Schoolsnet Bulletin Board

We want to make sure that schools are making the most of the free health and wellbeing support currently available for all school staff. Over the next few months, Tim Miles from our Occupational Health team will be contacting you to make sure you know what we are offering and have everything you need to share details with staff.

Applications for Holiday Free School Meal Vouchers for the winter holiday period are now open until midday 6 December. Voucher emails will be sent out on the 13 December.

GCC’s Public Health team, who commission the Pupil Wellbeing Survey and Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL), are keen to hear the views of Secondary School, FE College and Special School staff about what is working well and how these services could be improved for the future.

Reel Education is a whole school enrichment activity based on the national curriculum that aims to encourage children across the country to value Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas. It also aims to get children and their families to consider getting involved in the sport of Angling. 

The referral route into the CAMHS Neurodiversity Team (previously known as the CAMHS Neuro Clinic) within Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust has changed. The Team assess children and young people over the age of 11 for Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

From 2024-25 there will be changes to the way split site funding is allocated within the funding formula for mainstream schools and academies

We are delighted to announce that Rob Coe, from Evidence Based Education (EBE), will be providing the keynote presentation at our Spring Term Headteacher and Governor Network meeting on 26^th January 2023, 10am-12pm on Microsoft Teams.

The deadline to respond to the autism survey for education settings has been extended to the 1^st December 2022

Nice to Meet You is a book from the Sanctuary Foundation welcoming children from Ukraine to life in the UK and is intended to be a treasured momento at an important time in their lives. It includes messages from Ukrainian and British celebrities.

Schools can pre-order the free books online here while stocks last (they come in batches of 20).

Please join us for our event - Exploring the experience of people who are neurodiverse and identify as LGBTQ+: Tuesday 29th November 12.30pm -2pm.

It’s that time of year, when you would normally be completing the Safeguarding Section 175/157 Safeguarding Audit.  Please don’t worry you haven’t missed it! 

The Pupil Wellbeing Survey (PWS) Team at Gloucestershire County Council will be running another Pupilinform database twilight training session on Tuesday 29th November from 16:15-17:30 to help you get the most from your PWS survey results. The session will take place on Microsoft Teams.

Oral health is an important aspect of a child’s overall health status and school readiness.  Children who have toothache or who need treatment may have pain, infections and difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising.  The most common reason for junior school children in England to have a general anaesthetic is for tooth extractions due to dental decay.

Guidance has been published to support maintained schools and academies in England to offer appropriate and supportive provision for transgender pupils.

The Department for Education (DfE) has commissioned IFF Research to run an independent survey exploring how schools are implementing the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance since its introduction in September 2020, and whether this has resulted in more effective PSHE/RSHE for pupils.

Please see below for recent updates including:

• Winter vomiting bug cases rising
• UKHSA South West website containing links to all the resources Education and Childcare Settings need to manage infections this winter.
• Next UKHSA webinar – save the date!

The Mangotsfield English Hub is offering a range of support for the coming term. Please see the attachment below for details of their upcoming events.

The children’s advocacy service provides independent social care advocacy to children in care, disabled children, complaints, and child protection in Gloucestershire. With effect from 1 December 2022, the service will be provided by Reconstruct.

The DfE Pupil Premium Strategy Statement template, and examples, were updated on 27^th October to include reference to the requirement for schools to make sure that their use of pupil premium aligns with the ‘menu of approaches’ (guidance on top of page 1 of template has been amended) and the use of performance data from 2022 (guidance on top of page 5 of template has been amended). 

The guidance states ‘If you are starting a new pupil premium strategy plan, use this blank template. If you are continuing a strategy plan from last academic year, you may prefer to edit your existing statement.’

Let’s Talk is a free NHS service available to provide evidence-based therapies to help with stress, anxiety, depression and related conditions.

Let’s Talk is for all adults aged 18 and above, and you do not need a GP referral. Simply visit www.letstalkglos.nhs.uk or call 0800 073 2200 to see how the service can help you.

Gloucestershire is developing a new Autism Strategy. It is recognised that education settings are an important element of supporting autistic children and young people in our county and so we would like to gather feedback to inform the development of the Strategy.

Oral health is an important aspect of a child’s overall health status and school readiness.  Children who have toothache or who need treatment may have pain, infections and difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising.  The most common reason for junior school children in England to have a general anaesthetic is for tooth extractions due to dental decay.

Your local community dental service has been commissioned to support the National Dental Epidemiology Programme.  This involves an oral health survey of small sample of Year 6 children from primary schools which are randomly selected to take part. 

Further to previous bulletins please can we remind schools about sharing your attendance data through WONDE.  Here are the latest statistics on national data shared by the DfE as part of this developing process.

Pupil attendance in schools, Week 41 2022 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

What is HAF?

The Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF) is a Department for Education funded initiative to provide free activities and food for children in reception to year 11 who are eligible for pupil premium free school meals.

Agreed syllabus review

The current agreed syllabus runs from 2017-2024. However, this has been extended to 2024.

Thank you to those who attended the Attendance Network Meetings, it was good to see so many of you.  As promised the resources can be accessed below, please use them for CPD purposes in school.

A number of schools in Gloucestershire would like to propose reducing their Published Admission Numbers (PANs) with effect from September 2024.

Although the Regulations and Code of Practice relating to school admissions no longer require an admissions authority to consult when maintaining or increasing a school’s PAN, there remains a requirement to consult when the proposal is to reduce a PAN.

To celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the Gloucestershire County Youth Choir we’d like you to help us reach our target of making this a truly county-wide ensemble by having representatives from every Secondary School in the County.  Please nominate asap.

Result of the nominations – Election for a Primary School (Maintained) Headteacher representative.

Gloucestershire’s School Improvement team are delighted to be adding to the existing suite of primary subject leader network meetings for English, mathematics and science by introducing the first foundation subject networks. Initially, these will be for primary music, computing and geography.

Please see below for recent updates including:

• A new website from UKHSA South West with links to all the resources Education and Childcare Settings need to manage infections this winter.
• Information on the secondary school Flu Vaccine roll out.

Next UKHSA webinar – save the date - 17th November 2022.

GM is pleased to offer a managed peripatetic service for instrumental and vocal music lessons. Individual, paired and group lessons are available to your students on a parent portal sign up and direct pay basis.

This is a new newsletter which will share good practice, training and news regarding supporting previously children in care.

Virtual School PLAC Newsletter Autumn 2022

For any queries, please contact Nicola Hopper, Virtual School Education Officer for Previously Children in Care - 07766992025

Gloucestershire’s Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 sets out an ambition to ‘Develop the Local Offer’ of Alternative Provision (AP).  In support of our aim to prioritise transitions into AP Schools we have collaborated with both the Gloucester and Forest and Severn Valley schools to develop and amended the current referral processes’.

Welcome to the Autumn 2022 edition of Children with a Social Worker Newsletter.  Next term , this will be amalgamating  with the PCiC newsletter and become a Virtual School  newsletter, promoting all areas of our work, including UASC and CiC.

An essential summary of recent Ofsted handbook revisions and other key legislation will be provided to facilitate you and your governors with updating your current SEF and planning purposeful revisions throughout the year.  Key messages and strategies for developing your self-evaluation form and aligning it with other key documents will also be explored. 

Gloucestershire’s school improvement team are delighted to be adding to the existing suite of primary subject leader network meetings with primary music, which are being subsidised by the Arts Council.

In partnership with Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum (GPCF), Gloucestershire County Council and the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, we coproduce a newsletter for parents and carers every two months.  Interesting and useful content for professionals also.

Unspent PE and sport premium funding from 2021 to 2022 academic year must be returned to the Department for Education (DfE)

A new poster has been produced which features a QR code to enable quick and easy reporting of hate crime in schools, colleges, and other education settings in Gloucestershire. It can be used to report hate incidents affecting children and young people between reception age, and year 13.

If you have been on the contract with GCC/ West Mercia Energy contract long term (between Oct19 to Mar22) the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will not impact on your electric and gas rates, as the current rates are below the scheme rates of 21.1 p/kWh for electric and 7.5 p/kWh for gas for the majority.

‘Homes for Ukraine’ Education and Childcare Grant Funding

In August, the Local Authority (LA) received its first payment for the provision of education and childcare for children aged 2 to 18 who have entered Gloucestershire via the Homes for Ukraine visa route. Please note that those children and pupils who arrived via the Family Visa Scheme do not qualify for this funding.

End of KS1 and KS2 Assessment and Moderation CPD enables Y2/Y6 teachers to undertake end of KS1/KS2 statutory assessments.

The meeting will enable teachers to:

• understand and follow statutory requirements as set out in the 2023 KS1/KS2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA), including 2023 national curriculum tests; and
• make robust and accurate evidence based teacher assessment judgements in reading, writing, mathematics and science.

Gloucestershire local authority (LA) wishes to appoint new external moderators to complete statutory end of KS1 and KS2 writing moderation in June 2023.  For further information, including the application procedure, please see the attached documents below.

A vacancy has arisen within the Gloucestershire Schools Forum membership for a Primary (Maintained) Headteacher member, and nominations are currently being sought for this seat.

This week, the DfE has confirmed all early years settings, schools and colleges will benefit from a new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which offers a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee for households). A package of support will also be provided for non-domestic consumers who use heating oil or alternative fuels instead of gas, details to follow.

The scheme will run for all businesses and non-domestic customers, including public sector organisations, and applies to energy usage from Saturday 1 October 2022 to Friday 31 March 2023.

Please view the Schools Forum Outcome Report from the meeting held on 15 September 2022.

We are delighted to share that we have received additional funding to extend the FREE Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for ALL schools until 31 March 2023. All school staff across Gloucestershire can access support 24/7 from Health Assured, one of the UK’s leading providers of Employee Assistance

Please find the latest EO&I Structure Chart below. GLOSSI subscribers will be sent the contact details of their named adviser separately. Non GLOSSI subscribers can email for guidance on matters of statutory advice e.g. safeguarding and statutory assessment arrangements via Glossi@gloucestershire.gov.uk where one of the team will respond to your enquiry.

The Regional Schools Commissioner has approved the Academy Trust that will sponsor the new primary aged special school to open in Stroud in September 2023.