Celebrating Warwickshire’s Family of Schools

Notification of full or partial school closure

Please complete this form to notify Warwickshire County Council of the full or partial closure of your school.

Prestigious appointment for local Careers company

Warwick-based company, Career Seekers Direct Ltd, has recently been appointed to play a key role in delivery of the Quality in Careers Standard which is the national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance in education. The company will advise schools, colleges and training providers on how to develop their Careers support for young people before assessing the support against national standards. The appointment is to support the West Midlands region for 18 months initially.

“We can’t wait to get started”, says CEO and founder of Career Seekers Direct Ltd, Eva Harrison. “Enabling schools, colleges and other local providers to enhance their Career programmes will improve the career and life prospects of our young people and improve links with employers.”

All state-funded secondary schools and further education colleges are ‘strongly recommended’ by the Department for Education to work towards, achieve, and maintain the standard. Inspections by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skill include Careers provision so achievement of the standard demonstrates high quality support is being provided.

“Careers advice and guidance for young people has never been more important than it is today due to the pandemic”, Eva firmly believes. “And a key part of that is providing insight into the world of work and the qualities employers value most in young people.”

To read more about how we work with schools and colleges please visit our website or call Eva on 07901 517012.

Young people NEET or activity unknown: Comparative data scorecard

This scorecard provides information about young people’s participation and attainment in education, employment or training in a single publication.

The scorecard:

allows local authorities and their partners to monitor their own performance and compare it with that of others
puts into context local authorities’ figures on the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (‘NEET’) and those with unknown education, employment or training status

The scorecard shows Warwickshire to be in the 2nd LA quintile for 16 and 17 year olds who are NEET or not known and the 1st quintile for 16 and 17 year olds who were made an offer under the September Guarantee.

Further data for Warwickshire and other LAs can be found here.

Maths Hubs; Primary & Early Years Newsletter October 202

Please find here the latest edition of the Maths Hubs newsletter.

Maths Hubs: Secondary & Post 16 Newsletter October 2021

Please find here the Secondary & Post 16 Newsletter

Core maths qualifications: technical guidance

The purpose and characteristics of core maths qualifications for 16- to 19-year-olds who do not progress to AS/A level maths.

The technical guidance is for awarding organisations. It sets out the requirements that core maths qualifications must meet to be included in the 2020 performance tables.

Find more here.

School-to-school support directory

System leaders include:

teaching schools
national leaders of education (NLEs)
national leaders of governance (NLGs)
local leaders of education (LLEs)
specialist leaders of education (SLEs)

Find system leaders in your area in the school-to-school support directory which lists teaching schools and NLEs.

LLEs and SLEs can be contacted through teaching schools.

You can find out more information about what system leaders can do for your school at get school-to-school support from system leaders.

If you would like to discuss your support requirements with someone from our governance team contact governors.mailbox@education.gov.uk.

Find the document here.

All schools and colleges to receive extra funding for catch up

Every school and college in England will have more money to support young people’s recovery from the impact of the pandemic, as the government confirms billions of pounds of additional investment in education.

This will give schools and colleges the tools they need to help get pupils back on track – from raising teachers’ salaries, to recovery cash for schools, to increased learning time in colleges.

Schools will receive an additional £4.7 billion in core funding in 2024-25, including £1.6 billion in 2022-23 on top of already planned increases from the 2019 Spending Review, and meaning a total cash increase of £1,500 per pupil between 2019-20 and 2024-25.

This additional investment will also support the delivery of a £30,000 starting salary for all new teachers.

Developing Professional Coaching Skills

Following on from the success of the Peer Coaching training for senior leaders, led by Catherine Nyman last academic year, we are delighted to bring you information of a similar course called ‘Developing Professional Coaching Skills’ being offered by the Gateway Alliance.

This course is for leaders in schools and aims to teach and practise professional level coaching skills and strategies, embedding them in to your daily leadership practice.

The programme will be led again by Catherine Nyman and run over three sessions (2 x online and 1 x face to face). Sessions start on Tuesday 23^rd November and places will be limited and offered on a first come first served basis. The course costs £199 per person.

For more information and to book a place please visit the Gateway Alliance website or contact us at info@gatewayalliance.co.uk or call 02476 347697.

Fully-funded scholarships for NPQs now available for all teachers and leaders.

From autumn 2021, a new suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) will be available for teachers and leaders who want to develop their expertise in leadership and specialisms in teaching. These qualifications offer those in the profession the best possible professional development, you can find out more here.

All  teachers and leaders employed at state-funded schools, as well as state-funded 16-19 organisations can now access fully-funded scholarships to undertake NPQs. 

To best address the broad range of responsibilities of current and aspiring middle leaders we have replaced the existing Middle Leadership NPQ with three new specialist NPQs. These specialist areas cover:• supporting the training and development of others, including early career teachers;• developing teachers who are subject leads or responsible for improving teaching practice in a subject or phase; and• developing teachers who have responsibilities for leading behaviour and culture.

The three existing NPQs in Senior Leadership, Headship and Executive Leadership have been updated, ensuring that they are underpinned by the latest evidence of what works.

We are also introducing two additional NPQs which will be available from autumn 2022: the NPQ for Leading Literacy and the NPQ for Early Years Leadership. All of our NPQ frameworks can be found here.

For more information or to sign up, visit https://www.gov.uk/education/teacher-training-and-professional-development

KOOTH Update - November 2021

Please click here to download the poster and all the useful links.

Do you want to know what's on KOOTH in October? Click here and find more info.

PE and sport premium allocations and conditions of grant 2021 to 2022

ESFA have now published the allocations for PE and sport premium 2021 to 2022 together with the conditions of grant for maintained schools, academies and non-maintained special schools (NMSS).

Online Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is now open

Further to recent communications, the process to book a place for your school on the Online Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is now open.

Please use this form to secure your place.

The course is free to attend for Warwickshire schools. We have 160 places, therefore only 1 place will be allocated per school on a first come, first served basis. Schools will also receive a £300 contribution towards staff time to complete the course. The course must be fully completed and certificate of attendance provided in order for the school to receive the contribution. Please note: This funding is separate to the Senior Mental Health Lead training.

The form is available from 9am on Thursday 4th November 2021 until 5pm on Friday 26th November 2021. You will be contacted in early December 2021 to confirm which cohort you have been allocated.

Few words about the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course:

The Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is ideal for designated staff at every level who would like to become Youth Mental Health First Aiders with skills to spot signs of a range of mental health issues in young people (age 8 to 18) and guide a young person to appropriate support. This course qualifies attendees as Youth Mental Health First Aiders.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course you will be able to:

Understand young people’s mental health and the factors that can affect their wellbeing
Equip learners with the knowledge to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS or a mix – or engaging with parents, carers and external agencies where appropriate
Use enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
Spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
Feel confident to step in, reassure and support a young person in distress

Cohorts

Cohorts will run from January 2022 and the course will require attendance at 4 x afternoon sessions over a 2 week period (on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1pm and 3:30pm). There will be pre-work that must be completed in advance of each session.

Funding

New workshops from Adult and Community Learning

Adult and Community Learning have put together winter workshops that are available for Warwickshire residents. On Saturday 13th November, 20th November and 4th December there will be an exciting range of arts, craft, language and culture workshops that will be held at Pound Lane, Leamington Spa, as well as a few running online across the week. It could be an outing with a friend; a little treat on the run up to Christmas; an opportunity to make lovely Christmas or birthday gifts, or just a chance to learn something new before New Year.

Saturday 13 November you will have the chance to choose the following workshops:

Eco-friendly Oils, 10.00 - 1.00pm suitable for beginners and those with previous art experience

If you have an interest in exploring oils but have concerns about the environment and/or using solvent thinners, this could be the workshop for you. Using environmentally-friendly materials, you will have the opportunity to experiment with colour mixing, application methods and techniques. But most of all have fun! Materials will be provided for this workshop. Cost: Full fee £25.50: Over 66 yrs. £18.25 if on means tested benefit £11.50

Make an Advent calendar, 10.00 - 1.00pm suitable for beginners and those with previous experience

One of the best things about Christmas decorations is when they bring back memories. Making your own Advent calendar not only allows you to personalise it to your specifications, but also create a piece that can become a tradition within your family. Please be aware you may need to finish the project off at home. Materials will be provided but you will need to bring a basic sewing kit, assorted needles, scissors, pins, sewing thread. Because of Covid restrictions, please bring your own sewing machine with you, if you have one. Cost: Full fee £25.50: Over 66 yrs. £18.75 if on means tested benefit £12.00

Bring a Story to Life, 10.00 - 12.00 noon suitable for beginners and those with previous experience

Make a gift for a child and delve further into a story book - exploring and creating some of the characters. We will provide the book – ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen - the materials and the inspiration, we’ll even throw in a bag to keep them all in! You can make the book come to life increasing the enjoyment when reading the story. This makes an ideal gift to share with a special child in your life - so why not join in and create some memories to keep? Materials will be provided for this workshop. Cost: Full fee £15.00: Over 66 yrs. £10.50 if on means tested benefit £6.00

How to get started with Crochet, 10.00 - 1.00 pm suitable for beginners

Crochet is a great way to de-stress, be creative and produce a finished product at the same time - what’s not to like? Tom Daley is an advocate for this popular hobby - learning to knit and crochet to reduce tension when competing in diving competitions. So, if you would like to follow in the footsteps of an Olympian, this is the chance to learn the basics - and maybe attend the additional workshop we are offering - Crochet your own Christmas decorations on 4 December. Materials will be provided for this workshop. Cost: Full fee 18.50: Over 66 yrs. 11.75 if on means tested benefit £5.00

Please note that face masks are requested to be worn in all communal areas of the building. Sanitising hand gel and wipes will be available in each class, but due to Covid restrictions refreshments are not provided but you are welcome to bring your own drinks and snacks.

For more information, please contact 01926 736392 or email: acl@warwickshire.gov.uk

To book your place please visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/acl

Art for Wellbeing November-December courses

Art for Wellbeing courses have been designed to reduce social isolation and improve the mental wellbeing of adults in Warwickshire. All courses are free and online and participants can register their place here: https://arty-folks.org.uk/whats-on/calendar/ or https://www.recoveryandwellbeing.co.uk/

The winter months are the most creative time of the year and offer us a fantastic chance to pause and reflect on how we want to move forward into the new year feeling creative, connected, and confident in ourselves and the future.

Please find attached a poster with clickable links.

Encourage staff, parents and sixth form students to be the ‘Voice of Warwickshire’ and share their views!

Warwickshire County Council is forming a new residents’ panel called ‘Voice of Warwickshire’ to give people an opportunity to share their views, so they can listen to the voices of as many people as possible.

The County Council wants their decisions and priorities to be informed by the views of a representative group of residents, to help them to understand their needs and improve how they work with communities in tackling the huge challenges that Warwickshire faces in a world that has been changed by COVID-19.

So far, the Council has had a fantastic response, with over 500 residents already signed up to share their views – but the Council particularly wants to be able to listen to the voices of more people in North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, and Rugby.

The Council also wants more people aged under 40 from across Warwickshire’s different communities to sign up to get involved, particularly people aged 18 – 24, so is asking schools to encourage staff, parents and sixth form students to sign up.

People who sign up will be helping the County Council deliver the new Council Plan, focusing on big issues in Warwickshire, like education, health and wellbeing, climate change and sustainability, community safety, transport, economic growth, inequalities and inclusion, and more.

To be eligible to take part, people need to be 18 or over and live in Warwickshire. The County Council is asking people to sign up initially for 12 months.

Once they’re registered as a Voice of Warwickshire member, around 4 times a year Warwickshire County Council will ask them to give their opinions, mainly using online polls and short surveys.

If they are unable to participate online, the County Council would still like to hear from them and will be able to arrange another way for them to share their views. The closing date for registering is 14th November 2021.

People can sign up to be a Voice of Warwickshire member by either:

visiting https://bit.ly/VoiceofWarwickshire or
if they don’t have access to the internet, by calling 01926 410410 (Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm).

The County Council will then ask them to provide some basic information about themselves in the first instance.

A digital flyer that you can share in your school newsletters and online, or print out as a poster to display in school, is included.

Download the digital flyer here.

Heads Up 5 November 2021