Schoolsnet Bulletin Board

Book your place - Education Conference 5^th & 6^th March 2019 “Progress through Partnership” at  Cheltenham Racecourse.

The revised structure chart can be found here

Please note that Teresa Cross is the new Education Lead with responsibility for the Forest of Dean and Tewkesbury areas. 

Based on feedback from schools we have decided to move the Closing the Gap conference to the autumn term and use a more central venue.  The conference will take place on 21^st November 2019 at The Chase Hotel (Brockworth) in Gloucester. 

More details will be available next term.  In the meantime, please put the date in your diary.

Our third session of this academic year will take the theme of ‘Planning a cross-curricular themed day/week (taking into account the revised Ofsted Inspection Framework)’. You will be given plenty of tips and inspiration to enable you to create an engaging and impacting day/week for both teachers and pupils in your school, and one that is cost-effective too!  This session will be very ‘hands on’ and provide you with the chance to receive some personalised support.

Online Safety Live is a programme of free online safety events designed exclusively for professionals working with, or for, children and young people. We bring you all the very latest in online safety, including the latest issues, trends, research, resources and advice. This event is on Monday 11^th February from 16:00 – 18:00, at Lakefield C of E Primary School, Lake Lane, Frampton-on-Severn, Gloucester, GL2 7HG

Reminder - The Section 175 audit survey will close on Friday 18^th January 2019 at midnight.  Please ensure that you have submitted your completed audit by this date.

As part of Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board’s ongoing commitment to Gloucestershire Schools through traded services, we are pleased to announce new dates for the drop in sessions for the Single Central Record.

The Schools Forum biennial elections are now underway. Half of the Schools Forum school membership’s term of office ends on 31 March 2019; the seats up for election are outlined in the attached document.

If you have appointed an NQT who has joined your school this term, please complete and return a NQT registration form by 28^th January 2019 to: NQTs@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

GirlTalk is a free programme to deliver key messages and help develop skills around emotional resilience, mental health and wellbeing for young women and delivered by Cheltenham Town Football Club Community Trust (CTCT).

As previously communicated in November,  the Local Authority is making some revisions to the Penalty Notice Code of Conduct.

Following the consultation that took place over the summer, relating to the changes we need to make to the way we allocate funding and support families more effectively, we wanted to thank everyone who took the time to contribute ideas and feedback on the questions we posed.

The local authority will continue to offer end of KS1 and KS2 Assessment and Moderation CPD in 2018/19.

The resources from the first meetings of the year (November/December) for primary and secondary English, mathematics and science subject leaders are now available on Schoolsnet.

For details of your allocation please go to Teachers’ Pay Grant 18 / 19. 

Schools are advised to be vigilant regarding potential scam activity.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has published access arrangements guidance for the 2019 KS1 and KS2 national curriculum tests.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has published updated exemplification materials for KS1 reading, mathematics and science and KS2 science that reflect changes to the 2019 KS1 and KS2 teacher assessment (TA) frameworks.

Over the Christmas months, adverse weather can really affect all of us. This includes your staff and parents and children who could get caught out if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

A letter from Public Health England with advice on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the delivery of the flu vaccination programme in primary schools, in particular on the use and sharing of children’s personal information to support the flu programme is attached. 

As previously advised, the S175/157 Audit this year is an on-line audit and you should have by now received your usernames and passwords.

Since 31^st July the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board (GSCB) has been unable to offer E-Learning as one of the training options. GSCB is having a new platform built specifically for Gloucestershire which is taking longer than expected.

The Department for Education (DfE) and the Local Government Association (LGA) wish to make building owners aware of a recent building component failure in a property constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

Gloucestershire MASH is opening up its doors to education professionals to visit their new offices and see them at work.

Week commencing 10^th December 2018, the Professional Advice Line (PAL) will no longer be an operational resource within the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub ( MASH).  

The Department for Education are currently running a consultation on their new School Security Guidance.

The CyberFirst Girls Competition 2019 is an opportunity for Year 8 girls to gain cyber skills, solve problems, work as a team and have fun with friends!

Now the colder weather is finally here, the following advice will help you to prepare for the weather.

In order to access Pupil Premium Plus for Previously Looked After Children (£2300) by marking them on the January census, schools must first see evidence from parents and guardians of their child’s previously looked after status.

Gloucestershire County Council is supporting the international campaign to tackle domestic violence which launched on 25 November.

The Outcome Report from the Gloucestershire Schools Forum meeting held on 15th November 2018 is attached.

When you have your three yearly whole school training could you please ensure that you include any Peripatetic Music Teachers that undertake work in your schools.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are specific traumatic events which occur before the age of 18 and can be grouped into three types: abuse, neglect and household adversity.

We want to build a social movement that recognises the potential lifelong impacts of adversity in childhood and takes action to stop childhood harm.

We need you to take action on ACEs. Read more to find out how…

The local authority will continue to offer end of KS1 and KS2 Assessment and Moderation CPD in 2018/19. Details of the events are below:

Following national training events for local authorities in autumn 2018, KS1 and KS2 writing training materials are now available on NCA tools (‘Teacher assessment’ section). Schools may use these resources to help prepare for the moderation of teacher assessment.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has provided updated information about the development of the online MTC that will become statutory for pupils in Y4 from 2019/20. The STA has published also the assessment framework for the MTC.  A national voluntary pilot will take place in June 2019.

The local authority is seeking to appoint to a senior post following the retirement of the current post holder.  Full details can be found using the links below:

Research shows that a play-friendly school is one where children are more likely to be happy, settled, in good mental and physical health, and open to learning; in other words, making time and space for play in the school day helps rather than hinders children’s education.

When: 1.30 pm until 3.30 pm, Friday 11^th January 2019.

Where: Gloucester Farmers’ Club, Agriculture House, Greville Close, Sandhurst Road, Gloucester, GL2 9RG.

Cost: £35.00 per head, with refreshments provided upon arrival and throughout the afternoon.

Deadline for bookings: Friday 14^th December 2018.

To reduce the risk to personal data being lost with printed payslips a change has been made to the way your National Insurance (NI) number is displayed within it.

Following the successful pilot project last year, we are pleased to offer headteachers and senior leaders opportunities to work with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on maximising the impact of pupil premium.

Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG) would like to inform you of some recent changes relating to the local prescribing of a range of medicines, vitamins and minerals that are available to buy Over the Counter (OTC) from community pharmacies and supermarkets.

For the majority of NQTs, completed NQT assessment reports should be returned to NQTs@gloucestershire.gov.uk by 7^th December 2018. 

The new Emergency Closure Site will go live for you to test on Thursday 15^th November between 10:30-11:30hrs; you will have the opportunity to practice closing, opening and publishing messages.

You are invited to give evidence to the Durham Commission, which is exploring the role and value of creativity and creative thinking in our education system. The Commission, chaired by Sir Nick Serota will report in June 2019. 

The next Secondary Senior Leaders’ Meeting will be held on 27^th November 2018, 1.30-3.45pm, at The National Star Centre, Ullenwood, Cheltenham. GL53 9QU.

The 2018 Safeguarding Audit will be available from 12^th November 2018 with a return date of no later than 18^th January 2019.

When: 1.30 pm until 3.30 pm, Tuesday 13^th November 2018.

Where: The Pavilion, Sir Thomas Rich’s School (STRS), Oakleaze, Gloucester, GL2 0LF.

Cost: £35.00 per head, with refreshments provided upon arrival and throughout the afternoon.

Deadline for bookings: Friday 9^th November 2018.

The Iain Grant Trust has funds available to help teachers of primary school children to travel abroad to study teaching methods in order to support development and extend professional development.