Dear colleagues,

Welcome back! 

We hope you were able to find rejuvenation, relaxation, stimulation, and enjoyment in the summer holidays. It has certainly been one for sun worshipers at home if that's your thing. Summer term brings with it an ending of things and a move onto something new for so many children and young people and indeed staff. This year, given COVID19, was one to mark and recognise for all that everyone has put in and been through.

So, onto a new school year and we look forward to working with you and supporting you in educating children, enabling the enjoyment and growth of pupils and enriching their lives. We are giving a particular focus to those vulnerable to poor outcomes and this does fit in with the national Levelling Up agenda. For Warwickshire the gap between groups of pupils is something we are renewing our efforts on.

We hope you find this early edition of Heads Up useful. A special welcome to the Warwickshire education community to all new headteachers. Warwickshire is a supportive and ambitious place to be a head and colleagues will be there to work with you.

I take the opportunity to highlight an issue we are working through regarding admissions which colleagues want to resolve as quickly as possible with the help of schools, particularly those 99 schools as of Thursday 1 Sept who we are really keen to have updated data. Please do read the information contained here in Heads Up for further details to enable children to access school places.

Here's to a great start to the new school year!

Chris Baird,

Interim Assistant Director for Education Services.