Provisional Headline Results for 2016

Primary Assessment Results

Congratulations to Warwickshire’s pupils and teachers on another successful year of assessment results.

EYFSP – The percentage of pupils achieving a good level of development increased again in 2016 with 71% of Warwickshire’s pupils achieving this measure. This is up 4 percentage points (ppts) on last years result for Warwickshire and 2ppts up on the National 2016 average currently standing at 69%.

Phonics Year 1 – A similar upwards trend has been seen with the percentage of Year 1 pupils in Warwickshire working at or above the required standard in the phonics recoding test. In 2016, this stands at 82%, up 5ppts on Warwickshire’s result last year and 1ppt up on the 2016 National result of 81%.

Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 – 2016 saw the first set of results based on the new KS1 and KS2 curriculums and provisional results show that Warwickshire pupils have achieved well compared to those nationally.

For KS1 – 62% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the expected standard or above in the combined Reading, Writing and Maths measure, 2ppts higher than the current provisional National result of 60%. 12% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the ‘working at greater depth’ standard compared to 9% of pupils nationally for the same Reading, Writing and Maths measure.

For KS2 – 57% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the expected standard or above in the combined Reading, Writing and Maths measure, 5ppts higher than the current provisional National result of 52%. 8% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the ‘working at greater depth/high’ standard compared to 5% of pupils nationally for the same Reading, Writing and Maths measure.

Progress data is not yet available to the Local Authority. You can view your schools progress data via the KS2 Performance Tables checking exercise website: https://tableschecking.education.gov.uk/

Please look out for an e-mail from our Business Intelligence team (businessintelligence@warwickshire.gov.uk) containing your school and consortium data position statements. These contain the latest 2016 results for your school.

Please note that all 2016 results are still provisional and could be subject to minor changes. Further analysis of individual subjects, published National and other benchmarking data will be made available by the DfE during the Autumn term.

 

Secondary Examination Results

Thank you to all secondary schools and academies that posted results on both examination result days in August. Congratulations go to all Warwickshire pupils and teachers for the success that was achieved.

Key Stage 4 - Based on an 89% response rate (31 school results), 68% of Warwickshire pupils achieved A*-C in English and Maths, up 5ppts on last years result. Warwickshire’s average Attainment 8 score currently stands at 51.1 equating to an average grade of C. The percentage of Warwickshire pupils achieving the EBacc stands at 28%, 1ppt up on the 2015 result.

Progress 8 data is not yet available to the Local Authority. These results will be made available by the DfE later in the Autumn term. They will also publish provisional KS4 results on their statistics website mid-October time.

Post 16 - Based on an 85% response rate (23 school and college results), 16% of Warwickshire students achieved the AAB or higher standard in at least 2 facilitating subjects up 3ppts on last years result. 95% of Warwickshire students achieved at least 2 A*-E grades, the same as last year. The average A Level grade achieved was a C.54% of Warwickshire students achieved at least 2 substantial vocational qualifications with an average grade of Distinction.

There is no national KS4 or Post 16 data available at this point.

Please note that all 2016 results are still very provisional and will be subject to change. Published National and other benchmarking data will be made available by the DfE during the Autumn term.

Launch of the Smart Start Strategy

Colleagues in Public Health would like to make schools aware of the new Smart Start Strategy setting out how we will help children in Warwickshire to have the best possible start in life.

They would also like to ask if schools can help to collect information on existing or emerging initiatives and projects that contribute to the delivery of the strategy and agreed work programmes such as:

•  parenting support
•  integrated early help model
•  mental health and wellbeing
•  improvement of early years education
•  community capacity
•  workforce development
•  information governance

These initiatives may range from the excellent work that schools are involved in as well as projects being delivered by others of which we should be aware. Future investment by the Smart Start Programme into larger strategic initiatives will be determined based on this valuable information.

Please could you forward all relevant information to smartstart@warwickshire.gov.uk by 27th September.

Small grants available to give Warwickshire children a smart start

The Smart Start programme is launching its community grant fund making £250,000 available to small local projects in Warwickshire. The fund will support and pilot local creative ideas and grass-roots activity which enables children to get the best start in life and prepares them for school.

The grant can be provided in a one-off payment of £2500 to each initiative or projects can join together in a joint bid to receive a larger amount. In order to bid for the funds, each project must meet one or more of the following priorities:

• Access to learning activities
• Access to play and learn areas and equipment
• Improving the health and wellbeing of children aged 0-5 and their families
• Activities helping to develop parent-child bonding and attachment
• Activities which help children to develop self-help and social skills
• Activities which help parents develop skills to interact with their children and support their development
• Initiatives that support most vulnerable families with 0-5s, including those with special needs, living in isolation and/or from poorer backgrounds

Bids will be considered from organisations and groups who directly support 0-5 families during any time from the moment of conception through to when the child reaches school age. This funding will not support applications to maintain or extend existing or core services provided by the applicant organisation.

For more information on the community grant fund and how to apply please visit the Smart Start website or email smartstart@warwickshire.gov.uk.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 11 November.

School grants for pupil emotional wellbeing

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) would like to offer all schools and educational settings within the Warwickshire area the opportunity to bid for a small grant for early help projects which support the emotional well-being of pupils. This is particularly directed at those which focus on prevention and early intervention and those which build the resilience of children and young people.

The funding is specifically aimed at all schools and educational settings across Warwickshire and is for a maximum of £1,500 per bid.

Please see the application form for further details and how to apply.

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The closing date for funding applications is 5pm Friday 14th October.

Vulnerable Learners Update

The new arrangements for admission into our state funded specialist provision and special schools are starting this month.

They provide a streamlined front door approach rather than the 45 different special school panels that have operated up until now. With the increase in resourced based specialist provisions in Warwickshire, it made sense to pull together the information about criteria and process in one place. All of our special schools including DIscovery Academy and the enhanced resource provisions are included. We hope you find the information about the criteria and process helpful. The county admission panel will meet monthly and you will find the terms of reference in the guidance.  Special school heads are involved as members on a rolling programme and we would welcome volunteers from mainstream schools, especially those with an ERP.

Please contact julieliggett@warwickshire.gov.uk if you would like to be on the rolling membership programme of this or any of the panels. We have found that this usually requires your involvement only two to three times a year.

A copy of the guidance was circulated to all headteachers at the end of last term by email and an electronic version will be available shortly on the SEND Local Offer website. 

Specialist Teaching Services

During 2015/16 commissioning reviews took place across our specialist teaching teams. The SEND reform programme, vulnerable learners strategy and pressures on funding in schools and the local authority drove the change. They ensure that the model of delivering SEND specialist teaching services to schools meets the needs of our population and settings, provides value for money and is evidence based.

This work identified that historic ways of organising support services in specialist silos are no longer fit for purpose. The capacity of settings, schools and their SENCOs have increased significantly, enabling them to meet the needs of a far greater proportion of children and young people in-house.  

External specialist teaching services, on the other hand, are called upon to meet the needs of those with more complex, overlapping conditions, regardless of whether there are diagnoses.  Structures need to be more flexible and the staff equipped to meet this more complex profile. SENCOs value specialist support for their strategic role in ensuring identification, assessment, provision mapping, staff training and coaching, evidencing outcomes is in place in the school.

To ensure the WES delivery model meets the needs of schools, we are seeking head teachers and or SENCOs to join a reference group to guide this work this term. To register an interest or to find out more please contact pattate@warwickshire.gov.uk

Ill Health Team

A report was brought to Schools Forum in December 2015 outlining the need to consider the funding for this team. This was in light of the fact that the team cannot meet its statutory duty with the current DSG funding.  In May 2016 Schools Forum supported the local authority’s preferred option in line with the approach taken by most LAs which was for recouping AWPU if provision was made for the pupil by the Ill Health team for a period exceeding 6 weeks. Thus invoicing the school where the pupil is on roll for the AWPU beyond this time.

There was also a recommendation to implement a pilot of a post-16 service, not as an alternative to the current arrangements but instead an additional service that schools could buy into if they wish to.

During the autumn term the Lead for Ill Health will be writing to all schools with details about the new invoicing arrangements which will commence in 2017.

SEND Training Programme, conferences and SENCO network meetings

The complete menu of events for 2016 -17 have been brought together in the brochure “Training courses for working with vulnerable learners”. These will be hand delivered by VL staff working in your schools in the next couple of weeks.

An electronic version with easy access to booking is available on the WES portal and in future will be in the SENCO section of the SEND Local Offer.

 

Award winning relations with Warwickshire schools

Warwickshire County Council prides itself on being an innovative employer and has recently enjoyed some recognition of its great relationship with local schools. This includes being shortlisted for the Personnel Today Award for Talent Management in supporting Warwickshire Schools. This award recognises the success of Warwickshire schools in their approach to investment in staffing and development.

We have also been shortlisted for the CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) Award for Best Employee Relations Initiative for the Warwickshire family of schools employee relations framework. This demonstrates the success of the consultation framework for academies in supporting positive employee relations and trade union representation.

Even our Apprenticeship Hub has enjoyed recognition. It is a finalist for the CIPD People Management Awards Best Apprenticeship Programme 2016, recognising the outstanding achievement of the organisation.

Previously, we also won the Personnel Today Award for Excellence in Employee Relations in November 2015 and received the judges' Highly Commended Award for Talent Management at the PPMA (Public Sector People Managers Association) Awards in June this year.

Eat well Warwickshire

Warwickshire Waste Management is offering free after-school cookery sessions to help both parents and children develop confidence in the kitchen. The lessons will teach them how to cook easy, healthy and affordable meals from scratch. 

The session will also cover good housekeeping practices including planning meals, sticking to a budget, storing food effectively, understanding food dates and using leftovers.  These simple strategies could save the average family £70 each month on their food bill. 

Sessions will run from 3.30-5.30pm and the meals cooked will be eaten at dinner time.  If you would be interested in running a session at your school or would like more information please contact Ruth Payne on ruthpayne@warwickshire.gov.uk; tel: 01926 418088, or Katey Stoneman on kateystoneman@warwickshire.gov.uk; tel: 01926 412724.

 

 

Water Market opens up for competition

The water market opens up for competition in April 2017 and schools may be approached by third party intermediaries looking to engage with the competitive market. Schools need to ensure they are still compliant with the Public Contract Regulations.

ESPO has published the following briefing:

“Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs)

Customers are likely to be approached by a number of Third Party Intermediaries who will look to be able to engage with the competitive market in a number of ways. In electricity and gas, many customers engage an intermediary to help them fully engage with the market in the hope they will get a better price. Public Sector customers however need to ensure their compliance with the Public Contract Regulations as the spend levels will in most cases exceed the threshold. This is an area where we have regularly seen private sector TPI’s carrying out non compliant tenders where only the companies who will pay them a commission are invited to tender and providing little or no transparency in the way they remunerated. Schools and Academies have been the most common victims of these organisations in the Gas & Electricity markets and have paid fees far in excess of those which will be levied by the Public Sector Buying Organisations.

What can customers expect from the Public Sector Water Group?

The group will put in place a framework for the water services, waste water services, and ancillary goods and services. The latter will include new connections and site-works, metering, demand side management, water conservation and Automatic Meter Reading. Customers will be able to conduct Further Competitions with those who are awarded a place on the framework to choose their future supplier.

What should we do now to prepare for Water Competition?

Customers need to collate a list of their sites and meters in readiness for a Further Competition to take place in early 2017 once suppliers have been awarded a place on the framework. Many organisations will already have concise details of their water portfolio; however some will want to engage with their current water providers to ensure that the list is complete and to ensure that all sites will be captured in the initial tender exercise.”

If you need any further information with regards to this new market please contact Andrew Stanford on 0116 294 4043 or email a.stanford@espo.org.

Fitter Futures Change Makers Course Information October - December 2016

Change Makers is a 9 week healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and physical activity programme. Sessions are delivered in schools, community and sports centres once a week after school.

Change Makers is for…Families with children aged between 4 and 12 years of age. There is an eligibility criteria.

For course dates and more information please click here