Launch of new Early Years Aspiration Networks

The County Council has commissioned the Warwickshire Teaching School Alliance to lead on the launch and running of 14 new Early Years Aspiration Networks across the county.  

They will be linked to consortia groups and also incorporate day care settings. The overarching aim is professional development and they will be data driven to focus on closing gaps and meeting the specific needs of localities.  The networks will be launching in the spring term and information will be sent out shortly with more details.  

Please do look out for this and pass key messages on to your Early Years staff.

Consultation on new SEND and Inclusion Strategy

The Warwickshire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) & Inclusion Strategy has been revised to reflect current challenges and to set out a new vision for learners with SEND in Warwickshire.

A public consultation will take place on the new draft strategy between 12 November and 21 December 2018. Responses will be invited from a wide range of partners and stakeholders across the education sector and the results will inform the final decision about the vision and key targets for the new SEND & Inclusion Strategy 2019-2023.

More information will be going out to educational settings in the next week, including a leaflet to share with parents and learners.

There will be a variety of ways to respond to the consultation including an online questionnaire and drop-in sessions at various schools around the county. A children and young person's survey will also be made available for settings to use.

Please look out for further information on the launch of the consultation, including a link to the draft strategy and online questionnaire in next week's Heads Up.

Strategic Lead for SEND and Inclusion

After 24 years with Warwickshire County Council, Pat Tate is leaving her post as Strategic Lead for Special, Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion on the 18th February to undertake independent SEND consultancy work. Pat remains passionate about children with SEND and support for their families and schools but is keen, as she reaches a certain age, to recalibrate her work life balance.

My respect for Pat has grown and grown through the last year; she is highly principled and holds outcomes for children and young people at the very heart of all her work. Typical of Pat's dedication is her desire to provide strong transition for her teams into the 'new world' that 2019 will bring.

Thank you Pat for all those years of insightful hard work, which are very much appreciated. 

Chris Malone

Covering the role of Assistant Director Education Services

DfE guidance relating to parental responsibility updated

We work closely with schools and in terms of sharing the right information we need to ensure we record the correct parent details and child surname for our families. This ensures we can follow a child's journey and not risk missing information and safeguarding issues.

The Department for Education (DfE) recently updated guidance related to names and parental responsibility. This helps schools to understand their obligations and duties in relation to the rights and responsibilities of parents, as recognised by education law:

Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility - updated DfE guidance

We would encourage all school staff and governing bodies to be made aware of this new guidance.

National funding opportunities to support curriculum development

Deadlines are imminent for a number of national grants available to support different subject areas in schools.

Primary and Secondary - Chemistry

The Royal Society of Chemistry has grants of up to £1,000 available for primary or secondary schools to promote chemistry outside of the usual timetabled science activities. 

The next application deadline is 15 November 2018 (there are 4 deadlines each year: 15 February, 15 May, 15 August and 15 November).

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Primary and Secondary - Mathematics

The London Mathematical Society has grants of up to £400 available to facilitate professional development for teachers of mathematics from primary up to A Level or equivalent. The grant can help to cover attendance costs at one or two-day conference and training events and can also be used to cover the cost of external trainers visiting schools.

The next application deadline is 30 November 2018 (there are 4 deadlines each year: 31 January, 30 April, 31 August and 30 November).  

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Primary - Arts

Grants are available to primary schools from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund to support the development of effective arts-based teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom. 

The Foundation expects to make around five grants of up to £150,000 each year to promote partnerships between arts/cultural organisations and up to ten primary schools (minimum of 5), who will commit to work together for two academic years. 

The latest application round is now open for projects beginning in September 2019 and closes on Wednesday 5 December 2018 at 12pm. The Fund has one deadline per year.

A new national plan for RE: Religion and World Views the way forward

The Commission on Religious Education Final Report (known as the CoRE Report) was published recently and attracted some attention from mainstream media and MPs. It sets out the current state of Religious Education (RE) provision for the nation, as well as recommendations on what needs to happen to improve outcomes for pupils and CPD for teachers.

RE subject knowledge for trainee teachers and existing staff is a key factor in the report, alongside ensuring adequate teaching time is allocated to the teaching of RE within a broad and balanced curriculum. As well as the broadening of the name of the subject to ‘Religion and World Views’, to include non-religious world views such as Humanism, Secularism and Atheism.

We would encourage you to read the executive summary available on the Commission on RE website, along with the final report and a short animation explaining the vision of the Commission.

We want to hear your views

SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) are very interested in hearing your views on the report. Please send any comments you have to: sacre@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Warwickshire secondary school teacher wins national award

Romayne Charles of Higham Lane School, Nuneaton has won Secondary School Teacher of the Year at the Pearson Teaching Awards which was held at The Brewery, London. The event was hosted by BBC presenters Anita Rani and Sean Fletcher, and was aired on BBC Two on Sunday 28 October. The programme ‘Britain’s Classroom Heroes’ includes a short film about Romayne and her excellent work and is available until 25 November on BBC iPlayer.

Romayne Charles is subject leader for Social Sciences at Higham Lane School, and has been teaching there for seven and a half years.

The Pearson Teaching Awards celebrates outstanding teaching across the UK, and gold winners are nominated for awards by pupils, parents and colleagues. The awards celebrated their 20th anniversary this year, where 13 teachers and schools were celebrated as gold winners for their outstanding work in education.

Councillor Colin Hayfield, Portfolio Holder for Education and Learning, said “We are very proud of Romayne Charles’ great achievement in winning this prestigious teaching award. In Warwickshire we put children at the heart of all that we do and inspirational teachers like Romayne are a huge part of this.”

Latest news from the Department for Education (DfE)

1. Chancellor announces £400 million 'in-year bonus' for schools

In last week's autumn budget statement the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that a one-off fund of £400 million has been set aside to pay for school equipment and facilities.  This will amount to an average payout of £10,000 per primary school and £50,000 per secondary school. 

Budget 2018 - Summary of announcements (Ref. 14)

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2. Condition Improvement Fund

The 2019-20 funding round for the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is now open to applications from eligible academies. The Fund provides an opportunity for academies and sixth form colleges to apply for capital funding to address significant condition need. This includes funding projects to address health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building condition.

Academies or sixth-form colleges rated good or outstanding by Ofsted can also apply for funding available to support a small proportion of expansion projects. 

New applicants must register to use the CIF portal by 5pm on 30 November 2018.

To find out more and apply:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund

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3. Ten new buying deals for schools

The Schools Commercial Team (SCT) within the DfE has reviewed a wide range of deals to ensure they are compliant with procurement regulations, are suitable and value for money. The review has also taken into account feedback from schools already using the deals.

The recommended list now includes deals in four new categories: leasing services, legal services, office supplies and professional services. New deals have also been added to existing categories.

For a full list of recommended deals visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deals-for-schools/deals-for-schools

Multi-million pound boost to prepare for T Levels

Two new funding initiatives have recently been announced to prepare for the roll-out of T Levels in 2020:

• An £8 million funding initiative was announced on 7 November to provide teachers with an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge to ensure they understand the new qualifications and to update their subject and industry knowledge. More information is available on the Gov.uk website.

• £38 million will be made available to the first providers of T Levels for cutting edge equipment and facilities for pupils taking the new technical qualifications from 2020. Read more in this article on the TES website.

The first three T Levels to be introduced will be in the areas of Digital, Construction and Education and Childcare. The courses will provide young people with a choice between technical and academic education post-16 and will be taught for the first time from September 2020. The new qualifications will give young people the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace as well as helping to meet the demands of the economy. 

A short video from the Department for Education summarises the benefits of T Levels:

T Levels YouTube video