Schoolsnet Bulletin Board

f you have appointed an NQT who will join your school in the Spring Term, please complete and return a NQT registration form by 22^nd January 2021 to NQTs@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

The NSPCC really appreciate the challenges that schools are facing at the moment and that safeguarding and child protection are as important now as they ever have been.  

The Department for Education has confirmed (press release, 6 January) that ‘statutory KS1 and KS2 tests and teacher assessments planned for summer 2021, including the KS2 tests in reading and mathematics, will not take place.’ This includes also the phonics screening check and all statutory trialling.

The DfE released detailed guidance relating to the current lockdown situation yesterday here and further guidance has been, and continues to be, released on specific areas.

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are attached.

As we have entered a third national lockdown with schools and colleges being closed to the majority of pupils, please ensure that your Safeguarding Policy reflects the local restrictions and remains effective.

The Department for Education opened a consultation to KCSiE for 2021 on 10^th December 2020 . 

In light of the Government’s announcement last night to close all schools and colleges until at least February half term for most pupils, Alter Ego Creative Solutions has decided to make the ‘streamed to be seen’ performance of Chelsea’s Story aimed at Year 8 students available to all Gloucestershire Secondary Schools from now until the end of March 2021.

The EU Settlement Scheme is a free scheme which enables EU citizens resident in the UK, and their family members, to obtain the status they will require in order to live and work in the UK after 30 June 2021

Following yesterday’s announcements from the government, there are significant and immediate changes to the arrangements that schools will make for the start of term. In Gloucestershire, the changes largely apply to secondary schools and colleges.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Support Hubs for Spring Term 2021 - dates and times, examples of content, and an extended invitation to relevant staff within your teams.

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are attached.

Gloucestershire County Council has launched a public consultation on its draft budget for 2021/22, and is calling on all stakeholders to have their say on the proposals.

Please see attached a letter from Sarah Scott, Director of Public Health and Chris Spencer, Director of Children's Services.

We understand that the demands placed upon school staff this year have been enormous. We want to reassure you that the safety, health and wellbeing of staff is a priority for all services providing support to schools.

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are attached.

The Youth Support Team would like to speak to relevant members of school staff that can get a message to pupils and families who would most benefit from their holiday hunger scheme in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

The 2020 Annual Meeting of the LGPS Pension Fund, the pension fund for support staff, was cancelled this year.

The F40 are campaigning for substantially increased school funding to meet the costs which schools are having to sustain because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Grants of up to £1000 are available to schools to develop extra curricular music activities e.g. lunchtime and afterschool clubs. Bursaries of up to £200 are available (paid to the school) to enable those students that can least afford it to have access to tuition, exams and instrument hire.

TALC referrals will no longer be accepted for children and young people who are in receipt of an EHCP or for whom a school has submitted an EHCP assessment request.

While technically not a new edition of Working Together, retaining the same date, there are many significant changes in the new guidance.

Schools are invited to a session on Tuesday 15^th December, 1:30 - 3:00 pm to learn about the DWP Reducing Parental Conflict Programme and practitioner training offer. This session will be on Microsoft Teams with Emily Ingle, Regional Integration Lead, who will give you an overview of the RPC programme and the free training offer and a ‘taster’ of the training in module 1.

The Section 175/157 Safeguarding Audit for Schools and Early Years settings is now LIVE.

Template letters have been prepared for schools to use to communicate with their communities on how they can support them to stay open. These have been signed by Sarah Scott, Director of Public Health.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has confirmed primary assessment and reporting requirements for the academic year 2020/21.

DfE guidance continues to advise against all unnecessary visitors to school sites and we are advising that open days should not take place in a physical form. Virtual tours have proved successful for a many schools and are a good alternative until the national restrictions are relaxed.

Internal Audit has received intelligence that primary schools may be targeted by threat actors applying pressure to make a payment supposedly against a High Court Writ.

A series of webinars, led by Professor Barry Carpenter CBE, OBE, PhD (Professor of Mental Health in Education, Oxford Brookes University), to support Gloucestershire schools through the process of long term recovery are now available to view via YouTube.

Following the success of previous years’ CPD programme we are running a similar programme this year, built around the Teachers’ Standards, supporting NQTs in their induction year. The initial events will run ‘virtually’. 

If you have appointed an NQT who will join your school in the Spring Term, please complete and return a NQT registration form by 22^nd January 2021 to: NQTs@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

The Oak National Academy continue to update their guidance for schools, including support with planning remote offers, both in mainstream and in specialist/SEND provision, webinars on best practice and case studies from a range of settings.

The Department for Education has announced new funding which will be backdated to 1 November and cover the current half term, with detailed guidance due to be published shortly.

From December 2 Gloucestershire will move to Tier 2 restrictions for Covid-19. Revised guidance can be found here.

The Department for Education has updated guidance on  what schools must publish online, to include the use of the COVID-19 catch-up premium. 

Schools are being made aware of circumstances where families are breaching Covid regulations particularly with regard to the requirement for their children to self isolate. It may be possible for schools to offer advice to parents to influence their behaviour but schools are not responsible for what happens off the school site.

The end of lockdown is approaching and new guidance is anticipated in the next few days for schools depending on the designated tier for Gloucestershire.  This may be a good time to review the existing risk assessment and COVID-secure procedures within your school, to ensure that they comply with any new guidance and to reinforce good procedures with staff and students.

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are attached (updated from 18.11.20).

Pregnant staff (at all stages) are in the clinically vulnerable category and are generally advised to attend work unless advised otherwise by an individual letter from the NHS or a specialist doctor which states they must not attend work.

The Section 175/157 Safeguarding Audit for Schools and Early Years settings is due to be launched at the beginning of December 2020. It is a requirement that each setting must submit an audit response by the deadline.

The Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Executive has launched virtual “Whole School Child Protection training” and are taking bookings now.

You may be aware that there have been an increased number of a stranger danger reports across the county recently.

The Youth Support Team are hoping to offer a holiday hunger scheme in Gloucester and Cheltenham during the coming holiday (21 Dec – 1 Jan) and would like to speak to the relevant member of staff so they can target the pupils and families who would most benefit from this scheme.

The Schools Forum Outcome report from the meeting held on 12 November 2020 is attached.

This year, the LA programme of KS1/KS2 Assessment and Moderation CPD will take place on virtual platforms. The format will comprise: recorded sessions for each of English reading, English writing, mathematics and science; plus ‘live’ Q&A webinars (separate sessions for each subject).

Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum is funded by the DfE to support and represent parents of children with additional needs including SEND as per the SEND Code of Practice.

Details and links to the key communications from the Department for Education are attached.

Personal Education Plans (PEPs) are an integral part of the overall care plan for each child in care.

Effective Early Help happens when professionals communicate with one another about the support they are providing and concerns they may have. You can do your part to support this by completing Notification forms where there is an Early Help Plan for a child/family and sending this to the Early Help team to support decision making and effective communication to aid holistic, multi agency working.

Make Your Mark is a British Youth Council campaign, endorsed by the UK Parliament and is an opportunity for 11-18 year olds to express opinions and begin their democratic journey by voting on the policies they’d like to introduce or change.