Dear colleagues, 

Hello and welcome to this week’s Heads Up.

There has been a discernible shift in the prevalence of Covid in recent weeks with many parts of the country going into tighter restrictions. It is a worrying backdrop for us all as we continue to recover and reintegrate education into our children and young people’s daily routines.

Key, of course, to averting the need for additional measures is keeping the rate of transmission down.  So far, our risk assessment and plans for school settings have been tried, tested and are showing themselves to be robust and effective.

We know there are going to be instances where someone in a school setting tests positive and there will be the need for groups to return home and self-isolate; but we are in the middle of a pandemic during which time, our level of attendance is high and above 90% on most days.  That is an incredible achievement and we are well placed compared to the national average in having such a high level of attendance.

One area where we need to be more effective is in controlling the spread of the virus on the journeys to and from our schools on public transport. To that end, we are issuing guidance around how children need to conduct themselves on school transport.  It is critical, that pupils sit on the same seat each journey, not only in terms of helping to manage the transmission of the virus but also in controlling the numbers of passengers having to self-isolate should there be a positive test. Please keep sharing and reinforcing this message with your children, and their parents/carers.

Away from Covid-related matters, there has been some excellent items of news this week.  As part of the ongoing Education Sufficiency workstream a new Science and Maths block was handed over to Campion School in Leamington.

This new addition to the school is a key part of securing the long-term availability of secondary school places in the Leamington and Warwick area and which also mirrors a further good news story.  A new resource for alternative provision is being established at Henley in Arden CofE Primary School which will allow 14 pupils with SEMH to attend a mainstream setting and, where appropriate, to be supported with spending some time in the mainstream school.  

That is a positive move forwards in increasing our SEND offer.  Not only does it give a local setting for the children but also provides an inclusive education. This is a real win-win for all involved.  This will provide better outcomes for all so this really is a case of doing something better as well as being more cost-effective.

That’s all from me for this week.  In the Briefing for education leaders next Monday, there will be mention of the need for filling in a Microsoft form for recording pupils’ absence due to Covid. There will also be information on the arrangements for Ofsted Visits. Please, be sure to look out for those items. 

Important! Over this weekend, if you have an urgent Covid enquiry please contact the DfE Coronavirus Hotline or, for more local support, DPH Admin will be your port of call.  We are reviewing how we best provide out of hours cover but for this weekend, that will be the process.

Speaking of weekend, please enjoy it and do rest and recharge.  We are past the six-month period in the pandemic where we are told fatigue can be more of a factor, so I urge you to take time to look after yourselves.

Best wishes

Ian Budd

Assistant Director for Education Services