Use 50 Things before You’re 5 to support smooth transitions

We recognise that transition day for school is fast approaching and wanted to draw your attention to the 50 things resources which may be helpful to share with new parents or existing families as it provides a wealth of activities which they could engage with over the summer holiday.

 Here are just a few ways in which you could promote the use of this resource:

• During your new starters meeting or when showing parents around your school, setting or provision you could share the poster cards and app with parents and encourage them to download it onto their phones.​
• In your transition packs or information booklets you could also invite parents to complete some of the challenges over the summer holidays and ask them to share photos with you through your parent’s app or by bringing them into your school or setting when they start.  You could also signpost parents to the 50 things Fridays posts on Warwickshire's Facebook page. ​
• In the new term maybe, you could have your 50 thing Friday and invite parents in to see 50 things activities in action, you could create a mini passport of activities to complete and spend time showing parents how to download and use the app.​
• In the new term maybe, you could also link 50 things activities to home learning activities and share via the online apps which you use to communicate with parents.​

These are just a few ideas, and we are sure you will no doubt think of many more!​

If you do promote 50 things in your school or setting, please do share your ideas and photos with us. We would love to hear about and celebrate your good practice within our briefing

You can download the app here:  50 Things Warwickshire Download the app here 

Early Years Webpages

We are delighted to inform you that the webpages for the Early years Quality, standards and safeguarding team are now live and can be accessed using this link.

https://schools.warwickshire.gov.uk/early-years-childcare...

Open consultations from DfE

Regulatory changes to the EYFS

The Department for Education has launched an eight week consultation on possible changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage as part of reforms they hope will help providers.

To share your views on the proposed  changes please click here

The consultation closes on 26th July 2023.

Working Together to Safeguard Children: changes to statutory guidance

The DFE are seeking views on the revisions to the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance. To share your views on the proposed changes please click here.

This consultation closes on 6th September 2023

International perspectives on early years

Around the world, countries are investing increasingly in the early years. In many cases, governments are driven by the need to provide safe and healthy environments for children so that parents can re-enter the workforce. However, countries also continue to respond to growing evidence of the benefits of high-quality early years provision, both for social and educational development.

This report explores the aims and purposes of early years provision in an international context. Our insights draw on evidence from international research literature, and a survey and roundtable discussion involving academics and representatives of inspectorates from various European countries.

The insights are organised into 4 themes:

• availability and access
• workforce
• curriculum and pedagogy
• inspection and regulation

Throughout the report, we reflect on where England sits within the international context. To read the full report click here.

Supervision

Key elements of Supervision​

• Regular supervision meetings should be held for all EYFS staff, whether they are full time, part-time, volunteers, apprentices.​
• Supervision meetings should provide opportunities for staff to: ​
• Discuss any issues – particularly concerning children’s development or wellbeing, including child protection concerns ​
• Identify solutions to address issues as they arise ​
• Receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness

Schools should ensure:​

Changes to the EHCP Annual Review process for 2023/24

1. Date by which the Annual Review meeting must be held. 

2. Date by which we would like you to notify SENDAR of the arranged date for the Annual Review meeting (four weeks before the date of the meeting). This is a new process that will support SENDAR to anticipate their workflow and provide an early indication of occasions when an annual review has been missed. 

3. Date by which the Annual Review paperwork must be sent to all meeting attendees (at least two weeks prior to the meeting).  

4. Date by which the Annual Review documents must be sent to SENDAR (this is always up to two weeks after the Annual Review meeting). 

SENDIASS update

From 1 July 2023, Warwickshire SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice, and Support Service) will be provided by Barnado's.

SENDIASS is a vital service that empowers parents, carers, and young people by providing essential information, impartial advice, and expert guidance regarding the legal aspects of SEND support. The service plays a pivotal role in ensuring that parent carers and young people are empowered and fully understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to the Code of Practice, thus enabling them to make informed decisions and actively participate in their SEND journey.

With a shared commitment to providing exceptional support to families and promoting the well-being of children and young people, Barnardo’s is well-positioned to seamlessly continue the essential work of SENDIASS, building on the strong foundation laid by KIDS, the previous provider.

Details of the new service offer are on the website www.warwickshiresendiass.co.uk.

Please note the website is still in development, and will be updated soon with more information and materials.

The previous provider, KIDS, has contacted all the people they have been working with and has arranged to transfer support to Barnado’s where appropriate.

The new contact details for SENDIASS are:

Website: www.warwickshiresendiass.co.uk

Telephone: 01788 593159

Email: warwickshiresendiass@barnardos.org.uk

You can read the full news story here.

West Midlands Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention Conference 2023

Scheme for Financing Local Authority Maintained Schools

The Council is required to publish a Scheme for Financing of Schools setting out the financial relationship between the Council and Warwickshire Maintained schools. The Department for Education (DfE) periodically revise their guidance to Local Authorities and as such, the Council also periodically revises its Scheme.

Information of free Maths CPD for 2023/24

As Warwickshire's designated Maths Hub, Origin is excited to offer the following free Maths CPD for 2023/24:

For the Attention of Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors of Maintained Primary Schools and Secondary school

This consultation document is for Maintained Primary Schools and Maintained Secondary School asking whether they want de-delegation to be retained on a service-by-service basis for 2024-25.   

• Maintained Primary Schools consultation  
• Maintained Secondary School consultation   

The Schools Forum will make a decision about de-delegation on 28 September 2023, but they need your feedback to assist them. Please complete the consultation paper and email your response back to schoolfunding@warwickshire.gov.uk by Friday 15^th September 2023.   

Burgundy Book

The Burgundy Book setting out the conditions of service (outside of the STPCD) for schoolteachers in England and Wales has been updated. The Burgundy Book is a national agreement between the five teacher unions and the national employers (NEOST).

It is relevant to around half a million teachers and is an essential reference for all schools – both maintained and academies – with the majority choosing to incorporate the agreement into their teachers’ contracts of employment.

The 2023 edition updates legislation and clarifies terminology without amending the application of any of the terms and conditions of employment contained in the Burgundy Book.

Teachers’ pay 2023

The School Teacher Review Board (STRB) has informed NEOST that the STRB’s 33^rd report was submitted to Government on 16 May 2023.  The team is waiting Government’s publication of the report and decision on implementing the recommendations on teachers’ pay for 2023.

Working together to improve school attendance

1. Update: DfE update on the progress of ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance

The DfE has written to all Directors of Children’s Services providing further update regarding progress of the working together guidance.  The pressures on the Parliamentary timetable remains and legislation to make the guidance statutory will not be in place before the beginning of the new academic year as planned and therefore the guidance will not be statutory from this September. During a briefing by the DfE on 22^nd July 2023, it was further stated that, ‘It remains top of the legislative priorities for the Department and will be pursued at the next available opportunity’.         

2. TES article.

Colleagues maybe interested to read the following article from TES. Nick Gibb, Minister for Schools stated to the Commons Education Select Committee that ‘we are in unchartered territory’ when talking about school attendance in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Read the full article here.

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/school-attendance-nick-gibb-i-dont-know-absence

3. School Attendance Self- Evaluation Framework

All maintained schools across the county should by now have sight of the attendance self-evaluation framework. This is the first stage in the free at the point of access offer to all schools by the local authority under Working together to improve school attendance. Academy schools will receive an invitation to complete the SEF from September.  Please do return your SEF at the earliest opportunity, following receipt of the document your school will be linked with an Education Casework Officer who will then offer you the opportunity to have a termly targeted support meeting.

4. Wonde

82% of schools nationally have opted in to sharing daily attendance data with the DfE The figure in Warwickshire is 87%. 

The DfE are now rolling out new functionality to allow mainstream schools that are sharing data to compare attendance with other schools within their local authority area.  The tool will help schools to identify strengths and priorities and signpost to additional guidance and support. Further information is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools

To share daily attendance data and get access to these tools, please email Wonde. If you already use Wonde, please accept the request in your Wonde portal.

If you are having ICT difficulties in sharing data and have contacted Wonde direct, and the matter has not been resolved we would be interested to know; please emails was@warwickshire.gov.uk with the details.    

Contact Us:

If you wish to discuss any issues relating to school attendance, please feel free to contact the Warwickshire Attendance Service: was@warwickshire.gov.uk

AB Briefing with Coventry and Central Warwickshire teaching School Hub

Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcempqjsqHNf_6gZE7WgjZGWd9kDtYPAa 

Meeting ID 849 6014 0063

Parents and Carers Invited to Secondary School Admissions Webinar

Parents and carers of children who will start Year 6 in September will need to apply for their secondary school place this autumn.  

To help them to prepare for their child’s secondary school application, they are invited to join the school admissions team at a free online webinar on Thursday 13 July at 7pm. This is a great opportunity to learn about the process of applying to secondary school, and how to choose a shortlist of schools to include on the application form. By researching school options now, and including realistic choices of schools when they apply, they’ll increase their chances of getting an offer of a school place at one of their preferred schools on offer day next year.  

Please do share the details of this event in your own communications. 

To join the webinar, parents and carers will need to book their place online at: https://bit.ly/3XHu0U1. Anyone not able to join on the evening will be able to watch a recording of the event a few days later, when it will be available on our YouTube channel. 

Tudor Grange Teaching School Hub, NPQ Release Funding

NPQ Release Funding

The following funding is available for schools where staff are completing NPQs:

• state-funded primary schools with one to 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £800
• state-funded primary schools with more than 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200
• state-funded secondary schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational settings with one to 600 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200

This money goes directly to schools where teachers have done an NPQ.

NPQ Applications

The closing date for NPQ registrations with Tudor Grange TSH is 28^th September 2023 for the Autumn cohort. Spaces are filling up fast, so apply early to avoid disappointment. If you have any questions, please contact bstewart@solihull.tgacademy.org.uk.

Early Career Teachers

You will be receiving an email in the next week or two from the DfE to invite you to register any ECTs for their September 2023 start. Please make sure that you register all ECTs with the DfE, but also with an Appropriate Body (this is a separate registration). Failure to register with an appropriate body may delay the start of the ECT’s induction.

For more information, please contact bstewart@solihull.tgacademy.org.uk or estallard@solihull.tgacademy.org.uk.

Stratford Library launches new sensory offer to support with children’s development

Warwickshire County Council’s library service has launched a new sensory offer at Stratford-upon-Avon Library, which features brand new equipment including a floor projector, interactive floor mat, and a fibre optic den.

The new offer aims to improve the support and development opportunities available for all children, and especially those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The new sensory resources were announced at a celebratory launch event on Thursday 22 June.

Free sensory library sessions, which are limited to small numbers to create a relaxed and informal atmosphere, will take place weekly at Stratford Library on Mondays 10:30am – 11:30am for 1-4 year olds, and Wednesdays 4pm – 4:45pm for 4-11 year olds. To book a place, visit the Stratford Library Eventbrite webpage. Stratford Library’s sensory projector is also available after regular children's activities during the week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 11am, and sensory toys are available to borrow at any time, just ask a member of library staff for assistance.

Please read more:

https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/4309/stratford-library-launches-new-sensory-offer-to-support-with-children-s-development 

The search is on for Warwickshire’s next Young Poet Laureate

The search is on for the county's eighth Young Poet Laureate, who will succeed Emily Hunt in the role for 2023/24.

The competition is open to anyone aged between 13 and 17 who lives and is educated in Warwickshire, and who would like to perform their own poetry to an audience. The Laureateship is a unique opportunity for the successful candidate to develop their writing skills and take part in events and activities across the county under the mentorship of a professional poet. Past Warwickshire Young Poet Laureates have performed on the radio, on film, at festivals and led their own poetry workshops. 

Applications are now welcome before the deadline of 6pm on Thursday 5 October 2023. The judges will then get to work and shortlisted candidates will be notified by Thursday 26th October. They will then be invited to take part in a selection say which includes a workshop with a professional poet, a short individual interview with judges and a performance in front of an audience at a public event. This will take place at one of Warwickshire’s libraries on Saturday 4 November 2023. Please ensure when applying that you are available on this date. 

The Young Poet Laureate competition is run by Warwickshire Libraries and supported by Poetry on Loan, an initiative supported by Arts Council England that promotes contemporary poetry throughout public libraries in the West Midlands. 

To apply, applicants need to: 

• Be 13-17 years old. 

• Live and be educated in Warwickshire. 

• Fill in the Application Form (available in the weblink below) 

• Submit three poems. One should be inspired by Warwickshire; one should be about or inspired by libraries and the third can be of your own choosing. 

• Submit a personal statement and explain in 250 words: 

             1. Why you want to be Warwickshire Libraries’ Young Poet Laureate 

             2. How you would promote poetry to the diverse range of people 

To submit an application, or for help with any questions about the application process, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/youngpoetlaureate or email  libraryevents@warwickshire.gov.uk