Glossary of terms

CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services provide support, assessment and treatment for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire experiencing wellbeing difficulties, or mental health problems, disorders and illnesses.

CoG Chair of Governors plays a key leadership role in school with the key responsibility being to lead the governing body and work in partnership with the headteacher to promote and improve standards of educational achievement. They must also hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and for the performance management of staff.

CME Children Missing Education – if a child fails to attend school for 10 days or more or is not on any school role and not being home educated they may be classed as CME. 

CSE Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of sexual abuse where a child or young person is sexually exploited for money, power or status.

CWLEP Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership is an alliance of private and public sector organisations working together to grow the local economy, attract new jobs and investment and increase prosperity.

DfE Department for Education is a ministerial department, supported by 18 agencies and public bodies. It is responsible for children’s services and education including higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.

DSG Dedicated Schools Grant is government funding for local authorities to fund the schools that they manage.

DSL Designated Safeguarding Lead is the person in school who is responsible at a strategic and day-to-day level for the safeguarding of children and young people.

ECB  Education Challenge Board consists of representatives from Warwickshire’s primary and secondary schools and Teaching Schools, the Local Authority, Department for Education and Ofsted with its main aim being to oversee the development of the education system in Warwickshire.

EHCP  Education, Health and Care Plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.

EHE  Elective Home Education is where children are educated at home by their parents rather than in school.

EFA  Education Funding Agency is an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Education responsible for distributing funding for state education in England for 3-19 year olds, or up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

EYFS  Early Years Foundation Stage sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes.

FAP  Fair Access Protocol applies to certain children when it has not been possible to secure a school place for them through the normal in-year admissions process.

HMI  Her Majesty’s Inspectors are employed by Ofsted to carry out inspections of education and care providers, and to challenge and help them to get the support they need to improve. http://www.ofstedhmi.co.uk/

LADO  Local Authority Designated Officer manages accusations of potential abuse against staff/volunteers working with children and young people.

MASH  Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub is a partnership between Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Police, the National Health Service and other key partner agencies working together to safeguard children, young people and adults.                               

MARF  Multi Agency Referral Form is to be completed when making a referral about a child/ren to the Warwickshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

MAT  Multi Academy Trust is a group of schools that is governed through a single set of members and directors.

NCTL  National College for Teaching and Leadership is responsible for administering the training of new and existing teachers in England, as well as the regulation of the teaching profession and offers school leaders and senior children’s services leaders opportunities for professional development.

NEETS  Not in Education, Employment or Training is the term used to describe a young person who is no longer in the education system and who is not working or being trained for work.

NLE  National Leaders of Education are outstanding headteachers who work with schools in challenging circumstances to support school improvement.

NLG  National Leaders of Governance are highly effective chairs of governors who support chairs of governors in other schools.

NQT  Newly Qualified Teacher is someone who has gained Qualified Teacher Status but has not yet completed the statutory 12 month programme known as the ‘induction for newly qualified teachers’.

Ofsted  Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

POT Position of Trust is used to refer to people who work with children or young people, whether on a paid or a voluntary basis.

PSIB  Primary School Improvement Board is made up of the chairs of the primary school consortia with its main purpose being to support the Local Authority in relation to school improvement issues to ensure all schools are at least ‘good’ under Ofsted criteria.

QTS  Qualified Teacher Status is required in England and Wales to work as a teacher of children in state schools under local authority control, and in special education schools.

SACRE  Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education is a statutory body who advises the local authority on matters relating to Religious Education (RE) including Collective Worship and the RE curriculum.

SEMH  Social, Emotional, Mental Health needs are a type of special educational needs in which children/young people have severe difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour.

SEND  Special Education Needs and Disabilities describes the needs of a child who has a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder for them than for other children their age. 

SENCO  Special Educational Needs Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school’s Special Educational Needs policy.

SFA   Skills Funding Agency is responsible for funding skills training for further education in England, and runs the National Apprenticeship Service and the National Careers Service.

SFVS  Schools Financial Value Standard helps schools to manage their finances and to provide assurance to the local authority that they have secure financial management in place.

STA  Standards and Testing Agency is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Education, responsible for setting the tests to assess children in education from early years to the end of key stage 2.

WCC Warwickshire County Council

WRAP  Workshop to Raise Awareness on Prevent provides training for people working with children and young people to help them to understand radicalisation and how to spot someone who may be vulnerable.

Referrals to MASH

Gathering Intelligence about Child Sexual Exploitation - CSE Information Sharing Form

Warwickshire Police have devised a process by which professionals, parents, carers and young people can provide information about perpetrators and concerns of Child Sexual Exploitation occurring.

This information is gathered and used to enable police and partners to build a picture of such exploitation taking place and take action to address it. It is particularly useful in situations where there may be no evidence available, the information is unknown or the victim is either unwilling or unable to provide a police statement. This occurs in the vast majority of cases of sexual exploitation. Therefore, the opportunity to provide intelligence could potentially intercept and disrupt criminal activity where young people are being exploited.

You can access the Information Sharing Form and associated guidance on the Referral and Assessment pages of the Children's Social Care Guidance and Procedure Intranet pages.

You can also access the updated version by using this link:

CSE Information Sharing Form

Training for headteachers on school to school support

** This training is offered for all headteachers of LA maintained schools and academies in Warwickshire **

The Local Authority is offering this half-day training for headteachers as part of the support and challenge in school to school support.

The training will be led by Ed Carter who has a proven track record of rapid school improvement solutions across primary and secondary schools in numerous authorities. Ed was previously headteacher of two outstanding schools in Solihull and is now an independent school improvement and leadership consultant.

Currently this role is carried out by LA officers in the form of Task Groups. As we move towards a school led system from September, there is a need to develop a model for support and challenge for schools experiencing difficulty, led by schools.

The morning session will be divided into two parts:

• Part one is about what a Task Group is and how the system works currently, with some information and exploration of why this method works.

• Part two is an opportunity for schools to discuss together how this could work in consortia, from September. 

The training is offered in five areas across the county and will run from 9.00am to 1.00pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Please select from the dates below and book using the online form to confirm your place.

EAST 15 May 2017 Space @ WCG Rugby College

NORTH 18 May 2017 The CHESS Centre, Nuneaton

NUN/BEDS 19 May 2017 Bulkington Community and Conferencing Centre

CENTRAL 22 May 2017 Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

SOUTH 24 May 2017 Stratford Racecourse

Health and Safety Court Case – Design and Technology

FAO Headteachers & Heads of Design & Technology/Subject Leaders

Please see link below to a recent court case concerning an accident during a design and technology class which resulted in serious injuries to a pupil.

http://press.hse.gov.uk/2017/london-council-fined-after-school-injury/

The case re-enforces the need for schools to have clear and robust health and safety arrangements with up-to-date risk assessments and training in place. 

British Standard 4163:2014 – Health and Safety for Design and Technology in Schools & Similar Establishments – Code of Practice provides comprehensive guidance and recommendations for schools on the safe practices that must be adhered to in design and technology environments.

Please ensure this information is brought to the attention of relevant staff in school.

Use of predicted end of year outcomes in Ofsted inspections

Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education

A new locally agreed syllabus for Religious Education (RE) will be launched in the summer term for schools to begin teaching from September 2017.

The syllabus itself and launch events to be held in the summer term will be free to all schools. Schools will have the opportunity to purchase support materials at an additional cost.

Further details will be sent to all schools and settings in due course.

New prejudiced related incident form

The Equality and Diversity team have been working on creating a new prejudiced related incident form which has been uploaded on to the following site: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/equalityanddiversityforschools - please can you ensure you report any incidents that may occur via this website and form.

Please (now) disregard the temporary measure that was put in place and revert back to using the form online. 

Transgender toolkit

Warwickshire County Council have been working in conjunction with a number of other local authorities across the country to develop a transgender toolkit. The toolkit is a practical guide and focuses on helping schools to understand what it means to be transgender and how to support children who decide they want to transition gender.

The toolkit is to be finished and launched end of April/early May.

Need-to-know updates

EFA confirms budget forecast return deadlines

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has confirmed that from this year onwards, academy trusts must complete 2 budget forecast returns. The first is the Budget Forecast Return: Outturn (BFRO) and the second is the Budget Forecast Return (BFR). The deadline is 19 May for the BFRO and 28 July for the BFR.

Teachers' Pensions introduces Monthly Data Collection

Monthly Data Collection (MDC) has been introduced by Teachers' Pensions for employers to provide their service and contribution information, and will replace the Annual Service Return from April 2018.

All employers must be set up to use MDC at the very latest by December 2017 as this will be the only way to submit information to Teachers' Pensions from April 2018. 

Teachers' Pensions have advised that when employers commit to 'onboard' to MDC, they will be given at least a 3-month lead time to prepare, and submit into a test system for the first 3 months. Employers will be notified when they have passed the success criteria, and will then be moved into the live environment.

Employers can join MDC at any time by completing an activation form and returning it to mdc@teacherspensions.co.uk

For more information: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/employers/managing-members/administration/monthly-data-collection.aspx

News round-up

Government announces plans to scrap KS1 SATs

The Department for Education last week announced plans to scrap Key Stage 1 SATs, to replace them instead with a baseline assessment for pupils in reception. According to the DfE, the new approach would enable pupil progress to be measured throughout primary school.

A consultation was opened on 30th March to seek views on the proposed plans and will run for 12 weeks until 22 June 2017. You can submit a response and read about the plans in more detail here.

This year's KS1 SATs will go ahead as planned.

2017 key stage 2: assessment and reporting arrangements 

The statutory guidance for assessing and reporting the national curriculum at key stage 2 in the 2016 to 2017 academic year has been updated (21 March 2017). Clarification to section 4.1: Square grids are provided to support pupils to answer particular questions, in each of the mathematics papers. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-key-stage-2-assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara#history

Tips for good behaviour management in new report

A new report providing practical guidance to teachers on how to tackle bad behaviour in classrooms was published last week (24 March 2017). Tom Bennett, the DfE's behaviour expert, highlights examples of where behaviour is managed most successfully and puts forward recommendations for schools and the government based on his findings.

The report 'Creating a culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour' concludes that while there is no 'silver bullet' for behaviour management, there are a range of strategies that can be used to tackle poor behaviour. The report also highlights the importance of leadership in creating the right culture for tackling this issue.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-report-with-practical-advice-for-teachers-on-pupil-behaviour

Proposed revisions to school exclusion guidance

The DfE is consulting on proposed changes to the statutory guidance on the exclusion of pupils to make the rules that apply to exclusions and the process of review clearer. The revisions include both statutory and non-statutory information. The consultation opened on 14 March and closes 25 April 2017. To read about the changes and to submit a response go to: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-absence-and-exclusions-team/statutory-exclusion-guidance/

NUT and ATL to merge from September

Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) teaching unions have voted to combine the two organisations. The National Education Union (NEU), which will exist from September 2017, will have a membership of over 450,000 and will be the biggest education union in Europe. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) school leaders' union has backed the merger. 

Apprenticeships reforms: guide for schools

The DfE has published a guide for schools on apprenticeships reforms, and how the apprenticeship levy and public sector apprenticeship target apply to schools in England. Read the guide here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-reforms-guide-for-schools 

Resources for schools to support service children and families

Little Troopers is a charity that supports children with a parent serving in the regular or reserve British Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force. Support comes in various forms but predominately tangible resources to help children feel included and in control of their emotions when they have a parent serving away from the family home. 

The charity also offers some recognition schemes and events to promote re-connection of the family unit.

You can view more about the support available here: www.littletroopers.net/what-support-is-available/

Schools may be interested particularly in one of the charity's new projects, Little Troopers at School, which aims to empower parents and help schools when supporting service children. The first stage of the project has been to produce easily accessible information sheets for schools and parents on a wide range of topics including the challenges military children may face and moving schools frequently.

You can access the sheets here to download/print: www.littletroopers.net/little-troopers-at-school/ (The site requires you to register by providing an email address to gain access to the information sheets).

Schools can also sign up to the Little Troopers mailing list to receive further updates and information here

Little Troopers, and its founder, Louise Fetigan has received numerous awards for its work and is also recognised and supported by The Department for Education

GCSE 9 to 1 grading: Justine Greening’s letter

Schools celebrating success

Congratulations to the following primary schools for receiving congratulatory letters from the Department for Education based on their 2016 Key Stage 2 results:

• Bishopton Primary – top 10% progress
• St Edward’s Catholic Primary and Tysoe CE Primary – 100% in reading
• Brailes CE Primary and Lapworth CE Primary – 100% in writing
• St Anthony’s Catholic Primary – 100% in mathematics
• St Peter’s Catholic Primary – 100% in reading and maths
• Temple Grafton CE Primary – 100% in reading, writing and maths

Southam College have also been recognised after being ranked in the top 5% of schools in England for Progress 8.

Ofsted

Congratulations to everyone at St James' C of E Academy for their hard work to move the school from special measures to good.

Well done also to the following schools who have moved from requires improvement to good this academic year:

• Abbots Farm Infant School
• Cubbington C of E Primary School
• Etone College
• Queens C of E Academy
• St Andrew's Benn C of E Primary School
• Stockton Primary School

Warwickshire schools have also been performing well in short inspections, and so far this academic year the following schools have all maintained their good judgement following a short inspection:

• Alveston C of E Primary School
• Bawnmore Community Infant School
• Boughton Leigh Infant School
• English Martyrs Catholic Primary School
• Hampton Lucy C of E Primary School
• Kineton High School
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Princethorpe
• Park Hill Junior School
• Quinton Primary School
• Shustoke C of E Primary School
• St Margaret's C of E Junior School
• The Revel C of E (Aided) Primary School
• Thorns Community Infant School
• Trinity Catholic School
• Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor
• Wootton Wawen C of E Primary School

 And finally a special congratulations to Kenilworth Nursery School for continuing to offer outstanding provision.

Headteachers' Briefings

It was pleasing to see many of you at the primary and secondary headteachers' briefings held at the end of March. We were also pleased to have a number of headteachers contributing to the agenda as we know how much you value being able to hear from colleagues about their successes and experiences. Thank you to all those who contributed.

The spring term briefings provided key updates on the following:

• Key messages in relation to Ofsted, Closing the Gap, the Apprenticeship Levy etc.
• Local Authority Multi-Academy Trust (MAT)
• The National Funding Formula and Early Years Funding
• School Improvement Developments and the role of the Education Challenge Board / consortia chairs
• Early Help Arrangements
• Area Behaviour Partnerships (secondary)
• SEND provision developments and AET (Primary).

Secondary colleagues also heard from fellow headteachers: Phil Kelly from Higham Lane School about how his school is successfully helping to 'Close the Gap', and Siona Robson, Kineton High School on her recent Ofsted inspection that resulted in the school retaining its good judgement. 

Suzanne O'Farrell, from the Association of School and College Leaders and Peter Kent presented an overview of the impact of curriculum, GCSE and other qualification changes for secondary school leaders.

All of the slides and additional papers are now available. The link will be circulated after the Easter holidays but if anyone would like the slides before then please contact Ruth Waterman on 01926 742075   email ruthwaterman@warwickshire.gov.uk

The briefings are a valuable opportunity to be able to update schools on the key messages from central government and from the LA, as well providing headteachers with the chance to share good practice and to network with colleagues. 

SUMMER TERM BRIEFINGS

Primary briefings: Tuesday 13th June at Warwick Racecourse and Wednesday 14th June at TechnoCentre, Coventry

Secondary briefing: Thursday 29th June, Warwick Racecourse

All morning sessions, exact timings to be confirmed.

Sound Training discounted offer for Warwickshire schools

As part of the Closing the Gap project a Sound Training Pilot was run at George Eliot School in spring 2016. The results were impressive with Year 10 SEND and Pupil Premium pupils gaining on average 30 months in reading after 6 one hour sessions.

Following the success of the pilot, the Local Authority has negotiated a discount for Warwickshire schools who wish to sign up to the Sound Training programme, subject to the number of schools taking part. Although the costs are high there are significant benefits. The costs vary from £50-£75 per pupil depending on the model. Alternatively schools may wish to consider a collaborative model which would allow them to purchase a one-year licence. For example, six people could be trained to use Sound Training from KS2 - KS5 at a cost of £14,200 for the first year, which could be split across 2 or 3 schools.

We have arranged a session for you to hear more about the programme from Sound Training on:

Monday 15^th May, 2.00-4.00

The Pound Lane Learning Centre,

Leamington Spa

CV32 7RT

To book a place please email sophiethompson@warwickshire.gov.uk or telephone 01926 746961.

Sound Training is the acclaimed, fast, focused fun literacy programme for ages 9-18. Perfect use of Pupil Premium funding and ideal for all but the very weakest students. Delivered by our teachers or your own trained staff, dramatic improvements in comprehension, decoding, spelling and vocabulary raise achievement across the curriculum.

Proud to be SSAT’s leading literacy partner and to work in partnership with over 500 schools across England and Wales, including a number of MATs and alternative education providers. We raise reading ages by an average of 27 months in 6 weeks, with case studies available on our website www.soundtraining.co.uk

Warwickshire Youth Parliament ‘One Voice’ Public Speaking Competition 2017

As part of their campaign to tackle racism and religious discrimination Warwickshire Youth Parliament organised a public speaking event at Shire Hall on 22 March 2017. 

The event was supported and sponsored by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe. Councillor Les Caborn chaired the judging panel.

Five schools and colleges participated: King Edward VI College, Nuneaton; Kings High School, Warwick; Stratford Girls’ Grammar School, Stratford- Upon- Avon; The Polesworth School, North Warwickshire; and Trinity Catholic School, Leamington Spa.

Each team consisted of three young people, who undertook the following roles: Chairperson, Main Speaker and one person who concluded their speeches delivering a vote of thanks.  The schools and colleges all spoke for seven minutes  about ‘ Tackling Racism and Religious Discrimination’   All of the speeches were excellent, thought-provoking and well-delivered giving the judging team a hard decision.  After much deliberation  the team of Catherine Tormey, Quincy Sproul, & Maddy Bevan from Trinity School, Leamington  were announced the winners and received the ‘One Voice’ Trophy.

Salyha Mughal, from Youth Parliament, the co-ordinator of the event thanked everyone for their involvement and support.

Warwickshire Youth Parliament is supported by Targeted Support for Young People (TS4YP). For more information please contact cheryljones@warwickshire.gov.uk

Warwickshire Youth Parliament ‘One Voice’ Event planning team with the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe and Cllr Les Caborn

 One Voice Winner team from Trinity School, Leamington

Warwick the bear launches road safety campaign

Do you know the Code?

From September the Warwickshire Road Safety Club is launching a new look road safety programme for primary schools in Warwickshire.

Featuring Warwick Bear and his friends, the Club offers a range of engaging classroom and playground sessions based around the Road Safety Club Code, for Reception through to Year six children. 

New to the scheme for 2017 is access to your own dedicated Road Safety Officer, colourful resources and an annual programme of activities, using memorable teaching methods.  By playing, exploring and being creative, children are more likely to remember key road safety messages and ultimately change their behaviour. The Club provides teachers with a framework and tools to help road safety become an integral part of school life and wider community.

As members of the Club, schools will also receive added benefits including support with sustainable and healthy travel initiatives, free theatre in education (when available) Bikeability priority booking and special Club activities and events.

The annual, not-for-profit membership fees are:

• £210 for infant schools
• £360 for junior schools
• £510 for primary schools

Existing members have told us that they believe the Club represents great value for money, and are keen to sign up year-on-year. For those schools on a tight budget, some of our members have benefited from sponsorship via PTA’S or local businesses and the Road Safety Team are always happy to follow up local sponsorship leads.

To sign up for 2017/18 or for more information please contact the Road Safety Team on roadsafetyeducation@warwickshire.gov.uk or call 01926 418062

Road Safety Club Code:

THINK about roads

STOP at the kerb and wait

LOOK and LISTEN for traffic

THINK about what to do

CROSS the road safety, looking and listening all the time

Exhibition celebrating children and young people with Down Syndrome

Schools Gearing Up for the Women's Tour 2017

Schools across Warwickshire have been sent a school pack as the county prepares itself for the Women's Cycling Tour coming to Warwickshire on Friday 9 June.

Warwickshire is hosting the third leg of the tour which first came to the county last year and was viewed by an estimated 75,000 spectators who lined the roads and braved the elements to cheer the cyclists on.

This year, the cyclists will start at Atherstone and cycle 160km along Warwickshire's roads before finishing on The Parade in Royal Leamington Spa.

The riders from 2016 have spoken about the experience of riding through Warwickshire last year and what they identified as the highlight was the 'wall of noise' that greeted them as they rode.

This came largely from Warwickshire school children.  It may come as little surprise to those who teach them that our children created a cacophony of sound that is still living in the memories of those that heard it.

And the riders have said that a repeat performance this year would be perfect so the partners involved in the tour have created the school pack to ensure that schools take the chance to get involved in the tour, plan their spot from which to cheer the riders on and look at activities that the children can do that are related to cycling.

The pack gives schools the chance to become part of the race with children in the north being invited to design the start flag which will be used to get the cyclists moving in Atherstone.  Children in the south of the county are being invited to design the stage trophy that will be awarded to the winner of the Warwickshire stage of the Tour.

Race organisers are looking for schools to also use their influence on social media to increase awareness of the Tour.  Schools can follow #WT2017 or #ThisGirlCan on twitter.  Or, if schools would like to post messages and share with facebook friends, these can be supplied.  Email haydenwright@warwickshire.gov.uk to be included on a database of recipients for Facebook ready messages.

Calling all aspiring poets...!

As part of an initiative to promote Warwickshire as a location for film and TV projects, Film Warwickshire are looking to create a promotional video which can be shown to UK and International film and TV producers as well as other media and tourism agencies. To accompany the video, rather than have a soundtrack they would like to use the spoken word and this is where they are looking to schools.

Film Warwickshire would like to invite schools to write a poem that promotes the creativity of the county by showcasing its emerging literary talent. They would also like the content of the poem to refer to Warwickshire’s leading playwrights and authors and make reference to some of the county’s landscapes and iconic locations.

The poem should inspire people to look more closely at what the county has to offer, and highlight its literary heritage and connections to Shakespeare, George Eliot, Jane Austen and JR Tolkein.  

The winning poem will be voiced by a professional actor and included in the promotional video and published on the Film Warwickshire website. The winning author will also receive a £100 theatre or cinema voucher.

Entries to be submitted by email to jane@space-2.com by 31st May 2017”. (www.filmwarwickshire.com)

*This competition is being run independently of Warwickshire County Council

Welcome to Governor Services

 “The role that governance plays in ensuring that every child receives the best possible education has never been more important.”

“We should not underestimate just how vital the role of governors and trustees has become in helping to raise standards.”

“In short, the role is so important that amateurish governance will no longer do. Good will and good intentions will only go so far. Governing boards made up of people who are not properly trained and who do not understand the importance of their role are not fit for purpose in the modern and complex educational landscape.”

Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI - 21st Century Governance needed for 21st Century Schools

School governance is changing and expectations on governance have never been higher. Warwickshire Governor Services is committed to supporting and providing a comprehensive high quality service that will ensure governors and clerks have the knowledge, skills and confidence to exercise effective governance.

Benefits of subscribing to Governor Services:

Governing boards subscribing to Governor Services benefit from:

• Professional advice, guidance and information via a telephone helpline or via email

We offer a fast, reliable and friendly support service to chairs of governors, governors, head teachers and clerks and we regularly speak to them on a variety of important issues ranging from recruiting governors to questions concerning legislation updates. Many governors have told us that they really value being able to pick up the phone and talk through a question and contacting us regarding query couldn’t be easier!

• Training and development opportunities which support governors in fulfilling their core and statutory governance functions

According to our recent survey and feedback from training course evaluation forms, governors hold training in high regard and find it very helpful in their role. Having access to good quality training enables governors, head teachers and clerks throughout Warwickshire to fulfil their statutory responsibilities and to feel confident in meeting an ever increasing range of challenges.

• A developing document resource library and website

To help equip Clerks and Governors with the tools to support them in their role, subscribing governing boards will have access to a range of updated resources, materials and new look website. Subscribing to Governor Services gives unlimited access to a wealth of training and development opportunities together with access to a range of support material for all governors, clerks and head teachers throughout the financial year.

These are just a few of the benefits available to Governing Boards which subscribe to Governor Services.

We would like to invite any Governing Boards that don’t subscribe to do so.

If you would like any more information please telephone: 01926 745120 or email: governors@warwickshire.gov.uk

Update from Governor Services

Customer Survey

Thank you to everyone who completed our Customer Survey.  We had a rather limited response to the survey this year but will be publishing the findings in due course. Your responses will help inform our offer to schools for the coming year and enable us to improve the service(s) we offer.

As a traded service, we value your views and from this year (on an annual basis) we plan to conduct a Customer Survey to find out how you think we’re doing.

The survey has now closed but we’re always open to feedback so please do not hesitate to get in touch with your comments and suggestions at any time.

GEL

Governors whose schools subscribe to Governor Services are able to access the online training package (GEL – Governor E-Learning) at a reduced cost of £60.00 instead of £155.00  The GEL Website can now be accessed via mobile and tablet devices and provides a wide range of topics to keep you up to date.

Please see the 2017 - 2018 Training and Support Programme for Governors and Clerks or contact us for more information.

RAISEonline

In April 2017 the DfE will be launching a new service to replace RAISEonline, for further information please see the link below:

https://www.raiseonline.org/News.aspx?NewsID=623

Questions for your Governing Board

• How often do you self-evaluate and audit the impact of governance on the contribution to school improvement?
• How do you evaluate the skills within and required by your Governing Board and link them to the collective impact of effective governance?

As well as offering an External Review of Governance, Governor Services offer a Governing Board Skills Audit / Self Evaluation. The purpose of a review of governance is to support improvement and development and identify priorities, challenge current practice and recognise what steps need to be taken to improve.

Please see the 2017 - 2018 Training and Support Programme for Governors and Clerks or contact us for more information.

Retiring Teachers and Resignation of Head Teachers

‘Letter of thanks’ to Retiring Teachers

The Secretary of State for Education is keen to send a personal letter of thanks to retiring teachers who have made an exceptional contribution to education during their teaching careers.

If you have teachers retiring, please consider completing the nomination form. The form and guidance can be located here

Head Teacher Resignation

If / when you receive your Head teacher’s written resignation the Clerk or Chair of Governors must immediately inform Heather Imbush at Governor Services and, in the case of Church schools, especially voluntary aided schools, the relevant diocese.

Heather’s contact details are: Tel: 01926 742632

or

Email heatherimbush@warwickshire.gov.uk

Heather will then update our records and notify you of the support available to you / your Governing Board.

Notice periods for head teachers are three months, or four months in the summer term, with employment terminating at the end of that term;

Notice periods for deputy head teachers or teachers are two months, or three months in the summer term, with employment terminating at the end of that term;

A guide to support recruitment in Warwickshire

Do you participate in recruitment at your school?

• Did you know that at least one member of each selection panel must have received appropriate safer recruitment training?

The Education Safeguarding Team delivers Safer Recruitment Training. For more information contact Sophie Morley – 01926 742601

A Reminder for Governors in Maintained Schools.

Governors in maintained schools should participate in appointment panels for deputy head teacher roles. The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 state that a panel of at least three governing board members must shortlist, interview and make recommendations for such posts, in the same way as they would for head teacher appointments.

A guide for Headteacher recruitment

Governor Services will be the initial point of contact for notification of headteacher vacancies

1 - Pre-recruitment Training for Governors Our Governor Services Team provides training to Governing Bodies. The two hour session explores the recruitment timetable, the job description and person specification, legal requirements including safer recruitment, consideration of selection activities and questioning techniques. This initial element of the prerecruitment process is an essential part of attracting and selecting the most suitable candidate. In addition, advice may be offered on potential interim arrangements that may be required to successfully cover a vacancy.

The pre-recruitment training is free of charge to schools who already subscribe to the Governor Services Training Programme. (£350 for non-subscribing schools)

2 - Professional Support provided by a Learning Improvement Officer (LIO) Once Governor Services has been notified, a Learning Improvement Adviser will be allocated to offer professional guidance to Governing Bodies during the selection process. Support is free of charge to maintained schools for the final interview date and further support is available at the school’s expense for shortlisting and any preparation for the selection process before the final interview date. Charges for additional services are dependent on the time involved.

LIO support is free of charge to maintained schools for the final interview date. Further support is available and charges are subject to the extra support required.

3 - Additional Administrative Support The HR Resourcing Service offers administrative support and professional advice and guidance, to support the recruitment process. This assistance is provided on a pay as you need basis, with typical costs at the time of writing at around £500 per campaign depending on requirements. This does not include third party costs such as advertisement* and media costs, or the cost of venues or assessment day support. The support offered will be tailored to your specific requirements but can include: a named contact to see your process to completion, creation of a recruitment pack, advice regarding candidate attraction and search, access to an online bespoke application process, template forms for shortlisting and assessing candidates, facilitation of assessment centres and psychometric assessments and feedback, issuing of a confirmation letter to successful candidate and processing all vetting checks in line with safer recruitment guidance.

*March 2017 examples: advertising costs vary depending on different options. Online advertising costs typically start at £200 for WM Jobs, £975 for the TES online silver package and £850 for the Guardian online enhanced package.

We are here to help - for assistance please contact the Resourcing Service; Email: hrandpayroll@warwickshire.gov.uk or Tel: 01926 738444

Click here for a pdf version of this information

Clerking Service

Governing boards can buy professional clerking services from us, to assist the processes of effective governance in Warwickshire schools and academies.  We can provide clerks to cover a variety of circumstances including: 

• Full governing board meetings, as a package of meetings or on an ad hoc basis
• Committee meetings, as a package of meetings or on an ad hoc basis
• Pupil exclusion panels
• Staff disciplinary hearings
• Complaints’ panels

The additional benefit of subscribing to our Clerking Service is we provide the administrative, recruitment, training and payroll functions for our clerks, so you don’t have to!

For further information contact Gurby on 01926 745137 or gurbydhesi@warwickshire.gov.uk

Governor / Clerk Long Service Awards

Are you a governor or a clerk or do you have any governors who have worked in Warwickshire schools for 20 years or more?  If so, they are eligible to be nominated for a Long Service Award.

If you have a governor that you wish to nominate, please complete the attached form and return it to Amanda (amandagardiner@warwickshire.gov.uk).  Long Service Certificates will be presented at the Governors’ Forum on Tuesday 20^th June.

Please note that, to be eligible for nomination, candidates should not have received a previous award from Warwickshire County Council.

Clerking Service Vacancies

Our Clerking Service currently has a number of vacancies.  If you are a Clerk, School Secretary, Administrator, Business Manager or Finance Officer who is reliable, confident, good with people and interested in school governance then please contact Gurby on 01926 745137 or gurbydhesi@warwickshire.gov.uk to talk about the roles available.

Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS)

All maintained school Governing Boards are required to have approved and submitted the SFVS School Financial Services by the 31st March 2017.

The SFVS, a financial audit tool consisting of 25 questions, has to be an agenda item within the full governing board meeting where it needs to be formally approved. The Chair signs the document including the date that it was approved by the Board. The drafting of the document can be performed by the finance governor lead/ finance committee before being submitted to the Board. When a school has a compliance visit the governing board minutes may be scrutinised for approval of the SFVS. If you have not completed the SFVS please click here for a copy of the assessment form and support notes.

DBS Reminder

New legislation released by the Government came into force in March 2016 which states that Enhanced DBS checks are now mandatory for Governors in Maintained Schools.

This now means that all governors in whatever kind of school – Maintained, Independent, Academy or Free School must have an Enhanced DBS certificate.

The Department for Education aims to improve the regulatory framework for maintained school governance.  Previously, Enhanced Criminal Record checks weren’t mandatory and the system of disqualification relied on governors self-disclosing their criminal convictions unless the clerk has asked for a check to be made.

Governors appointed prior to 1^st April 2016 should have obtained an Enhanced DBS check by September 2016.

Governors appointed after 1^st April 2016 must apply for an Enhanced DBS check within 21 days of their appointment.

If any governor has not completed a form, they should talk to their Clerk / School and arrange a time to complete one.  It is then important that DBS checks for governors are logged on the school’s single central record, (SCR).  The SCR would be incomplete if any governor has not applied for one which could potentially mean a school may fail an OFSTED inspection on safeguarding.

Governors have asked whether or not their DBS checks from other organisations are transferable.  Whilst there is no legal requirement to do a new DBS check (unless there has been a gap of 3 months or more since last working with children), governors should bring in any existing DBS check so the school can verify it and log it on the SCR. It is at the school’s discretion as to whether they wish to accept the DBS check or not. 

Training

Please be aware of the following events.

Closing the Gap

Wednesday 3 May 

7-9pm

Aylesford School, Warwick

Induction: the Effective Governance of Schools

Thursdays 4 ,11 & 18 May

7-9pm

Boughton Leigh Junior School, Rugby

Induction: the Effective Governance of Schools

Tuesdays 9, 16 & 23 May

7-9pm

Stratford-Upon-Avon School

Joining or Setting Up a Multi Academy Trust

Thursday 11 May 

7-9pm

 Myton School, Warwick

Handling Complaints

Monday 15 May 

7-9pm

Myton School, Warwick

The Governor’s Role in School Improvement (part 1 of 2) -

School Self-Evaluation & Improvement Plans

Wednesday 17 May

7-9pm

Myton School, Warwick

Head Teacher Appraisal & Teacher Pay and Performance

Thursday 18 May 

7-9pm

Nicholas Chamberlaine School, Bedworth

SENCo and the SEND Governor

Monday 22 May

5-7pm

Aylesford School, Warwick

Clerks’ Conference

Tuesday 23 May 

9.30am-12.30pm

The Welcome Centre, Coventry

The Governor’s Role in School Improvement part 2 of 2:

Monitoring & Evaluation

Wednesday 24 May 

7-9pm

 Myton School, Warwick

Effective Classroom Visits (primary)

Thursday 25 May 

7-9pm

Aylesford School, Warwick 

What should we tell the children?

An issue that many schools face when developing their relationships and sex education is working with parents.

What Should We Tell The Children? (WSTTC) is a programme developed by The Mothers' Union aimed at raising parent / carer confidence to positively discuss the issue of sex and relationships. The programme is run by externally accredited facilitators, and has been successfully hosted by schools, children’s centres and churches. It’s aimed at parents with children aged 5-14 years.

Initially they offer a two-hour standalone session. At the end of the session, parents have the option of continuing for a further three weeks, looking more closely at other issues not dealt with in the Standalone. The majority of parents have wanted to carry on and complete the programme.

Trained volunteers will run this at minimal costs across Warwickshire. For more information click here

The Mothers’ Union have worked with the Respect Yourself programme for several years now. The newly refreshed WSTTC programme provides an ideal complement for primary schools delivering Spring Fever or any setting wishing to support parents/ carers to feel more confident in discussing this important subject with their children.

The What Should We Tell the Children about Relationships and Sex Programme was first developed in 2004 by Coventry University Health Services Research Centre and has been recently updated.

Link to WSTTC info - www.mothersunioncoventry.com/what-should-we-tell-the-children

Link to Spring Fever info - respectyourselfcampaign.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/spring-fever/

ChatHealth - new school nurse messaging service

Warwickshire School Health & Wellbeing Service and Warwickshire Young People’s Substance Misuse Service have introduced a new way for young people to get advice and support about health related issues via a new nurse messaging service.

ChatHealth is an award-winning school nurse messaging service for young people aged 11-19 years, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

This service has been highly acclaimed by the Department of Health which encourages the use of mobile and social media to improve access to healthcare – particularly for young people. ChatHealth has been awarded an Innovation Challenge Prize from NHS England and multiple other awards for innovative use of communication in healthcare and improving patient experiences.

The aim is to further improve access to healthcare for young people and to continue improving the quality and safety of the services.  Young people have helped develop the promotional material which we are using to advertise the service in schools.  The number to text is 07507 331 525.

Read our information leaflet to find out more about the service, outcomes, information on safety and frequently asked questions.

For more information please contact the School Health & Wellbeing Service on 03300 245 204.

Training for all headteachers on school to school support

** This training is offered for all headteachers of LA maintained schools and academies in Warwickshire **

The Local Authority is offering this half-day training for headteachers as part of the support and challenge in school to school support.

The training will be led by Ed Carter who has a proven track record of rapid school improvement solutions across primary and secondary schools in numerous authorities. Ed was previously headteacher of two outstanding schools in Solihull and is now an independent school improvement and leadership consultant.

Currently this role is carried out by LA officers in the form of Task Groups. As we move towards a school led system from September, there is a need to develop a model for support and challenge for schools experiencing difficulty, led by schools.

The morning session will be divided into two parts:

• Part one is about what a Task Group is and how the system works currently, with some information and exploration of why this method works.

• Part two is an opportunity for schools to discuss together how this could work in consortia, from September. 

The training is offered in five areas across the county and will run from 9.00am to 1.00pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Please select from the dates below and book using the online form to confirm your place.

EAST 15 May 2017 Space @ WCG Rugby College

NORTH 18 May 2017 The CHESS Centre, Nuneaton

NUN/BEDS 19 May 2017 Bulkington Community and Conferencing Centre

CENTRAL 22 May 2017 Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington

SOUTH 24 May 2017 Stratford Racecourse

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training

Warwickshire CSE Team delivers multi-agency training with the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board which is free to access for all professionals in Warwickshire. The full day training is recommended for DSL’s, Heads of Year and Pastoral staff and you can access the training via the WILMa website: warwickshire.learningpool.com

We recognise that it can be problematic for schools to release staff for multi-agency training and are therefore offering FREE CSE Awareness Raising Training for all Warwickshire Primary and Secondary schools to ensure that staff are able to identify and respond appropriately to concerns around Child Sexual Exploitation. We can tailor training and support to suit the needs of your staff teams and deliver directly at your school.

Child sexual exploitation is a very real issue for children and young people in Warwickshire and it is important for all universal services to understand how it happens, recognise the signs that it could be happening and know what to do if they have concerns.

For more information or to book training contact:  Katy Shipley (CSE Project Worker)   Email: katy.shipley@barnardos.org.uk          Telephone: 07702 338667

For more information about the Warwickshire ‘Something’s Not Right’ CSE Campaign please see the updated website at:  www.warwickshirecse.co.uk.

Warwickshire Child Sexual Exploitation Training

Places for any of the training dates can be booked via the WILMa Safeguarding website: http://warwickshire.learningpool.com/

Please contact Jackie Kerby or Katy Shipley for more information:

jackiekerby@warwickshire.gov.uk – Safeguarding Interagency Learning & Improvement manager

Katy.shipley@barnardos.org.uk – Barnardo’s CSE Project Worker

Please contact Katy if you would like to discuss training at your school for full or partial staff teams too.

Free Autism Spectrum Awareness through the Autism Education Trust

Free training for all staff within school-age education settings, mainstream and specialist services

The Autism Education Trust develops capacity to meet the needs of pupils on the Autism Spectrum, by improving the knowledge, skills and confidence of educational practitioners in understanding and responding to the needs of children and young people with Autism.

• It offers a nationally acclaimed, face-to-face, personalised, multi-tier training programme; supported and quality assured by the Department for Education
• Named in new Code of Practice as being a leading training provider of schools; whilst effectively meeting statutory regulations and requirements set out in new SEND legislation
• Addresses Ofsted’s concerns regarding the education of vulnerable learners with Autism; providing evidence for the new framework for school and setting inspections
• Provides evidence based measures of impact for when schools self- evaluate their own performance criteria
• Build capacity to meet the needs of pupils on the Autism spectrum through quality first teaching and learning; narrowing and closing the gap in holistic attainment for learners with Autism

Tier 1 Training – Making Sense of Autism; raising awareness
Basic Autism awareness training for all staff within school-age education settings, mainstream and specialist services. This includes teachers, teaching assistants, transport staff, governors, senior management, administrators, librarians and other relevant service staff.

It will support participants to:

• Identify the four key areas of difference that need to be taken into account when working with children and young people with Autism
• Know the importance of understanding the individual and their profile of strengths, as well as areas for development
• Identify the key areas to help pupils on the Autism spectrum build positive relationships with staff, peers, families and people in their wider community
• Develop an awareness of the sensory and communication differences that pupils on the Autism spectrum may experience.

Service: Vulnerable Learners Specialist Teaching Service
Time: 1 ½ hours for the whole session. This is usually delivered as a twilight session, but can also form part of a training day.
Cost: delivered free to all schools and settings as part of Warwickshire’s Local Offer for all children and young people with SEND

SEND Provision Matrix Reference:
This training course will provide the capacity to deliver support and interventions across all areas of the Universal Provision, and a majority of aspects of the Targeted Provision of Warwickshire’s SEND Provision matrix

To view the training flyer please click here

IDS Makaton two-day course with Regional Tutor Janet Dobbie.

Singing for Sounds

Designed and delivered by specialists in music for early years, this is a language acquisition programme, which uses a combination of songs, rhymes, and mouth and tongue exercises to support children’s speech and communication development.

Our half day course provides delegates with the opportunity to understand the foundations of the programme and explore and practise the contents. Feedback from previous courses means we are very confident that you will leave the course with your resource pack, ready to put Singing for Sounds into practice.

The training sessions cost £100 per person and includes a resource pack containing ten session plans and an accompanying CD of songs.

Singing for Sounds Training Workshop

Friday 9 June 2017 10 am—12 pm—Nursery Practitioners

Northgate House Conference Centre, Saltisford, Warwick, CV34 4JL

To book for this training workshop register on line at www.warwickshiremusichub.org/singing-for-sounds or call 01926 742959

Cost per individual for training workshop is £100

https://www.warwickshiremusichub.org/singing-for-sounds

Primary and secondary computing workshops

Free session led by Lat Blaylock for secondary RE teachers

The next RE TeachMeet will be held on Wednesday 3 May 2017, 4pm for a 4.30 start, at Avon Building, Westwood Campus, University of Warwick, CV4 8EE.

This is an opportunity for all teachers of RE to further develop their subject knowledge in relation to teaching key Christian and Islamic concepts at GCSE.

Lat Blaylock, RE online editor and author of a wide range of RE resources and articles, will be leading the session.

To register your interest, or to find out more, contact Rachel Cooper on r.a.cooper@warwick.ac.uk