Schoolsnet Bulletin Board

We have been made aware by Gloucestershire Police that Ransomware attacks are increasingly targeting schools and colleges. Please ensure that you are familiar with the following guidance.

For information about the Arts Council Music Survey and help to deliver the music curriculum in your school, go to Make Music Gloucestershire.

At the GSCB Executive Committee meeting on the 26^th April 2017 there was a discussion in relation to the role of the Lead Practitioner and how it is currently working across the partnership. It was agreed that an electronic survey would be carried out to gain a broader understanding of how practitioners and organisations view the role of Lead Practitioner.

Children's reading can 'dip' during the long summer holidays if they don’t have regular access to books and encouragement to read for pleasure. In Gloucestershire over 10,000 children signed up in 2016. We hope even more children will sign up this year! 

The next Traveller Education Network meeting is planned for Thursday 28^th September, 9am-12.30pm, at The Pavilion in Cheltenham. 

GHLL have launched new Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE) Resource for primary school settings.

Please note the attached Private Fostering information regarding your legal duty to notify the local authority about a private fostering arrangement.

The network meetings enable subject leaders to contribute successful practice; have updates on national and local curriculum developments; further develop their leadership skills.  

Free Stonewall Equality & Diversity Training for Primary Schools is available on 11th July 2017, 9.30 - 4.00pm and for Secondary Schools on12th July 2017, 9.30 - 4.00pm at 2&6 Therapy Rooms, Gloucester.

For those who want to inspire children to learn and develop with the magic of nature, this course will enable participants to set up and run a Forest School, enabling them to make the most of school grounds or local woodland. The training is taking place on 24^th – 28^th July, training and assessment 12^th to 16^th February at a cost of £700.00. 

For Songwriting, iPad music programmes, CPD, music internship and the latest news and opportunities, please go to Make Music Gloucestershire, the County’s music education hub.

For whole class instrumental and iPad tuition, primary music networking and the latest news and opportunities go to Make Music Gloucestershire, the County’s music education hub.

Following an election which took place on 12 June 2017, Sue Padfield, All Saints’ Academy is elected to the Forum as a Secondary (Academy) Governor representative (term of office 22 June 2017 – 31 March 2019).   

Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with the NHS, are running a campaign to educate parents and carers of the risks and encourage them to ensure their child is properly vaccinated and your help to raise uptake of pre school immunisation is required.

In response to a recent Freedom of Information Request that appears to have been sent to all schools with the County, the Information Management Service has attached some advice and guidance for schools to use when dealing with this request.

Gloucestershire County Council has launched an online survey for parents to understand possible demand for the increased free childcare entitlement of 30 hours for 3 & 4 year olds from September 2017.

The newsletters for primary and secondary subject leaders support senior and middle leaders in keeping up to date with national and local priorities as well as providing subject specific teaching and learning information.

'No Pens Day Wednesday' encourages schools and settings to put down their pens and to run a day of speaking and listening activities. Of course, schools can run such a day on any day of their choice.

For schools who have a Gloucestershire child in care in their school there is now an opportunity to have free e-training from Gloucestershire Virtual School. This e-learning will allow you to train at your own convenience.

Please note that Academies can now buy traded services for the next academic year (1^st September 2017 - 31^st August 2018).   

Educators can now register for UK Road Safety Week 2017 (20-26 November) at Road Safety Week

Fraudsters have contacted a number of schools by post with a letter which claims to be from Gamma. The letter informs the recipient that Gamma has changed its bank details and requests that they amend their records with the new details. The letter is an attempt by impersonation fraudsters to elicit funds, so please do not provide any information or amend your records with the bank details they’ve given as indicated in the letter.

Find out what's new and upcoming that's available to you.

All EYFS and Key Stage 1 assessments should be returned via Securenet from 5^th June 2017 but no later than 23^rd June 2017.

Phonics screening check assessments should be returned via Securenet from 12^th June 2017 but no later than 23^rd June 2017. 

The Attendance Network is taking place on Wednesday 14^th June, 09:00 – 12:15 at The Pavilion, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham, Glos. GL51 6PN.  Refreshments available from 8:45am.

For the majority of NQTs, completed NQT assessment paperwork should be returned to the LA by 28^th June 2017.  Please return the assessments from the Headteacher’s mailbox to: NQTs@gloucestershire.gov.uk

At present there is no official PREVENT messaging from national policing regarding the incident in Manchester. However, we are aware that as many of the victims were children, some schools, parents and youngsters will be worried about their safety. We also acknowledge that some teachers may not find the subject an easy one to talk about.

Each subject package of three meetings is only £230.00 per delegate which includes the venue and catering costs. Please purchase individual subject packages through Business Support Services.

The summer editions of the Leaders of Learning Newsletters are now available. 

DBS checks remain an important part of Safer recruitment.

On Tuesday 16 May 2017, the NSPCC, in partnership with O2, launched the new burst of their Share Aware campaign, supporting parents to help keep their children safe online.  Share Aware gives straightforward, step by step advice to help teach children how to make the right decisions online, even when their parents aren’t there. 

The slides and additional materials from the briefings for headteachers that took place in May can be downloaded from GCC Schoolsnet.

As part of an on-going program to make successful transitions for children in care, the Gloucestershire Virtual School are pleased to be able to offer free training for members of your staff in 'Getting in Touch Through Play'.  The training is taking place on Thursday 13^th July 2017 at The Pavillion, Cheltenham, GL51 6PN, 9:00am – 4:00pm.

The Royal Forestry Society's successful Teaching Trees project for primary schools has added Gloucestershire to the list of counties it now operates in.

Teaching Trees offers schools two-hour sessions in local woods with a range of creative, hands-on and seasonal activities which closely link the care and management of woods to the national curriculum.

The STA has given local authorities permission to share training materials, including examples of pupils’ writing that were provided during the 2017 STA KS1 and KS2 national moderator training. 

Following receipt of nominations, for a Secondary (Academy) School Governor Representative (one seat), two nominations have been received:   

• Alex Norman, Thomas Keble School
• Sue Padfield, All Saints’ Academy

Facts4Life is pleased to announce FREE training and FREE resources for primary teachers in Term 5: on Thursday 25^th May 2017 (13.00-16.00) at The Pavilion, Cheltenham.

Through our Schools Service we aim to empower and help children and provide you and all teachers across the UK, with the tools to do that.  Because we know that through working together, the NSPCC and the whole school community can have a tremendous impact in preventing abuse and keeping children and young people safe.  One element of our schools services is out Speak Out. Stay Safe Programme.This programme is available  to all schools free of charge.

Musicate is an outreach programme for primary school teachers, devised and produced by Cheltenham Festivals. The project offers bespoke CPD sessions along with the support and input of a conservatoire musician linked to each school.

The ‘Fearless from Knife Crime’ project has been set up with the  aim of addressing the problem of knife crime in the medium and long term in Gloucestershire by engaging, informing and educating young people about the risks and consequences of knife crime activities whilst promoting local services available to them (including the anonymous reporting service available on fearless.org). 

There’s still time to share your thoughts on your Health and Wellbeing!

To understand how well our new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is working for you, we are currently running a short survey. You can take part whether you have used the service or not! The survey closes on the 14 May so please find a few minutes to let us know what you think.

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

Date: Wednesday 12^th July 2017

Venue: Tewkesbury School, Ashchurch Road, GL20 8DF

Time: 09:30 – 15:30  (Refreshments and lunch included)

Price:

LSE Members: £100; 2nd delegate: £80

Non-Members: £125.00;  2nd delegate: £100

 (10% Early Bird Discount for all bookings received by Friday 26^th May)

The Water Competition or Open Water Market where we have a choice of where we buy water is now operating, similarly to how; we as a business buy gas and electricity. Payment details update – Water Plus remains the same as previously used for Severn Trent, Castle Water have confirmed new details and Water2business will confirm them on the next scheduled invoice.

The purpose of each briefing will be to discuss and understand fully the implications of the announcement from STA on Friday 10^th March about the common misconceptions surrounding teacher assessment (TA) of KS2 writing. As a result, this will ensure greater consistency in 2017 KS2 writing TA across the local authority.

Please go to the Make Music Gloucestershire website for free music support, whole class, music tech, instrumental tuition, training, and more.

Lost Boys??   is training for practitioners working in Reception Classes

The training is taking place on 9^th May 2017 at Nature in Art, cost £75 per delegate, £140 for 2.

All meetings will begin at 4.00pm and conclude by 5.30pm.

Reading, writing and mathematics will be moderated at the same meetings, so evidence to facilitate this discussion will be needed for all three aspects.  You will therefore only need to sign up for one meeting.

All meetings will begin at 4.00pm and conclude by 5.30pm and the local authority would encourage Year 3 teachers to accompany their Year 2 colleagues if at all possible.

This week marks the launch of a Public Health campaign to promote the uptake of childhood vaccinations; it coincides with the World Health Organisation Immunisation Awareness Week.