Celebrating Warwickshire’s Family of Schools
Early Career Teachers
Dear colleagues,
As you know the role of the Appropriate Body (AB) moves to the Teaching School Hubs from September 2023 for all new ECTs.
Warwickshire will continue to offer AB services for those ECTs who are already signed up with us until 31st August 2024, allowing the ECTs to compete their 2-year induction programme with the same AB that they start with.
All new ECTS from now onwards must be registered with one of the national Teaching School Hubs to act as their AB. For Warwickshire, these are:
If you are part of a MAT or Trust, then this may be with another Teaching School Hub as advised by your team.
It is not a requirement to transfer any ECTs midway through their induction.
Teaching School Hub Appropriate Body Services on offer to Warwickshire Schools
The DfE intend to reform the AB sector so that Teaching School Hubs (TSHs) will become the main providers of AB services and Local Authorities will no longer carry out this role. This will bring clearer accountability, and greater consistency and quality of service for schools through a smaller, more regulated AB sector. This reform is expected to commence for ECTs starting in September 2023.
Three Teaching school Hubs service Warwickshire and we work in collaboration to support schools across the county to access high quality provision and services. We hope this information supports schools to access Appropriate Body services, particularly where they already engage with the Early Career Framework services from the Teaching School Hubs.
When schools access both ECF and AB services, schools report a simpler and more efficient process for supporting their ECTs and within the Teaching School Hubs our staff can understand both the professional development and assessment offers ECTs experience, with the same Hub team personnel supporting both the ECT and leaders in schools – essentially having one port of call makes our services more streamlined for schools and ECTs.
Please read more here.
Appropriate body reforms; Briefing Pack for ABs to share information with schools
This information pack is to help ABs provide schools with the information they need about what is changing with local AB services, and any choices school leaders and induction tutors may need to make about how they access AB services in the future to support the induction of ECTs.
Download the pack here.
Have you employed an Early Career Teacher?
Find out more about the statutory entitlements you need to provide. Including the provision of an Appropriate Body Service and an ECF Based induction.
One opportunity is the John Taylor Teaching School Hub’s fully funded Early Career Framework offer from the Education Development Trust, for schools in East Staffs, Lichfield, Cannock and Tamworth.
Headteachers, school leaders and Induction Tutors can sign up to one of our free Webinars here - https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/ecf-and-ab-webinar-2231719
Talking about School Transitions - Warwickshire Educational Psychology Service guide for parents and carers
Warwickshire Educational Psychology Service (EPS) have created a series of short webinars for parent and carers to support their child through key school transitions: Nursery to Reception, Year 6 to Year 7 and Year 11 to Post 16.
The webinars provide advice and suggestions of things to do before the transition, what to do on the first day and how to manage the subsequent weeks after transferring.
Alongside the Educational Psychologist are Warwickshire school practitioners, sharing their first-hand advice and tips on how to support a smooth transition for all children.
Gemma Gough and Sarah Healy, Specialist Senior Educational Psychologists commented that “Creating these videos have been a great way for Warwickshire EPS to support our local parents and carers at a time that can be full of new experiences and changes for many families. We hope that these short and easy to access videos will help parents and carers to feel reassured and better prepared ahead of their children making these school moves".
The webinars are available to watch on: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/educationalpsychology
Please do signpost and share with families where you feel this would be beneficial.
Applying for Secondary School event for Parents/Carers
Please can you share the details of this event with Year 5 parents and carers? Hosted by the WCC admissions team, it will give them advice and guidance on choosing and applying for their child’s 2024 secondary school place. You’re welcome to copy/paste the paragraph below and use in your parent communications:
If you are the parent or carer of a child in Year 5 who is expected to move to secondary school in September 2024, you'll need to apply for their Year 7 place in the autumn - the deadline is Tuesday 31 October.
Join this online event on Thursday 13 July at 7pm and hear directly from the admissions team who manage the applications process, who will share advice and guidance on how to choose your preferred schools and submit a successful application. There will be an opportunity to ask questions during the event and it will also be recording, so that if you can't join us on the day, you can watch it later on the Warwickshire County Council YouTube channel.
Book your place at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/applying-for-secondary-school-in-warwickshire-tickets-650708555807
In-Year Admissions Updates
If you are involved in managing In-Year admissions – when parents and carers want their child to change school outside of the usual transfer process – then please join us on Thursday 29 June at 11am for an In-Year webinar.
During the event, the WCC Admissions team will share the latest updates and news on how we are managing In-year applications and set out the role that you have to play in the process. You’ll also have a chance to ask any questions of the team.
Book your place here.
The event will be recorded and sent to those unable to join on the day.
Primary Leadership NPQs
Secondary Leadership NPQs
Information on fully funded NPQs through TSHs
Fully funded NPQs are available through TSHs. In the Tudor Grange Teaching School Hub region, are now recruiting for the NPQs, commencing in October 2023. They are offering a full range, and this may be the last year that they are fully funded.
This year, there is extra funding available too:
Schools can receive a grant for each teacher or leader they employ who takes an NPQ in the 2023 to 2024 academic year:
- state-funded primary schools with one to 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £800
- state-funded primary schools with more than 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200
- state-funded secondary schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational settings with one to 600 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200
LSEH Newsletter
Please find here the latest edition of the Little Sutton English Hub newsletter
Training course by Warwickshire SLS
Warwickshire Schools Library Service are running their popular, 'Help, I'm running the library!' course on Tuesday 26th September, from 9.30am to 12.30pm. This is suitable for any school staff or parent volunteers responsible for running their primary or secondary school library. Here are just a few comments from previous participants:
'Was just so nice to listen to people so knowledgeable with real solutions as I just don’t have time to do all that research on top of my job.'
'I have been inspired to think about how I can improve my library and what is important in there.'
'It was very useful discussing with other schools what their library looked like and included as it made me reflect on our library and what my next steps should be.'
Climate Change Posters for Your School
WCC have created this fantastic set of four posters to raise awareness of some of the impacts and causes of climate change, and to show some of the ways that we can all play our part in living in a more sustainable way.
Look out for the free copies which will be sent to Warwickshire schools over the next couple of weeks to tie in with Big Green Week (10th – 18th June). We hope you can find somewhere to display them in your school, and that they prompt some good discussions with staff and students.
Download the poster here.
Download the poster here.
Download the poster here.
Download the posters here./img/781f7787/
Refugee Week 19 June - 25 June 2023
Every year, hard working teachers and educators across the world plan fantastic activities to celebrate Refugee Week to help children and young people develop a greater understanding and compassion towards refugee experiences that their students can carry into their adult lives.
There are lots of ways schools and educators have taken part, from holding assemblies to dedicated lessons, to creative activities or even launching longer-term projects.
Refugee Week is an annual festival that celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of people seeking sanctuary. It’s been running in the UK since 1998 and is always the week of World Refugee Day (20 June).
This year is a big one as it’s our 25th Anniversary. Our theme is compassion and we invite everyone to celebrate what compassion looks like in action.
This pack - Refugee Week 2023: Children & Young People’s Pack has a range of activity ideas and resources for children of all ages that can be explored at school, home or community settings. There is also a range of family-friendly events taking place around the country. Find out what’s near you!
If your school is organising any activity and would like to share please let us know by emailing headsup@warwickshire.gov.uk If you have any photos you can share, please send those too!
Read about the Warwickshire teachers' volunteering experience with Care4Calais in this article written by Nikki Ajibade (Joint Senior Lead Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service [EMTAS] in Education & Learning).
Visit the Knife Angel monument in Nuneaton this June
The poignant Knife Angel sculpture was unveiled in Market Place, Nuneaton on Thursday 1 June at 7pm. Made from 100,000 seized blades, the sculpture was created by Clive Knowles from the British Iron Works to highlight the negative effects of violent behaviour, while also being a beautiful memorial designed to celebrate the lives that have been lost.
The Knife Angel will be in place throughout the month of June. Schools are encouraged to take students to visit the monument and start important conversations about the consequences of carrying a knife, with the hopes this will take us one step closer to achieving our objective of being a truly child-friendly Warwickshire, where every child can grow up safely and without fear of violence.
Visitors to the monument are invited to leave messages of remembrance, which will be displayed on the fence that surrounds it. Message tags can be collected on market days between 10am until 2pm from the NABSCOP (Nuneaton and Bedworth Safer Communities Partnership) stall, where community safety items will also be distributed on Wednesdays.
Those with an interest in photography at any level are also invited to enter the Knife Angel Photography Competition. The competition offers individuals the chance to get creative behind the lens and take a great picture of the nationally famous Knife Angel, with the winner receiving the coveted Knife Angel trophy.
If you do take a class to visit, WCC would love to hear about it – please email charlottepacaud@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Photo credit: British Iron Works
Leamington Spa Library Home Education Fire Safety Session
Save the Date: HOT Conference 2023, 24 October
The West Midlands Employers are organising a HOT Conference on 24th October @ The Studio in Birmingham.
Addressing the recruitment and retention challenge in local government and the wider public sector by cultivating an environment of acceptance and belonging, positioning the sector as an inclusive employer of choice.
Please find here more information.
SACRE annual report 2021-2022
The latest annual report on the work of Warwickshire Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) has recently been published and is available to read on the SACRE website SACRE Annual report
SACRE is a statutory body convened by the Local Authority (LA) to offer advice in relation to quality, standards and progress of Religious Education and Collective Worship in community schools.
It is a statutory requirement that SACRE produces an annual report by 31st December each calendar year detailing their activities. The report must be sent to the Secretary of State for Education as well as to key partners, including schools and councillors.
The main purpose of the report is to hold the LA to account, by informing the Secretary of State and key partners what advice SACRE gave the LA during the year and how that was responded to. This includes advice on RE and Collective Worship in those schools for which the LA has responsibility.
You can find more information about the work of the group on the SACRE website