helpful to engage with a specialist to support the process of evaluating what is currently happening, not everyone will be able to afford this and it is by no means essential. 

If you would like more information or wish to share your ideas please contact Tammy Mason, tammymason@warwickshire.gov.uk

The long-awaited Timpson review into exclusions was published on the 7 May, with 30 recommendations on how we can ensure that exclusions are used fairly, lawfully and do not unduly disadvantage vulnerable pupils.

Education secretary, Damian Hinds, said the government will accept all the recommendations in principle and will extend support for Alternative Provision. The DfE will also launch a consultation later this year on how to strengthen accountability, making schools accountable for the outcomes of learners they permanently exclude.

The report’s executive summary, compiled by former children’s minister Edward Timpson, raises concerns about the outcomes for pupils who attend Alternative Provision after exclusion from mainstream: just 4.5 per cent achieved a good pass in their English and maths GCSEs in 2016-17, while over a third went on to be classed as NEET (not in education, employment or training).

Timpson acknowledges the “dedication” of many Alternative Providers but warns there is too much variation in the quality of the offer within the sector, with not enough support to attract high-quality subject specialist staff. Warwickshire is in an excellent position moving forward given the recent approval for a new Alternative Provision Free School within county and our launch of "Ethical Leadership" through the Headteachers' Conference on 12 June. Registration is now open for the conference - please click here to read more and confirm your attendance.