Essential reading
Warwickshire congratulated on end of Key Stage performance
Ofsted's Regional Director congratulates Warwickshire's performance in end of Key Stage tests and exams.
Lorna Fitzjohn HMI has written to the Director of Children's Services to congratulate the efforts of Warwickshire's school staff and pupils in each end of Key Stage tests and exams in 2016. Please click
here to read the letter.
New Warwickshire Specialist Teaching Service (STS) – Launch April 2017
We recognise that learners’ needs are becoming more complex and inter-related. We are reorganising our services to address this need, and the IDS Communication and Interaction Team (Autism Team and Specific Language Disorder Team) and EIS have been working to design a new Specialist Teaching Service to meet the needs of vulnerable learners.
A primary head teacher reference group and a secondary SENCo reference group were set up to consult on the model for the Specialist Teaching Service.
Specialist Teaching Service Model
The objectives of our new service model are:
- A transparent and equitable service for high incidence SEND pupils across the county.
- A clear and transparent SEND specialist teaching service offer in Warwickshire that clarifies the functions and funding basis for the service.
- The WES offer for schools will provide greater coherence and reduce duplication.
- School staff will be able to draw on staff with skills across the 3 high frequency broad areas of need (SEMH, Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction).
- Services for vulnerable learners and their families will be improved through the closure of gaps in service provision.
Leadership and Staffing
The new leadership structure will be shared with schools over the next few months. There will be three area bases: Centre / South, East and North. Staff from all specialisms will be represented in all 3 bases.
Groups of subscribing schools will, as with the current model, be allocated a Specialist Teacher working within the areas of SEMH and Cognition and Learning. From April 2017, this teacher will be supported by a Specialist Teacher within the area of Communication and Interaction, giving subscribing schools access to a full range of SEND expertise.
In providing support to schools, Communication and Interaction teachers currently have individual caseloads and this will be maintained in the short term as we move towards a more school based service.
All Primary schools, regardless of subscription will be supported under the Memorandum of Understanding.
Primary and Secondary schools are invited to subscribe through the WES traded offer. There is also the opportunity to buy as you need.
Details of our traded offer to schools will be available through WES in January 2017.
Schools and consortia are welcome to contact Area Managers or Assistant Area Managers if they have any further questions about the new service:
- Northern area - 01926 413777
- Centre/ South area – 01926 476600
- Eastern area - 01926 418130
Your school website: a window to your school!
School websites perform an essential function of communicating a school’s vision and ethos. They are also a source of vital information for parents, a place where school policies and performance data are shared.
It has been a statutory requirement since September 2012 for schools to publish key information on their websites and it is the first place checked by Ofsted prior to an inspection commencing. If a website is not up to date, this may give inspectors cause for concern, leading to additional specific inquiries right at the beginning of their visit.
If you are a maintained school there is a compliance checklist available on the DfE site:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online
Academies and Free Schools need to check their funding agreements to find out what they are required to publish.
A number of telephone calls received by the Local Authority, as well as school inspection reports and a recent audit carried out by the SEND team, have highlighted varying degrees of compliance with the statutory requirements, with some incorrect information being given and gaps in information being provided.
In particular we would like to highlight the following:
Complaints Policy
- Is there one? If the school have adopted the Warwickshire model policy, has it been customised to the school’s profile?
- Is the policy up to date? Since the implementation of Section 45 of the Education Act 2011, on 1 August 2012, the Local Authority (LA) no longer has any power or duty to intervene in school complaints – does the policy mention this?
DfE Performance Data
- The school Data Dashboard was closed on September 30th. Has this been deleted and links to the school comparison tool added?
What should we do now?
Governor Services suggests that one or two governors should carry out a monitoring exercise using the attached checklist to ensure that all the relevant information is published or correctly signposted.
To ensure all schools are compliant, Governor Services will be conducting a school website audit and will be in touch with any school that doesn’t comply in the New Year.
If Governors need any clarification on school website requirements, please contact Governor Services on 01926 745120 or email governors@warwickshire.gov.uk
SEN and Disability Requirements
The recent audit highlighted the following statutory requirements missing from school websites:
- The admission arrangements for pupils with SEN or disabilities – linking to the WCC Admissions’ page or detailing arrangements for pupils with statements / EHCPs is not sufficient. Schools must ensure that prospective pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including long term medical conditions are not treated less favourably or unfairly in the admissions' process.
- The steps taken to prevent pupils with SEND from being treated less favourably than other pupils.
- Details of the school’s access facilities for pupils with SEND.
- The school’s Accessibility Plan, showing how the school is planning to increase access over time for pupils with disabilities.
Our recent audit found that many Access Plans had not been reviewed and updated for several years, were not resourced and did not cover the three required areas, i.e. how the school is:
- increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum;
- improving the physical environment of schools to enable those with disabilities to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided; and
- improving the availability of accessible information to those with disabilities.
For more advice and to access a Model Accessibility Plan:
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolsdisabilityequality
School SEN Information Reports
Although our recent audit found all but one school had an SEN Information Report, very few reports met the statutory requirements. The most common gaps were:
Hopefully these are three requirements which can be fixed really quickly.
“Guidance on Special Toileting Needs in Schools and Early Years’ Settings”
Reminder to schools and settings that the Local Authority’s guidance for those learners with toileting needs can be found on the ‘Disability equality – statutory duties for schools’ webpage:
https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-1090-123
Ofsted School Inspection newsletter
The School Inspection Newsletter 2015-16 provides inspectors and stakeholders with information and guidance about Ofsted's inspection work in schools.
It contains clarification for Ofsted inspectors which is also useful for head teachers and governors on:
- the use of 2016 data in forming inspection judgements, particularly in relation to teacher assessments for Writing ;
- disclosure and prohibition;
- effective use of TAs;
- guidance on the education of unaccompanied minors who are asylum seekers.
Warwickshire news
Awards celebrate excellence in Warwickshire schools
Some of the best and brightest schools gathered for an awards evening at Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club last month to be recognised for their recent Ofsted achievements.
The headteacher, Chair of Governors and pupils from each school attended the Excellence in Warwickshire Awards ceremony on Wednesday 9th November. The awards recognised all schools inspected by Ofsted during the 2015/16 academic year who have improved their performance from their previous Ofsted inspection or maintained their ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ grade. Many of these schools improved from a previous ‘requires improvement’ judgement to a 'good' judgement, and one moved from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.
Schools enjoyed a performance from the Warwickshire Music Suzuki group, who delighted with their violin playing. Some of the pupils there to receive awards also spoke very enthusiastically about their experience of education and why they think their own school deserves to be good.
These schools have played a big part in increasing Warwickshire’s percentage of good or better schools, which went up from 83% to 89% during the 2015/16 academic year. This took Warwickshire above the national average of 86% of good or better schools.
Good news for Warwickshire Music Education Hub
The government have just announced a 4 year funding proposal for all Music Education Hubs.
You will be aware that Warwickshire Music is the lead organisation for the Warwickshire Music Hub and this is fantastic news for all young people in Warwickshire as it secures the tremendous range of opportunities on offer to all children through the Hub and its work with partners, schools, parents and young people.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:
"Music and the arts can transform lives and introduce young people to a huge range of opportunities - whether that is learning to play a musical instrument, understanding local heritage or attending a world-famous dance school. We want those opportunities to be open to all, not just the privileged few."
In response to the announcement, Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said:
"Every child and young person should experience the richness of the arts, no matter what their background. Cultural education helps children develop their knowledge, understanding and skills, and improves their attainment across the school curriculum. This ongoing commitment to invest in high quality cultural education inside and outside of school is good news for children."
For more information about the Warwickshire Music Hub and the experiences available please visit: https://www.warwickshiremusichub.org/
Skills for Employment programme
Build a Business Network grant
25 schools have now received this grant which was launched in May 2016. This £75,000 expenditure takes the total of grants awarded to schools to more than £350,000 since the programme started in 2015.
Warwickshire Skills Conference 2017
The third Warwickshire Skills Conference for secondary headteachers, principals and business leaders will take place on 13th March 2017 at 8-10 am at Chesford Grange Hotel near Leamington Spa. The focus will be on identifying the financial benefits of business and education collaboration and highlighting the types of activity that have most impact. For example, a recent ACAS report stated it costs around £5,000 every time a business recruits a new member of staff using traditional external recruitment methods or an agency. However, direct recruitment from a school or college would cost a fraction of that amount.
For more information about the conference or to book your place please e-mail skillsforemployment@warwickshire.gov.uk or call 01926-418027
Breakfast meetings build links between business and education
Nuneaton was the venue for the first of a series of Business and Education breakfast meetings organised by Warwickshire County Council's Skills for Employment programme.
A series of breakfast meetings has been arranged following the council's successful Skills Conference in February this year when delegates asked if local events could take place in each borough and district to bring together businesses and head teachers.
As a result, the meetings have been set up to provide an opportunity for business and education leaders to establish relationships and discuss skills issues such as the recruitment of school-leavers.
This first took place on November 15 at Central Site, a Nuneaton firm specialising in off-site construction of homes and school buildings for local authorities.
Six local schools attended and heard Central Site sales director Brian Maunder outline the company's plans for growth.
"We are going to grow from 40 employees to around 160 in the next three years," said Mr Maunder. "And we need your help to achieve this. There will be jobs in design and also support functions like Human Resources as well as factory-floor jobs in construction of buildings."
Another delegate at the meeting, Federation of Small Businesses member Adrian Young of Abbey Money & Property, said: "This is a triple-win situation. There is a national housing crisis, we have a business that is growing fast and we have local schools and colleges trying to help young people to find work and develop their employability skills."
Warwickshire children 'graduate' and meet their local explorer at the University of Warwick
On the evening of Friday 25 November, over 200 children from 11 schools across Warwickshire ‘donned their caps and gowns’ to celebrate their achievements watched by their families, at a graduation ceremony with a difference.
At this special event, the children met Mark Wood, Explorer/Speaker/Educator who went to school just down the road in Coventry. Mark is busy planning his next adventure taking 1,000,000 children up Mount Everest through Skype for Schools and Microsoft.
Mission8848 will help enrich the curriculum in the schools who have signed up to be part of this ‘extreme classroom’. 
The audience were spell bound by Mark talking about his explorations, life aspirations and thoughts on global warming.
The children also experienced the brand-new building at the University of Warwick called ‘The Oculus’, dedicated completely to teaching with two large state-of-the-art tiered lecture theatres and flexible teaching spaces. The Outreach team at the University of Warwick are committed to raising aspirations in young children and their Warwick Ambassadors had the chance to talk to the children about their life choices whilst ensuring everything ran smoothly.
The children received their awards from the Chief Executive of Children’s University, Helen O’Donnell together with Mark Wood. The children graduated, having voluntarily completed a wide range of extra-curricular activities that have earned them the privilege of receiving their Children’s University Award.
Schools attended from the north to the south of the county with the youngest from Whitestone Infant School to the eldest at The Coleshill School. The other schools attending were Abbots Farm Junior School, Bidford on Avon Primary School, Cawston Grange Primary School, Eastlands Primary School, Michael Drayton Junior School, Middlemarch Primary School, Stockingford Primary School, Wembrook Primary School and Woodloes Junior School.
Also graduating were some Looked After Children who attended ‘The Great Children’s University Adventure’ delivered by the University of Warwick earlier this year. They were supported on the night by Steve Pendleton, Head of Vulnerable Groups and the Virtual School whose team had organised this special activity.
The Children’s University is a charity that works in partnership with schools to develop a love of learning in children aged 5 – 14 years old. We do this by encouraging and celebrating participation in extracurricular activities in and outside of school. The impact of these activities is proven to be positive which is why we're committed to creating a level playing field of opportunity and opening access to children of all backgrounds.
Carolyn Lloyd, Coventry Children’s University Manager said, “This graduation ceremony was both aspirational and an unforgettable experience for these children. Not only did they receive their awards in this incredible new building on campus but also learnt about global issues which affect their futures.”
Mark Wood, said:
‘As a Coventrian who has worked in the very extremes of our planet I am proud to venture home and support such an inspiring educational organisation’.
Helen O’Donnell, Chief Executive of Children’s University Trust said “
“One of the highlights of my job is meeting children and their families at Children’s University Graduations. It’s a chance for children to get recognised for all they do, and a great reminder as to why I love my job. Children’s University works with over 1,000 schools, and the children of Warwickshire Children’s University are a shining example of why.”
Learning opportunities at Coventry Music Museum
Coventry Music Museum welcomes groups of visitors of all ages & with a wide range of interests & needs.
Since opening three years ago, we have welcomed thousands of visitors from around the globe.
This has included a range of groups carrying out educational activities from pre-school age to University students and many with particular education needs. Indeed, education is a key part of the mission of the Museum and this has in part contributed to the range of awards and accolades it has received including recently the bestowal of a British Empire Medal on its creator, Pete Chambers and a visit from the CEO of the Arts Council.
We can offer a substantial range of learning opportunities:
- An overview of the musical heritage of Coventry & Warwickshire from Roman times to the present day
- Specific foci on eras within the timeline such as the modern era, the Two Tone phenomenon, the 1950s, 60s, 70s etc
- More detailed input on significant figures from the local area such as Delia Derbyshire, the creative genius whose work underpins so much modern electronic music.
- A key focus we are very proud of is to look not just at the Two Tone Movement but the context & philosophy behind it: its impact on society, its role in challenging racism and even the part it played in raising awareness of the plight of Nelson Mandela.
- More hands-on activities include the opportunity to play a wide range of actual instruments such as theremin, acoustic & electric guitars, a bass guitar, mandolin, tuned percussion etc.
- As can be imagined, there are many things to listen to as well as watch and observe.
- There are a number of identified art activities and several carefully worked out photo opportunities to provide material for use back in the classroom etc.
In addition, led by Pete Chambers, a team from the Museum has created the Heritage Lottery funded “Articles in Sound” project, capturing the history of Coventry & Warwickshire music & offering further resources for use in education. The strands of the project are
- A book (available from the Museum)
- A three hour film featuring original material such as new interviews with leading local musical figures (available free online). Since this consists of a series of foci, it lends itself to watching in episodes rather than a single three hour viewing.
- A website
- A free App which can support field work in terms of visits to key landmarks in local music history
- A mural outside the Museum which lends itself to a variety of learning opportunities
As regards the National Curriculum, the Museum offers valuable learning opportunities in these areas:
- English
- Art & Design
- Citizenship
- Design & Technology
- History
- Music
Outside the National Curriculum, we can tailor packages for various learning projects, to meet the needs of visitors with specific learning difficulties and we can support Further & Higher Education research.
For further information, please contact Pete Chambers (tencton@hotmail.com) to discuss your specific needs.
The nature of the Museum’s environment is such that subdividing groups into smaller units means that each member gets the most out of their visit, especially in the more interactive activities.
Equally, planning is helpful in terms of access too: the Museum is on two levels & we facilitate access upstairs for those visitors with mobility issues with use of a stair climber.
Governors
Your school website: a window to your school!
School websites perform an essential function of communicating a school’s vision and ethos. They are also a source of vital information for parents, a place where school policies and performance data are shared.
It has been a statutory requirement since September 2012 for schools to publish key information on their websites and it is the first place checked by Ofsted prior to an inspection commencing. If a website is not up to date, this may give inspectors cause for concern, leading to additional specific inquiries right at the beginning of their visit.
If you are a maintained school there is a compliance checklist available on the DfE site:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online
Academies and Free Schools need to check their funding agreements to find out what they are required to publish.
A number of telephone calls received by the Local Authority, as well as school inspection reports and a recent audit carried out by the SEND team, have highlighted varying degrees of compliance with the statutory requirements, with some incorrect information being given and gaps in information being provided.
In particular we would like to highlight the following:
Complaints Policy
- Is there one? If the school have adopted the Warwickshire model policy, has it been customised to the school’s profile?
- Is the policy up to date? Since the implementation of Section 45 of the Education Act 2011, on 1 August 2012, the Local Authority (LA) no longer has any power or duty to intervene in school complaints – does the policy mention this?
DfE Performance Data
- The school Data Dashboard was closed on September 30th. Has this been deleted and links to the school comparison tool added?
What should we do now?
Governor Services suggests that one or two governors should carry out a monitoring exercise using the attached checklist to ensure that all the relevant information is published or correctly signposted.
To ensure all schools are compliant, Governor Services will be conducting a school website audit and will be in touch with any school that doesn’t comply in the New Year.
If Governors need any clarification on school website requirements, please contact Governor Services on 01926 745120 or email governors@warwickshire.gov.uk
SEN and Disability Requirements
The recent audit highlighted the following statutory requirements missing from school websites:
- The admission arrangements for pupils with SEN or disabilities – linking to the WCC Admissions’ page or detailing arrangements for pupils with statements / EHCPs is not sufficient. Schools must ensure that prospective pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including long term medical conditions are not treated less favourably or unfairly in the admissions' process.
- The steps taken to prevent pupils with SEND from being treated less favourably than other pupils.
- Details of the school’s access facilities for pupils with SEND.
- The school’s Accessibility Plan, showing how the school is planning to increase access over time for pupils with disabilities.
Our recent audit found that many Access Plans had not been reviewed and updated for several years, were not resourced and did not cover the three required areas, i.e. how the school is:
- increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum;
- improving the physical environment of schools to enable those with disabilities to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided; and
- improving the availability of accessible information to those with disabilities.
For more advice and to access a Model Accessibility Plan:
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolsdisabilityequality
School SEN Information Reports
Although our recent audit found all but one school had an SEN Information Report, very few reports met the statutory requirements. The most common gaps were:
Hopefully these are three requirements which can be fixed really quickly.
“Guidance on Special Toileting Needs in Schools and Early Years’ Settings”
Reminder to schools and settings that the Local Authority’s guidance for those learners with toileting needs can be found on the ‘Disability equality – statutory duties for schools’ webpage:
https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-1090-123
SEND
Top tips to get the most out of SENDAR
Wherever possible encourage parents / carers who feel their child might require an EHC Plan to work with your staff rather than submit a parental referral. Parental referrals usually arrive with much less evidence than school referrals and so are frequently turned down with a request to the school for missing information. This causes frustration for parents and delays matters. It also means that the school is required to provide the same level of evidence and paperwork as they would if they were making the referral themselves but within a mere two weeks rather than two terms to do this.
If it is believed that a child might require a needs assessment to support transition between key stages these should be considered in the year before transfer year; that is Years 1, 5, 8 or 10. Please work with parents, carers and appropriate professionals on this.
As far as possible avoid sending in EHC Plan referrals in the final term of the academic year and especially the final half term of the academic year. Think of the end of March as the latest date in the academic year for a referral. Any later than that and things risk running up against the summer exception rule that puts things on hold or means we are trying to contact schools and other professionals for advice when they are on holiday. Once again this causes frustration and wastes time.
Please don’t submit batches of EHC Plan referrals. These lead to bottle necks in the system and once again contribute to delays.
If a child or young person with a Statement or EHC Plan is at risk of exclusion please remember to call a professionals meeting inviting your SENDAR Plan Coordinator and the educational professionals working with the child before any decision is made regarding permanent exclusion.
If you have any concerns you should talk to the LA professionals who work in your school for guidance (EPS, EIS or IDS staff) and if still in doubt contact SENDAR. Asking questions early can avoid later misunderstandings.
We continue to welcome volunteer Head Teachers or SENCos to attend our EHC Plan Referral Panels on Thursdays or for the County Panel which meets monthly on Monday mornings and considers requests for children and young people to move from mainstream to specialist provision. These are excellent CPD opportunities for you and help to promote consistency across the LA.
When submitting EHC Plan referrals please do so electronically and use Microsoft Word not PDF. Referral forms, Family Conversations, Child / My Views and SEND Provision Matrix are easier to manage if they come in as separate documents but all other documents can come in as one. If you do have to make a paper submission please send documents in single-sided on unstapled A4. This will greatly ease our administration and speed up the process.
Please remember that SENDAR has no budget to provide support for school beyond that provided through the EHC Plan process.
If a child is undergoing a transfer to an EHC Plan and a costed IEP is enclosed, please include “Costed IEP Enclosed” in the title of the email
Remember, SENDAR is an extremely busy service with a heavy caseload working to tight deadlines and so might have difficulty in responding immediately to questions but all SENDAR staff are dedicated to the best interests of children and young people. Please have faith in them. They want to work with you.
Schools should be providing Careers Advice and Guidance for all their students from year 9 onwards. SENDAR’s Preparing for Adulthood team can support with Transition Planning for post 16 where needed. Please give them plenty of notice for any reviews you want them to attend. If any of your students are considering specialist provision beyond school it is vital that we know about this as soon as possible as there is a process for applying for high needs funding and local provision needs to be considered first. It is envisaged that the majority of leavers will transition into mainstream provision; our team can advise about support available.
Developing new SEND provision
The local authority has been working with schools and colleges to develop new SEND provision within the County.
This provision will better support vulnerable learners to access education in schools in their local area and to develop friendships and peer groups in their own communities and thereby support improved long term outcomes for these learners.
This has already had and will increasingly have a crucial impact in reducing High Needs Block expenditure on out-of-authority provision. It will also contribute significantly to reductions in SEN transport costs.
As examples of new provision:
- The Discovery Academy opened in September 2015, ultimately providing 80 places for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & Social Emotional and Mental Health issues (SEMH)
- A SEN Free School for Rugby is due to open in September 2017, ultimately providing a further 80 places for ASD / SEMH
- A ‘Link’ base opened at Wheelwright Lane Primary School in Bedworth providing short term intervention for learners with SEMH
- Funding has been approved for development of new accommodation for two ‘Link’ bases - one at Stockingford Primary School in Nuneaton and another in the Rugby area
Other developments include:
- Brooke School Partnership @ Rokeby Primary – 8 places for learners with a range of SEN
- Brooke School Partnership @ Harris Secondary – 8 places for learners with a range of SEN
- Exhall Grange Coleshill Learning Pod – 8 places for learners with acute SEMH in Key Stages 3&4
- Work is ongoing with River House School as it becomes an academy and changes its admissions criteria to reflect local needs
SEN Resourced Provision for learners with complex communication and interaction (C&I) needs have been developed at the following locations:
- Peter’s Place at Trinity High School, Leamington Spa – 8 places
- Evergreen at Water Orton Primary – 8 places
- Lillington Primary School, Leamington Spa – 8 places
Two further C&I bases are under development as follows:
- Middlemarch Junior School, Nuneaton – 8 places
- Stockingford Primary School, Nuneaton – 8 places
Investment has also been made in new learning facilities in further education at Warwickshire College Group and North Warwickshire and Hinckley College. These new facilities increase the local offer young people aged 16-25 with SEND, and again will help to reduce out-of-authority placements.
A new county panel for admission to specialist SEND provision was established in September 2016. The local authority is continuing to work with schools to develop further SEND provision.
SEND Provision Matrix and training opportunities
The SEND Provision Matrix is a guide to what schools in Warwickshire offer to learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) so that they can achieve their best, become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and make a successful transition into adulthood.
It is designed to help parents understand what schools will be doing, and to help Special Educational Needs Coordinators in schools think about what extra support might be relevant, for learners who are not progressing at the rate they would expect.
The SEND Provision Matrix describes the range of support available to learners at universal, targeted and higher needs provision. All EHC plans are assessed and moderated against this Matrix.
The SEND Provision Matrix and other documents relating to EHC plans are available at: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sendocs
Warwickshire Education Services offer a range of training opportunities to help schools work with vulnerable learners. Training is aligned to the SEND Provision Matrix and covers a range of needs including communication and interaction, cognition and learning, and social, emotional and mental health. Further information on training opportunities can be found here .
Children and young people in Warwickshire’s SEND programme
Parents and carers have been regularly working with local Education, Health and Social Care professionals at the highest levels of Warwickshire’s SEND Programme for over a year. Having a regular working relationship in the workstreams (working groups) means that those who use SEND services have a say in how those services are designed and commissioned.
The next step this year has been to make sure that children and young people with SEND will have the same opportunity to do this and to make their voices heard at this level.
Since April, we have been working with young people to:
- Look at ways to regularly work with young people – exploring options such as face to face meetings, social media and working with local service providers who already work with young people.
- Co-design new Twitter and Facebook pages to help support this work, and share information for young people, parents/carers and professionals:
www.twitter.com/WarksCoPro
www.facebook.com/WarksCoPro
- Review the SEND Voice newsletter from young people's perspectives and working together on ideas to make it more appealing and accessible for young people.
- Test and review the Local Offer website, which provides information on SEND services for people aged 0 – 25, and working together on ideas to make it more accessible - www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send
For more information on how children and young people with SEND can take part, please contact:
Laura Musgrave
Co-production Officer
Warwickshire County Council
01926 742906
lauramusgrave@warwickshire.gov.uk
Ethan’s story: Leaving primary school and finding the right secondary provision
When I went to secondary school everything fell apart because it was busy and noisy and I didn’t have enough work to do when I wasn’t in class. Lessons were too difficult because there were people making lots of noise. I didn’t want to be at school but Mum wouldn’t let me stay at home so I just did two and a half hours a day. In the morning when I arrived it was very noisy and loud.
In January, Mum and Dad looked at another school and Mum said it was really nice; but when I went to have a look around Mum got upset because it looked loud and busy. I felt I wouldn’t make friends because the students weren’t like me. It really depressed me; I’ve been depressed over the last couple of years.
When I first heard about Peter’s Place at Trinity I felt confused because I didn’t know what was happening. Now I know there will only be eight students at Peter’s Place and when I arrive in the morning I can sit outside on the bench and it’s quiet. Now I’m really happy because it’s been such a long time since I’ve been happy. I hated life and I wanted to die.
Now I’m happy and I feel I can enjoy life,
I feel like I have a future.
The two things I’d like to do in the future……
…….I really like sea life (but I can’t swim!),
and I’m interested in computers.
Feedback from Mum: 'It has been a very difficult couple of years, seeing Ethan struggling so much. Since starting Peter's Place he has been much happier and it is wonderful to hear him being positive about going to school.’
Ethan, Year 8
First new pupil to join Peter’s Place at Trinity Catholic School
Family Voice Warwickshire
Family Voice Warwickshire are a group of parents and carers. We meet regularly to discuss the support and services within Warwickshire, acting as advocates for families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
We welcome parents and carers to attend our forum meetings because we very much want to hear their voice. We truly believe ‘Working Together we make a difference‘.
We empower parents and carers, their families and children to inform Education, Health and Social Care providers of their views.
We are committed to gaining positive outcomes to enable a better future for all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
You can keep up to date with any information through www.familyvoicewarwickshire.co.uk and any forthcoming events and meetings are now shown on our calendar. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter too (search for Family Voice Warwickshire).
SENDIAS Warwickshire (formerly Parent Partnership Service)
SENDIAS provide advice, information and support on all matters relating to SEND for parents and carers.
In particular, SENDIAS provide support for parents and young people during an Education, Health & Care (EHC) assessment and support in resolving disagreement.
SENDIAS also provide advice on school based support for children and young people with SEND who do not have an EHC Plan, advice on SEN & disability, health & social care, and advice on exclusions.
The service provides impartial and confidential advice by telephone or email as well as through individual casework.
Please add a link to SENDIAS to your school website: www.family-action.org.uk/wias
What is SEND Voice?
SEND Voice is a twelve-page newsletter that goes out twice a year to professionals, parents/carers and young people around Warwickshire.
What is it about?
The newsletter currently features:
- Special Educational Needs and Disability news and information,
- News from Warwickshire’s SEND Programme workshops and workstreams (working groups),
- Stories from young people with SEND aged 0 – 25 years in Warwickshire.
Who creates it?
The SEND Voice Editorial Team includes Warwickshire County Council’s Co-production Officer, a parent carer from Family Voice Warwickshire, and a member of SENDIAS (Information, Advice and Support). We have also recently started to work with young people to make the SEND Voice newsletter more appealing, interesting and accessible for them.
How can we read it?
Issues are available in print and online. You can read the first three issues on the Local Offer website in the section Help Develop the Local Offer > What We’ve Done.
Each issue is also shared on the Warwickshire Working Together Twitter and Facebook pages (search for @WarksCoPro).
Issue 4 will be available in late January 2017.
How can we help?
Please share printed copies with young people with SEND and their families. Get in touch if you would like more printed copies: lauramusgrave@warwickshire.gov.uk.
If your school has a Twitter account, please follow us @WarksCoPro for updates, and share with young people with SEND and/or and their families.
FREE Reception “SEND Surgeries”
The IDS 0-5 Service are offering Exciting New Opportunities for 2016-17
FREE Reception “SEND Surgeries” & “On-Call” Telephone Support and Advice
The IDS 0-5 Specialist Teaching Service will be offering free termly “SEND Surgeries” for schools, to help support reception-aged children with SEND in the Foundation Stage.
We invite all Reception Practitioners & School SENCOS (on a first come, first served basis)
For more information please click here
New structure chart for Vulnerable Learners
Vulnerable Learners
Pat Tate, Service Manager
pattate@warwickshire.gov.uk
Vulnerable Learners structure chart
SEND Programme Update
The SEND programme has been reconfigured following a review in September-October 2016. This was approved by the SEND Programme Board.
The role of the SEND Programme Board has been clarified as to:
- Implement the SEND reforms as set out in the SEND Code of Practice 2015
- Monitor activity and performance across the programme
- Ensure that the local area is prepared for inspection
The Programme Board will be supported by five workstreams: Local Offer, EHC Planning, Service Redesign, Preparing for adulthood and SEN Transport.
The priorities for the 2016/17 academic year are:
- Improving EHC planning and processes
- The delivery of new SEND Resourced Provisions & increase ‘in-county’ placements
- Streamlining planning across social care, early help and EHC plans
- Co-production (especially CYP voice)
- Preparation for adulthood
Across the programme we are working with parents and carers, schools and colleges, local authority services and health partners.
SEND – some facts and figures
- The January 2016 school census reported that of 78,892 pupils attending Warwickshire state-funded primary, secondary and special schools,
- 8,852 (11.2%) were receiving SEN support
- 2,438 (3.1%) had a statement or EHC plan
- giving a total of 11,290 (14.3%) pupils with an assessed SEN at any level.
- The highest recorded primary needs for SEND (inc. SEN Support) are
- Moderate Learning Difficulty (3,772 children and young people; 33%)
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health (1,825 cyp ; 16%)
- Speech, Language and Communication Needs (1,612 cyp ; 14%)
- 93% of learners with statements/EHC plans attend outstanding or good schools in Warwickshire
- 49% of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks, including exceptions (Sept 2016)
- 9.6 % of CYP with EHC plans are educated in independent specialist providers (2014/15)
- 374 children have CIN plan & EHC plan; 223 children have EHC plan & CAF (Oct 2016)
- 5% of SEN pupils with a statement or EHC plan achieving a 'good level of development' at foundation stage (2014/15)
- 6.9% of pupils with SEN with a statement or plan achieving 5 or more A* to C GCSEs (incl. E&M) (2014/15)
- 91% of KS4 cohort with statement of SEN in Education & Employment or Training at 17 (2014/15)
- 11.1% of adults with learning disabilities in paid employment (2014/15)
Further information is available in the SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment at:
http://hwb.warwickshire.gov.uk/jsna-needs-assessments/
- Data sets for educational attainment for 2015/16 should be published shortly by DfE.
Public Health
School Health & Wellbeing Service
In line with government guidelines, the School Health & Wellbeing Service aims to assess the health needs of all children, young people and their families in Warwickshire and involve them in how services and interventions are effectively delivered. The information collected through these assessments enables the service to offer one to one support to families and helps guide the wider priorities for the service of support to schools.
For children who started in Reception in September 2016, we have achieved a completion rate of approximately 45%. This is a really positive return rate, however we would like to increase this even further.
Please could we ask you to encourage parents of reception children in your schools to complete the health needs assessment through the portal at
https://idhealth.aql.com/warwickshire/school-entry
Each area has its own password:
North Schools (North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth) = North@1617
Central Schools (Rugby, Warwick, Leamington and Southam) = Central@1617
South Schools (Stratford, Kenilworth, Studley, Kineton, Shipston) = South@1617
If you are not sure which area your school is in, or you have a number of parents that require some support completing the questionnaire please contact the team on 03300 245 204
Many thanks for your support with this.
Winter health campaign
As part of our winter campaign, we are wanting to promote very simple messages about the importance of handwashing as one of the most effective infection control measures against winter bugs such as Norovirus. We know that norovirus is now starting to circulate this year. Norovirus is highly infectious and spreads easily in environments such as nurseries and schools. We would ask you to encourage all staff and children to wash their hands regularly. Please see the norovirus section of our website, where you can download posters to display:
http://publichealth.warwickshire.gov.uk/health-protection/norovirus/
For other advice for the winter season, please see the Stay Well in Winter campaign website:
http://www.nhs.uk/staywell/
Norovirus
Norovirus, also known as “winter vomiting disease”, commonly occurs in the winter months, and causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The symptoms usually last between 12 and 60 hours, and tend to start with the sudden onset of nausea followed by projectile vomiting and diarrhoea.
Good hygiene, including thorough hand washing, especially after toilet visits and before eating, will help reduce the spread of infection. Norovirus can contaminate the hands of children and staff if not adequately washed, and the environment is easily contaminated if a child has been unwell, as virus particles can remain in the air and settle in the environment. Therefore, if a child does become unwell in your nursery or school, it is important to clean up spillages and the surrounding environment promptly, and make sure that cleaning frequency is increased. All areas should be cleaned initially with a detergent and water, followed by a chlorine-based agent (e.g. Milton). Pay attention to surfaces that are frequently touched, e.g. tabletops, taps and sinks, toilet handles and light switches. Make sure toilets are clean.
Handwashing, Infection Control and Outbreaks
It is important that hands are washed correctly, please see: bit.ly/16gN5xD for the recommended washing technique. Liquid soap should be used and not bar soap, which increases the risk of cross contamination.
Commercial products to clean hands are currently being marketed directly to schools and nurseries. These products are similar to hand decontaminants used in hospitals. Some are being sold as a replacement for hand washing. Please be aware that following visits to the toilet, or any other activity where hands may be physically soiled, hand washing with soap and water is the only recommended method of cleaning hands.
If your nursery or school experiences an outbreak, i.e. two or more cases of diarrhoea and/or vomiting, please contact Public Health England on 0344 2253560 option 2, option 1 for advice. In addition to the hygiene and cleaning measures outlined above, it is important that all staff and children with symptoms stay at home until 48 hours after their symptoms stop.
Further information and resources can be found in the “Norovirus Toolkit for Schools and Nurseries” at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140714084352/http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1227851390634
Finally, we hope you will take the opportunity to look at e-Bug, a really useful online resource for schools to help teach children and young people about microbes, infection, hygiene, vaccinations and antibiotic resistance. Please see:
www.e-bug.eu
Tackling antibiotic resistance - how can schools get involved?
If you’re a teacher or school nurse, or you work in an educational setting, you have the opportunity to educate young people about one of the biggest health threats we face globally - antimicrobial resistance.
Our antibiotics are under threat. Overuse and misuse of these drugs is making them less effective at treating infections and we face a future where they may no longer work at all.
Every year many children receive prescriptions for antibiotics and while it’s important they get these vital medicines when needed, research shows that prescriptions are often unnecessary and are given for illnesses that antibiotics can’t treat, like colds and flu.
But apart from that stark warning, why does this matter for schools and children?
Simple actions can slow antibiotic resistance.
Very basic knowledge about how antibiotics work or simple infection control (careful hand washing for instance) can make all the difference.
Children can even pass these messages on to parents and family at home.
So we need to share messages about the fight against antibiotic resistance throughout society, with health professionals, health leaders and the public.
That’s why we want to engage teachers, as you are best placed to spread the word in schools, talking to our children and alerting colleagues about available tools and learning resources.
Could you run an event or class in your school for instance, encouraging children to be ‘Antibiotic Guardians’?
How can you do this and what tools and resources are available?
This year we are introducing Junior and Family Antibiotic Guardian as part of our wider Antibiotic Guardian campaign.
This is the first time the campaign has focused on young children and students, making use of our free e-Bug educational resource and the digital badging website Make Waves.
Junior and Family Antibiotic Guardian have been developed in collaboration with Makewaves, for children, young people and their families/carers to complete tasks and earn badges.
Though the badges have been designed to coincide with World Antibiotic Awareness Week in November they are available to be earned all year round.
Junior and Family Antibiotic Guardian make use of e-bug; free online resources which provide educational material on microbes.
They also cover infection control and antibiotics and include pages dedicated to both teachers and students, broken down into material suitable for juniors and seniors. These include:
-Interactive games
-Online quizzes
-Lesson plans
-Handouts for students
-A homepage for teachers including links to training modules for educators
-Resources for running a community based course on microbes
Many schools are registered with Make Waves, but if yours isn’t, you can sign up easily online. Any questions about joining the Academy or earning these badges can be emailed to hello@makewav.es.
What can you do next?
As an educator, you can choose a pledge and sign up to become an Antibiotic Guardian yourself and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
You can also register your activity with us if your school plans on joining in with Junior Antibiotic Guardian by filling out this online form.
Dental survey of 5 year olds
Public Health England Dental Public Health Intelligence Programme.
National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: Oral Health of five year old children 2016-2017
We are seeking your support for our NHS colleagues who will be carrying out the dental survey of five year old children over the next school year.
Tooth decay is a preventable disease. Toothache can cause pain, infection, difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising and impacts on school readiness and school absence. Extraction of teeth under general anaesthetic remains one of the most common reasons for children to be admitted to hospital.
The national surveys provide benchmarking data that may be used by Local Authorities to plan and commission oral health improvement interventions and evaluate them. The surveys also inform national policy.
We have passed on your details to the very experienced local dental team at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (Warwickshire Special Care Dental Service) who will be undertaking the survey. They will be selecting schools at random to participate in the survey; if your school is selected they will make contact in due course. They will be able to discuss the practicalities of the survey including the process for consent for each child, and how to make it an enjoyable and positive experience for all involved.
We would be very grateful for your cooperation and support with this survey as the data collected will be very useful locally. If you have any questions about the survey, please direct them to the dental team (contact details below) in the first instance.
Warwickshire Special Care Dental Service,
Whitnash Lodge,
Leamington Hospital
Heathcote Lane,
Warwick
CV34 6SR
Tel: 01926 317778
Are you anxious, down or struggling to cope?
Big White Wall is a free 24/7 online support service, here to help people living in Warwickshire
It’s a fact that one in four of us will experience anxiety, depression or other common mental health problem during our lives. We also know that talking about it can be difficult. But people no longer have to struggle alone. Whether you’re dealing with a mental health issue or just feel burdened by everyday worries or concerns, Big White Wall provides safe, anonymous online support 24/7 to people living in Warwickshire.
Big White Wall provides a supportive, online community to give help when you’re feeling down. Trained counsellors are available 24/7, and there’s a choice of safe therapeutic services, including self-help courses, also accessible online. So anyone who may be struggling can get support at a time that suits them, from the comfort of their own home.
Big White Wall is available free in Warwickshire, funded by Warwickshire County Council. Residents can simply go to www.bigwhitewall.com and enter their Warwickshire postcode to join.
New videos for parents talking to teenagers about relationships and sexual health
Warwickshire County Council’s Respect Yourself has launched three new videos to help parents talk to their teenagers about relationships and sexual health respectyourself.info/parents/talking-to-your-children/.
The Respect Yourself programme aims to give young people the power to make positive, informed decisions about their relationships and sexual health. Volunteers help to develop content for the website.The young people who volunteer are vital to making Respect Yourself a success; they give their time freely and are motivated to improve things for others.
Recently, volunteers have turned their attention to improving information in the ‘parent’ section of the website. This includes the three videos:
- Talking to young people about sexting
- Talking to your child about sex and relationships
- What you need to know about child sexual exploitation (CSE)
The tips in the videos include advice such as treating questions about sex and relationships seriously, and praising your children for asking you for information. They do not tell parents what they should or shouldn’t do, but are packed with practical information which they may find useful when talking to their children on this subject.
To watch the videos, or find out more information about Respect Yourself, visit: respectyourself.info/parents/talking-to-your-children/.
You can also download the leaflet ‘Talking to your children about relationships and sex’ at: apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-859-136.
Kenilworth students join dementia friendly campaign
A group of over 200 sixth form students from Kenilworth School and Sixth Form became ‘Dementia Friends’ recently, as part of a campaign to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding around the condition.
The group attended a free one-hour Information Session delivered at Kenilworth School run by local Dementia Friends Champions, Keeley Waldron and Claire Taylor.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition. The charity wants there to be four million Dementia Friends with the know-how to help people with dementia feel understood and included in their community.
There are currently 850,000 people living with the condition in England.
Raising awareness of dementia, creating dementia friendly communities and supporting people to live well with dementia are key aims of Warwickshire’s Living Well with Dementia Strategy (2016-2019). To support people to live well with dementia and to raise awareness and understanding of the condition, Warwickshire County Council and partners are aiming to create 30,000 Dementia Friends across Warwickshire by 2019.
If other schools or colleges (or any other organisation) are interested in hosting a one hour information session, please contact Keeley Waldron from the Alzheimer’s Society for more information Keeley.Waldron@alzheimers.org.uk
For further information or to become a Dementia Friend online, go to dementiafriends.org.uk
For support for people living with Dementia in Warwickshire, visit:warwickshire.gov.uk/dementia
Change4Life will be launching an exciting new healthy eating campaign in early January 2017
School resources
Every primary school that is part of the School Fruit and Veg Scheme (SFVS) will receive new healthy eating teaching packs from early January. These schools will also receive copies of the consumer pack for pupils to take home in their book bags. The SFVS list of primary schools will be available on the CRC in the School Zone section from early December.
The teaching packs have been designed for Key Stage 1 and 2 and include lesson plans, assembly presentations and suggestions for how to get the whole school involved. Teachers will be able to download further copies in January directly from the School Zone.
Our latest teacher newsletter is available here for you to share with your school networks, letting them know the new teaching packs are coming.
Please let us know if you have any questions, and thank you for your support.
The PHE Partnerships Team
partnerships@phe.gov.uk
Schools and settings in the news
Warwickshire school children perform in the National Shakespeare Schools Festival
On 22 November, Warwickshire schools performed at Warwick Arts Centre as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF): the world's largest youth drama festival. The festival itself has 30,000 young people from 1,132 schools involved as either performers, backstage technicians, or student directors.
Above: Claverdon Primary School performing Romeo and Juliet
Claverdon Primary School, completed their journey with the Shakespeare Schools Festival with a very successful 30 minute production of Romeo and Juliet (using original Shakespearean language). They had an acting cast of 30 with two technical students involved in creating and implementing the lighting effects for their performance. Children and staff worked on the project over several months, allocating some time each week to creating their version of the play.
Rebecca said, "I was really nervous before, but now I would do it all over again. It has boosted my confidence."
Henry said, "It was really inspiring to be given tips by a professional director and actor."
All the staff and children enjoyed being involved in the project, it has helped the children grow closer together in the way they work and interact and all have gained confidence.
Shipston Primary and Brailes C of E Primary performed their version of The Tempest in a joint collaboration.
Alec, 9 years old from Brailes, who played the lead role of Prospero said, "If we could, I would do that again right now because I had an extraordinary time."
Above: Shipston and Brailes performing The Tempest
Audiences also enjoyed productions of Antony & Cleopatra from Round Oak Special School and A Midsummer Night’s Dream from Shrubland Street Primary.
Round Oak Broad Spectrum School put on a performance that won great praise from resident SSF director Matt who said the skillful use of costumes and lighting reminded him of a Hollywood epic movie. He also commended the use of a filmed extract, a new innovation in his experience of the Shakespeare Schools Festival. The pupils, who ranged in age from 14 to 18, had a wonderful day:
"I had lots of fun and had a great time” Lauren
“I enjoyed the acting warm ups” Connor
Shrubland Street Primary School have participated in the Shakespeare Schools Festival for the past three years using Shakespeare as a focus for the Year 5 English curriculum. Deputy Head Teacher Mr Wright explains 'It gives the children a great opportunity to learn about Shakespeare and get to grips with some of the language. All of the children love the experience of performing at an iconic venue and you certainly get to see a different side of some children'.
'I just loved working together with my classmates in a different place' Josh
'All the music and the lights and being on stage was awesome' Freya
Over 1/4 million young people have taken part in Shakespeare Schools Festival since it began 16 years ago. For further information visit: http://www.ssf.uk.com
Google expedition visits Claverdon School
On Wednesday 23rd November Claverdon pupils explored the Pyramids, wandered around our Capital City, discovered Roman ruins, and experienced a lunar landing. This was the Google Expedition Experience.
To join the Google Expedition experience, a box arrives in school with everything you need to travel: a tablet for the teacher, and cardboard viewers and phones for every student. Next, the teacher selects a destination, and the entire classroom jumps there automatically. You could be in Petra strolling through the ancient city; you could be flying through the universe observing the planets or in the middle of a volcano. You feel as if you are right there! The virtual reality is just amazing as it is so vivid and dramatic.
Children’s imaginations are fired by such memorable experiences. The teacher is in control of the setting using an IPad but children choose where they look. On Wednesday Claverdon pupils explored the Pyramids, wandered around our Capital City, discovered Roman ruins, and experienced a lunar landing.
While nothing replaces hopping on the bus for a field trip, Expeditions enables teachers to take their classes on virtual reality trips around the world, providing an unparalleled opportunity for supplemental learning. This technology immerses pupils in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and gives pupils a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas of 3D images and video and ambient sounds, all annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.
Claverdon children had an excellent day and were truly immersed in the experience of going round the world with virtual reality. Sienna (Y6) said ‘I really enjoyed it because it felt like I was actually there instead of in our school hall’; Chloe (Y6) added ‘It felt like you were there in real life’. All the children learned a lot whilst having lots of fun, Stefan (Y3) said ‘I thought it was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed it’
This technology immerses students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and gives students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas of 3D images and video and ambient sounds, all annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.
This technology immerses students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and gives students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas of 3D images and video and ambient sounds, all annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.
Quick news round up
Sydenham Primary School
All 330 pupils at the school contributed to the production of their own storybook 'The Unique Unicorn' with the help of children’s author Lee Sterrey. The book has received a special commendation in the 2016 Arts & Minds competition - an annual UK-wide competition aimed at promoting race equality and diversity in schools.
Bishopton Primary School
The school has undergone a £2.7m expansion to become a two form entry school and increase its potential pupil intake to 420. The expansion includes an enlargement of the current assembly hall, a new area of car parking and eight additional classrooms.
If you have any news you’d like to share in Heads Up, please send it to schoolpartnerships@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Training
Free KS3/KS4 MFL (French, German, Spanish and Mandarin) teacher subject specialism training
We are offering a fantastic opportunity for non-specialist KS3/KS4 MFL teachers to attend a fully-funded Teacher Subject Specialism Training (TSST) course in Modern Foreign Languages offered by Birmingham City University in conjunction with Lawrence Sheriff School.
This training is delivered free of cost to participants.
This includes:
- non-specialist teachers who could potentially teach a relevant subject in addition to their main subject
- non-specialist teachers who are currently teaching a relevant subject either full-time or in addition to their specialist subject
- teachers looking to return to the profession
- language specialists who aren’t currently teaching MFL
- language specialists who could potentially teach an additional language
For more information please click here
CPR and Defibrillator training for schools and colleges
*FOR SCHOOLS IN THE WARWICK, LEAMINGTON AND KENILWORTH AREA ONLY*
Warwickshire Hearts is a collaborative project between Warwick District Community First Responders, Waterside Medical Centre and Evelyn’s Gift. It is the first initiative of its kind in Warwickshire and the aim of the project is to improve survival rates from cardiac arrest in our community. The UK currently has poor survival rates, compared with other countries in Europe.
All schools in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth are invited to join the initiative to provide training in emergency life-support skills to young people and adults. We have already trained more than 1800 people, and the training is available to Year 5 and 6 pupils, secondary school and college students, as well as parents and staff.
Some of the groups trained, or scheduled to be trained, include:
- Year 6 pupils (as part of the PHSE curriculum), parents and staff at local primary schools: Coten End, Barford St Peter’s, Brookhurst, All Saints, St Mary’s Immaculate, Milverton, Woodloes, Alveston, St Anthony’s, Telford, Wellesbourne, Fenny Compton and Bishops Tachbrook
- Sixth forms – Myton, Heart of England, Kenilworth, Campion
- GP practices – patients at Waterside Medical Centre, the New Dispensary, Kineton, Tysoe and Fenny Compton
- Students at Warwickshire College
- Staff at Warwickshire County Council
- Free Radio station, Beehive Nursery, numerous local Scout & Guide Groups, Riding for the Disabled and many other local Community Groups
The sessions are run by qualified, enhanced DBS checked trainers and cover a range of emergency life-support skills including;
- dealing with an unconscious casualty
- cardiac arrest in adults and children – CPR
- suspected heart attack
- defibrillator training
The sessions take 60 - 90 minutes, depending on the age group. Individuals only need to attend one session.
The Warwickshire Hearts scheme is a charitable programme and so no charge is made for the training. However, donations from groups or attendees will go towards the charitable work of Warwick District Community First Responders. Donations can be made through our website: www.warwickshirehearts.org
If you would like to book a course, visit www.warwickshirehearts.org and click on the ‘Training’ tab. Click on ‘Contact us’ if you require further information.
Tuesday 31st January 2017- Museum open afternoon
All teachers and classroom assistants are invited to an informal information session on Tuesday 31st January from 3.00pm to 6.00pm (drop in anytime).
Visit the Fusilier Museum on the first floor of St. John’s House in Warwick for an introduction to the educational activities we can offer schools.
See the unique collection of artefacts, photos and documents detailing the rich history of the Regiment that spans from 1674 to today.
Find out about bringing groups to the museum and how to borrow the handling collection.
Meet the staff and volunteers and have a look around the museum displays. Light refreshments will be provided. Free parking is available on-site.
We look forward to welcoming you. There is no need to book.
If you require any further information please contact Stephanie Bennett.
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum (Royal Warwickshire)
St. John’s House,
Warwick,
CV3 4NF
Tel 01926 491653
e-mail: rrfmuseum@hotmail.co.uk