WE2 An empowering curriculum
Plans for Remote Learning
We are sure that you will be aware that in recent guidance, the Government has outlined its expectations for remote learning in the event that pupils need to self-isolate or there is a requirement for a local lock-down. Many schools have done some really fantastic work with online learning over the last term and particularly, using MS Teams, Google Classroom and Purple Mash. Other schools have relied more on their websites to deliver learning materials to their pupils. As we move forward into the new academic year, the guidance above makes it clear that schools are expected to be able to move seamlessly to online learning with clear opportunities for interaction, differentiation, progression and assessment/feedback. We would therefore advise all schools to review their previous provision to ensure that it has the scope to deliver these expectations.
To support schools with their use of MS Teams, G Suite for Education (Classroom and Meet) and Purple Mash, ICT Development Service has created a new Blended Learning site. The concept of the site is to provide help and guidance for school staff in managing their approach to learning where pupils may be working both in school and at home. The site includes video case studies illustrating how schools have used both Teams and Classroom to support and guide pupil learning. It has a vast number of ‘how to’ videos for Teams and Classroom/Meet along with links to further guidance and resources. The site can be viewed here and also includes links to two other sites we’ve developed over the last term, our Home Learning Site and the WCC Learning Resources site.
To further help you, from September, ICTDS is also providing free introductory webinars on MS Teams and Google Classroom for Warwickshire schools. These sessions are for up to 5 staff, last approximately 30 minutes and can be arranged to fit in with school time/date preference (subject to availability). Strategic Advice and Support (SAS) schools can also access free sessions of up to 1 hour for all staff. Similar longer sessions can be arranged for non-SAS subscribers but are chargeable. Please complete this short form to submit a training request.
Supporting Learners with SEND Back Into School
We appreciate the importance of supporting SEND learners transitioning back into school after such a long period of school closure. School environments are likely to be different from when the young person was last in school and this may impact pupils in different ways. Our aim is to support schools with this transition and have compiled a variety of visual resources which can be accessed here.
The information includes -
- Pupil specific needs
- Speech, Language and Communication
- Visual Aids for Cognition and Learning
- Visual Aids for Well-Being
- Pupil Transition and Back to School Resources
- Visual Aids Related to Coronavirus
- Visual Aids and Scripts Related to Coronavirus
- Washing Hands
- Documents for Staff
WCC's new blending learning website
WCC’s new blended learning website offers support for teachers to make the best use of technology to support learning, within and beyond the classroom. This blog from Ofsted outlines the findings of their research into what works with eLearning in FE. The key messages are applicable across other phases of education:
- Feedback from the teacher is crucial to engagement – eLearning can provide opportunities for individual feedback which pupils value
- Live lessons are more effective than recorded lessons – teachers can check learners’ engagement regularly
- Opportunities for discussion are appreciated by learners – they miss the classroom discussion
WE3 Family of schools
Mental Health Support for schools, parents, children and young people ready for September 2020
The Coventry and Warwickshire RISE service is offering a series of resources aimed at supporting schools, parents, children and young people as they return to school.
Please use the following links to access information and details -
Post Covid - return to school - information and ideas to help children who may be anxious about returning to school
Post Covid - return to school; Action Plan
Warwickshire Primary Mental Health Team Parent Information Sessions - Virtual information sessions for parents and carers of children and young people in Warwickshire. Dates and times can be found using the link.
FREE: Mental Heal Awareness Workshops for professionals within Warwickshire; covering topics such as anxiety - back to school, challenging behaviours and self esteem.
Self-harm and suicide prevention in children and young people
A series of repeated webinars on self-harm and suicide prevention in children and young people will be run between July – September. There will be several dates to choose from, colleagues need only attend one. For ease, the dates, times and links can be found using the links at the bottom of this article, colleagues will need to add these to calendars.
Self-harm and suicide prevention in children and young people webinar will cover the following:
- What is self-harm
- What types of self-harm do young people engage in
- Prevalence of self-harm
- How self-harm links to suicide
- Assessment of self-ham with young people
- Safety plans
- Resources
The webinar will be delivered by Jade Stanley, CAMHS Crisis and Home Treatment Team Lead, and Anne Prendergast, Lead For Clinical Risk and Suicide Prevention at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.
Full joining instructions can be found by clicking here
Warwickshire School Transport from September 2020 - information for parents/carers
All pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term 2020. Therefore, dedicated school transport (that is transport that only caters for school children), including buses and taxis, for both mainstream and SEND pupils will need to return to full passenger capacity from September 2020.
Warwickshire County Council’s approach to school transport from September 2020 has been guided by the principles underpinning the system of controls and guidance set out by the UK Government. The council would appreciate the support of parents and carers of pupils travelling on home to school transport services to communicate the safety rules for travelling on school transport services. Watch this useful video for lots of tips and what to expect on home to school transport.
For more details on general advice and rules for travelling to and from school please use this link
Admission Transition guidance - September 2020
As schools’ start to welcome new students transitioning into their school it is a good time to revisit the guidance on when schools should admit these students to their school roll.
The DfE have issued clear guidance on the content of the admission register and further information is available on www.gov.uk/school-attendance (page 5).
What does this mean?
The Synergy Web/Sam reports will show all students transitioning into your school. It is important to check for updates as details can change over the holidays due to house moves etc. You can update Sims from Synergy Web/Sam via the AFT download to load these children and young people up to your school opening
The first day of attendance will be the first day the school is open to students in that year group and this is the day students should go on roll.
- It is vital that schools admit students immediately and do not hold students in pre-admissions.
Please read this document for further information and guidance on assisting Education Services in the transition phase.
Attendance Coding Guidance
On the 6th August 2020, the DfE released an updated 'School Attendance' document along with an addendum document to help with recording attendance in relation to coronavirus (Covid-19) during the 2020 to 2021 academic year.
The Warwickshire Attendance Service has collated the coding guidance and it is available through the following link:
The original guidance is available at the following link:
Education Services - Information in relation to delayed entry and deferred entry to a school year.
The Education Services team have seen an increase recently in the number of requests being received from parents, in relation to delaying a child's to school, who are already attending a school and, in many cases, are of Compulsory School Age (CSA). Several requests have also been received by the local authority relating to children who are already on roll at a school, who are requesting to be educated out of their chronological year group at the same school.
Schools play an important role in this process, at every age and Key Stage (from Foundation to Sixth Form) so it is imperative that all parties are aware of the processes involved, as well as the responsibilities of schools and the decisions that Head teachers will be expected to make. Some of these decisions will be solely the responsibility of the school and others will require input from both schools and the local authority.
We would therefore like to bring to your attention to our EOYG Process Chart and an accompanying Glossary of Terms, which have been developed by the School Admissions team. We encourage you to refer to these documents whenever your school is approached by a family who are considering requesting that their child be educated outside of their chronological year group, including requests to delay a child's entry into Reception.
SAfER Schools Awards Programme
Warwickshire County Council has created the Sustainable and Active focusing on the Environment and Road safety (SAfER) Awards Programme to promote and support road safety and active travel activities in schools across the county.
The Scheme is a free awards programme open to all Warwickshire primary schools and consisting of four levels that schools are encouraged to work through, completing activities along the way. Progression through the levels of this Award Scheme are achieved though the implementation and promotion of active travel within their school community.
Through the creation of SAfER Schools, the aims are to:
- Promote safe and active travel to and from school and beyond
- Reduce the number of vehicles idling and parking outside schools
- Use SAfER school activities to link with the curriculum and other programmes already running in your school
- Work together with the wider community to make a difference on our raids and for our environment.
The benefits of your school becoming a SAfER School member are:
It is totally free to sign up to
- We can offer Free support and resources from road safety professionals
- We can provide expert help with School Travel plans
- We can offer effective ideas to raise road safety awareness in your school
- There will be opportunity to explore sustainable and environment projects; and
- There will be rewards for your achievements
During the Covid-19 lockdown period we know that the reduction in vehicles on our roads led to a dramatic increase in air quality and an equally dramatic reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. We would like to continue to build upon these positives and there has never been a better time than right now to sign-up to become a SAfER School!
Warwickshire County Council recognise that previous Road Safety Award Schemes have been prohibitively time-consuming to complete and so the SAfER Schools Awards Programme has been designed with busy schools in mind by our dedicated Road Safety Education Officers.
Find out more
To find out more about the SAfER Programme and how your school can get involved, please contact the Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Team by email: roadsafetyeducationsafer@warwickshire.gov.uk or telephone: 01926 418062
Social media
You can follow the Warwickshire Road Safety Team -
Twitter: @RoadSafetyWarks
Facebook: Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Education and Active Travel
Nuneaton Education Strategy Coordinator
We are currently advertising for a talented individual to coordinate the Nuneaton Education Strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to join Warwickshire County Council as part of this priority council strategy to address educational standards, outcomes and aspirations in the urban area of Nuneaton. This place-based education strategy ties in with the collective ambitions of the county council and partners to make Nuneaton a town in which people not only want to live but also to give their children the best possible start in life with a good education.
The Nuneaton Education Strategy is an innovative approach designed to enable the community of educational settings in Nuneaton to come together, work in partnership and link with other related strategies. Its core purpose is to address the educational contribution to support the future progress, prospects and prosperity of the young people of the town. Our main challenge is for all learners to enjoy a high-quality learning experience and level of achievement. The multi-agency approach calls upon the whole community to play a part in ensuring every child in Nuneaton has the chance to realise their full potential and by working together in this new way to achieve this outcome.
Further details, including information on how to apply, can be found here
You can also contact -
Margot Brown (margotbrown@warwickshire.gov.uk, 07917 505157)
Sophie Thompson (sophiethompson@warwickshire.gov.uk, 01926 746961)
National Professional Qualification for Headship
The Griffin Teaching School Alliance will be running The National Professional Qualification for Headship; a nationally accredited programme for those who are, or are aspiring to become, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
The programme incorporates :
- Personal learning and reflection;
- Self-study of revised modular materials;
- A whole school development project and written assessment;
- A partner school placement and written assessment;
- Support through the programme by a sponsor from your school .
The course start with an introductory session on Friday, November 13th 2020 from 10 until 12.
For further information please use this link to access the flyer.
National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership
The National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership is a revised, nationally accredited programme offering the opportunity to consider your school leadership through discussion and debate with your peers and coach.
The programme incorporates
- personal learning and reflection;
- self-study of online modular materials;
- a whole school leadership challenge;
- support through the programme by a learning coach from your school;
- evaluating the leadership of teaching
- learning and the skills needed to close achievement gaps.
The course start with an introductory session for delegates and coaches Thursday Nov 12th 2020 - 3.30pm until 5pm
For further information please use this link to access the flyer.
School Improvement Support 2020/2021
As we indicated in the last meeting of the year with Chairs of Consortia and Area Networks, we anticipate allocating some resources to each of the consortium and secondary area networks to support reset and recovery work from the Autumn Term - please look out for more detail in next week's edition of Heads Up.
Public Heath Toolkit for Schools and Early Years
Click here for the latest guidance for schools and early years settings from Liann Brookes-Smith, Associate Director for Public Health. Liann will attend the LA's Headteacher Briefing on Tuesday 8th September ​when she will be happy take headteachers through this guidance and answer any questions.
A campaign from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service around the dangers of swimming in open water
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) has launched a campaign raising awareness around the dangers of swimming in open water following an increase in incidents involving young people getting into difficulty in deep water.
The campaign is being promoted across the WFRS social media channels as well as a paid advertising campaign on Snapchat targeting 13-21 years old in Warwickshire. To increase the reach of the campaign WFRS would also like to share the poster below (or download it here) with secondary schools across the county so that it can be displayed around schools and communicate key water safety messages to young people.
WFRS would really appreciate the support in getting these safety messages out to children and young people.
