Information about 2021 bank holidays - school dates 2021/2
The downloadable pdf of Warwickshire's school term dates for 2021/22 has been updated to reflect the recently announced changes to bank holidays in 2021. It is available on our website here.
There is no material change to the days that pupils will be in school. The 2022 Spring half term now includes two bank holidays rather than the usual one.
You may wish to update your school's website or otherwise communicate this slight change with parents.
Providing new school places across Warwickshire - 2020
The WCC School Organisation and Planning team has recently published the Annual Education Sufficiency Update, which provides the current context for the delivery of the WCC Education Sufficiency Strategy 2018 - 2023.
The 2020 Sufficiency Update is available in the 'Education policies and strategies' section of the WCC website, here:
https://api.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/WCCC-1023-333
This update provides pupil number forecasts in each planning area in the County from September 2020 and outlines any pressures expected during that period. Pupil forecasts include the impact of all currently approved housing developments at the time of publication. Details of how any expected pressures will be met, including current planned capital schemes, are outlined in each section.
To meet demand for school places in specific areas across the County, numerous temporary and permanent school expansions and several new schools have been delivered in recent years - or are in progress. The details for all of these projects are provided in the Sufficiency Update and on our website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolplanning.
Some of the key projects include:
The Coleshill School increased its PAN to 210 in September 2017, from 180. An additional classroom block has been delivered by the WCC Design & Major Projects team for the 2020/21 academic year to allow the school to accommodate the increased pupil numbers as they roll out across all year groups.
Photo: The Coleshill School expansion project, August 2020
A new primary school was opened in 2019 to meet anticipated demand in the north of Nuneaton. Lower Farm Primary School opened with a PAN of 30, with capacity to increase to 60 as required in time. In the south of the borough, Newdigate Primary School was expanded by the WCC Design & Major Projects team to accommodate a PAN of 60 (increased from 45) in 2020.
Photo: Newdigate Primary School expansion project, August 2020
There is a shortfall of secondary school places in Rugby and this is forecast to increase in the coming years. A new secondary school, Ashlawn Free School is proposed to open with a PAN of 180 in 2021, which will largely meet the forecast need. In the meantime, in 2020 four of Rugby’s secondary schools (Rugby Free Secondary School, Bilton School, Ashlawn School and Harris Church of England Academy) have accepted temporary bulge classes above their PANs to accommodate pupils in advance of the opening of Ashlawn Free School.
To contribute additional secondary school places in Warwick district, Campion School expanded in 2019 by increasing its PAN from 155 to 210. Additional classroom buildings will be delivered by the WCC Design & Major Projects team by the end of 2020 to allow the school to accommodate the increased pupil numbers as they roll out across all year groups.
Photo: Campion School expansion project, August 2020
The increasing demand for primary school places in Warwick district has been partially met by the opening of Heathcote Primary School in 2017. The school has been extremely popular and is expanding to a PAN of 60 from 2020. Expansion works have been undertaken by the WCC Design & Major Projects team.
Photo: Heathcote Primary School expansion project, August 2020
A new primary school was opened in 2019 to meet anticipated demand in Stratford District. Tudor Grange Primary Academy Meon Vale opened with a PAN of 30. Expansion of Stratford upon Avon School is proposed for 2022, to provide an increase to its PAN of at least 30 secondary places.
FAP and Assessment Gateway Reminders
- The "Assessment Gateway" aspect of the FAP and Assessment Gateway is there for schools to refer cases that may be escalating for advice, guidance and, where appropriate, support. We advise schools to refer in a timely manner to help before things do hit crisis with any one child. To refer, please complete a
Learner Information Form (LIF) and submit it to
fapassessmentgateway@warwickshire.gov.uk inbox by the deadlines.
- Exceptional circumstance requests are not designed to be submitted to avoid admission of any given child. A school would submit an exceptional circumstance request because they are in situation that no other school is finding themselves in e.g they have gone into special measures. If exceptional circumstance was agreed this would remove a school out of scope for a maximum of 12 weeks. If the exceptional circumstance was to continue beyond the 12-week period, the school would need to submit another form for consideration, and they may get another 12-week period agreed depending on the circumstance.
- Submission of an exceptional circumstances request MUST be done via the official fapassessmentgateway@warwickshire.gov.uk inbox. It is important that everyone follows this due process so that it is always fair, equitable and transparent. If any request has been sent to any other email other than the official FAP and Assessment Gateway email inbox, this request will not be considered as a submission.
DfE Update regarding NQT Induction: Early Career Framework
Please read the DFE update on the intended changes to statutory induction for newly qualified teachers, due to take place from September 2021. These changes will ensure that all early career teachers undergoing induction are entitled to a 2-year training and support programme underpinned by the early career framework.
Headquarters 11 Signal and West Midlands Brigade Engagement Branch Catalogue of Engagement Products
CSW AFCC is successfully delivering enrichment activities such as team building, confidence and leadership activities to schools.
The team has robust COVID-19 measures in place and close communications with the schools has enabled students to benefit from problem solving outdoor activities and desk top planning with their teams of soldiers. The team also been asked to deliver ‘meet a soldier’ sessions to talk about why they joined the armed forces and what career choices there are – teachers have been very keen to use our support to try and fill the gap of career activity that students missed during lockdown 1.
CSW AFCC is looking at 2021 bookings so urge anyone who may be interested to get in touch soon.
Download below all the available materials:
Headquarters 11 Signal and West Midlands Brigade Engagement Branch
Improving health and wellbeing support for armed forces in England– engagement toolkit
Making health and care services better for armed forces families
Making health and care services better for armed forces families - Easier to read questionnaire
Road Safety Week
This week was Road Safety Week - 16 - 22 November.
Although it may be a bit late for the awareness week, it's never too late to focus on road safety.
Download this free symbol-supported version of the Green Cross Code
hereA Day Retreat for Headteachers
A offer for Warwickshire Heads to attend a Day Retreat at a very low cost has been made by Schoolgenie, an organisation set up to support flourishing school cultures, from Jeanie Davies, Author of The Trust Revolution in Schools (Routledge, 2020) in partnership with Warwick University and Leaders from the Headteacher Supervision Hub. The Headteacher Supervision Hub is a large team of professionally trained supervisors, aiming to develop capacity to supervise every teacher in the country. They are based at the Carnegie School of Education, Leeds.
For information about the Day Retreat look here
Senior Leaders’ Webinar – Restorative and Relational Based Practice
Working in partnership with Gateway Alliance we are pleased to share information of the next educational leadership webinar coming up this term. This is the 4th of 7 webinars that are being run by Gateway Alliance this academic year and featuring prominent inspirational speakers who will be addressing leadership themes through the current context in which schools are operating.
The next webinar, coming up on Monday 30th November (10:00-11:00am), is focused on “Restorative and Relational Based Practice” and is being led by Mark Finnis - one of the UK’s leading exponents of restorative practice.
Session Overview:
Restorative and relational based practice describe a way of being, an underpinning ethos, which enables us to build and maintain healthy relationships, resolve difficulties and repair harm when relationships breakdown.
The key learning points for the webinar are:
- An introduction to the concepts and philosophy of restorative practice
- Consider your practice
- The importance of building connection and investing in social capital – a relational model
- An overview of the social discipline window – a model of challenge and support
- Restorative language and questions
- Planning and reflection time
The Local Authority have funded schools’ access to 3 of these 7 webinars. Schools can choose which 3 are most relevant to them and, if schools wish to access more of the sessions, these can be purchased through Gateway Alliance.
HOW TO BOOK
You can book your place at these webinars by visiting the Gateway Alliance website: www.gatewayalliance.co.uk/finder/ just search subject ‘Senior Leaders’. In order to access your 3 FREE sessions you will need to use voucher code: SLweb3! when making your booking. If you already subscribe to Gateway programmes please remember to log-in before booking your places.
To browse Gateway’s full CPD programme for 2020-21 please visit: www.gatewayalliance.co.uk/finder/. If you have any questions or queries please contact Gateway Alliance on 02476 347697 or email: info@gatewayalliance.co.uk