Education Noticeboard: 7 October 2021

Welcome to the Education Noticeboard. A round-up of news, guidance and key updates for education settings.

Included in this update:

Director update

Dear colleagues

It is never too early to think about quality holiday provision, and Telford & Wrekin are preparing to launch the winter element of the ‘Happy Healthy Active Holidays’. There is a particular focus on funding provision for children and young people up to the age of 16, who are in receipt of free school meals. There is a bookable information session, next week, for those interested in finding out more.

Also currently in the works is the creation of a new school closure line. This will be a public facing service, and will replace the old snowline which will be retired after 12 years. The new system will be live by the start of November, but before then we need nominations from each school for people to keep the data for their school up to date. A form for doing this is included for download.

There are a few SEND updates, including a couple of autism training opportunities. There is also information about two Sportsability events, one aimed at Key Stage 2 and the other at Key Stage 3. Both events are targeting children with additional needs that would otherwise prevent them from taking part in a mainstream one. Entry forms need to be returned by tomorrow, so please act quickly if you have children at your setting who would benefit from being included.

There are of course a number of other articles for you including information on how to apply for the Laurel Trust grant, a reminder of the remaining Black History Month sessions, a repeat of the information for 2022 school admissions and all of the CPD opportunities available between now and Half Term. One of these is an exciting opportunity for all staff and governors to access the six-module ‘Thinking differently for disadvantaged learners’ programme online.

With a view to keeping all schools abreast of the most current COVID-19 guidance, we have provided this as well as a letter for you to circulate amongst the parents and carers at your setting.

Wishing you all a great rest of the week and weekend.

Best wishes
Simon

Director: Education and Skills

Schools COVID-19 update letter to parents and carers

With COVID-19 continuing to circulate in our community, there has also been an increase in the number of cases within educational settings. The Telford & Wrekin health protection team has produced guidance on how further spread of the virus can be prevented. In support of this, please download the letter that has been provided and send to all parents and carers.

Schools COVID-19 update letter to parents and carers

Pre-exclusion hotline 07816372459

During the Summer Term of the last academic year, a new Pre-exclusion Hotline was trialled across Telford & Wrekin. A lot of positive feedback was received about this resource and the support to aid discussions around each child before an exclusion took place.

A number of schools used the Hotline, however it is now time to refocus the intention of use so that schools are aware of the how to access the support on offer.

We would like to remind you that the Pre-exclusion Hotline is available as a pre-exclusion support mechanism and not for use after an exclusion has already taken place. Once a school is considering an exclusion that would be the ideal time for schools to contact the hotline so that a member of the team can come out to school to meet with the young person, participate in discussions with a view to assisting colleagues to de-escalate the situation.

The team look forward to continuing to work alongside schools, providing this valuable same day on-site support to prevent an exclusion from taking place. The intention is always for the young person to remain in school, in line with the Telford & Wrekin strategy to reduce exclusions.

For more information with regards to the team, please contact BSAT Team Leader (Darren Lennon) by email to Darren.Lennon@telford.gov.uk.

Launch of winter funding

Telford & Wrekin Council have recently launched the winter funding of the Happy Healthy Holiday Activity Programme.

There is particular interest in hearing from schools who might be interested in supporting this programme for children and young people up to the age of 16 years who are in receipt of income-related free school meals.

To help answer any questions you may have an online briefing session is taking place on Tuesday 12 October 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

Book your place via Eventbrite

New school closures line due for launch

Telford & Wrekin are currently in the process of creating a new public facing school closure line which will be displayed on the website. The new system will be live by 1 November 2021 and replaces the old snowline, which has been in place for over 12 years.

It is expected that all schools, nurseries and the colleges within the borough will be part of this new system, so that staff, pupils, parents, carers and residents in Telford & Wrekin can be kept up to date with the latest school closures. Each individual school will be responsible for keeping the information up to date about their school.

The new system is easy to use and user friendly. Step by step instructions will be issued to on how to operate the system for the nominated persons within each setting.

To ensure the system is effective and efficient it is important that each school completes a form to nominate designated persons who will be given admin rights and be responsible for keeping the closure line up to date for their respective schools. This can be administration staff, head teachers, PA’s or a mix of roles.

School closures line: Data collection nominations

Please return the forms no later than Friday 15 October 2021, and thank you for your cooperation with this request.

Motivational interviewing training for head teachers

Alasdair Cant & Associates are providing an interactive half-day webinar on Motivational Interviewing for Telford & Wrekin head teachers.

The session will be held on Thursday 14 October 2021 from 9.30am to 12.30am. The cost to attend this webinar is £20.

To book a place, please simply send an email to which includes your name, school name and email address to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered delegates in October 2021, a few days before the session.

The details:
Title: Motivational Interviewing Interactive half-day webinar
Intended audience: Head teachers
Date & time: Thursday 14 October 2021, 9.30-12.30am
Delivery: Online via Zoom
Content: Motivational Interviewing is an invaluable tool proven to support change and relationship management.

For further information about the course please download the information sheet.

Motivational Interviewing Webinar Information Sheet

Laurel Trust grants

The Laurel Trust is again offering grants to collaborations and networks of schools in areas of deprivation and disadvantage. Telford is one of the areas that they have chosen to target.

Full details will also go ‘live’ on the Laurel Trust website on 1 October 2021, when collaborations of schools are invited to apply for funding for creative research and innovation projects that will lead to improved outcomes for children. The grant information will also be published in the Headteacher Update and SENExtra on the same date.

The application form and guidance for completing it are both available to download:

Laurel Trust grant application form

Guidance on making an application

Applications are made online with a closing date of 26 November 2021.

SENCO network meeting – Thursday 14 October 2021

All schools and settings are invited to join the SENCo Network Meeting on Thursday 14 October 2021, 4pm to 5.30pm via Microsoft Teams.

Invitations have been sent to all SENCo’s. If you have not received an invitation, or are new to your role and would like to attend the SENCo Network Meeting please contact us with your name, position and school by sending an email to localoffer@telford.gov.uk and an invitation will be sent to you.

SEND Transition in Education Partnership (STEP)

Following the launch of the STEP resources at the SENCo Network in April 2021, we are now looking to receive feedback and work with settings to develop transition support for children and young people with English as an additional language (EAL).

SEND Transition in Education Partnership (STEP)

A number of schools have already expressed an interest but we would welcome any others who may be willing to contribute. For further details and to express an interest, please contact Jessica Bussey or Belinda Sherlock by email.

The group will meet via Microsoft Teams on 18 November 1 to 4 pm. Please email Bethany Seymour for an invitation.

Autism support sessions with the educational psychology team

Parents Opening Doors (PODs) carer forum are organising online sessions with the Educational Psychology Team every month. Sessions are small and limited to 10 attendees. They are open to all families who have a child with autism or suspected autism.

These sessions will cover but are not limited to:

social issues
emotional issues
managing behaviours
managing routines
managing anxieties.

These are focussed sessions for parent carers or family members to meet with other families and a trained Educational Psychologist who will support with a solutions focussed model, sharing experiences and accessing support from each other. The sessions are open to all PODS members and need to be booked (daytime and evening session available).

Comments from previous attendees:

“Well structured and really effective sessions, despite being on TEAMS”, “Sharing ideas and advice without being judged”, “Finding out I'm not alone, or that I'm the only one”, “Gives me ideas of techniques to try”.

General Session

12 October 2021
9.30am - 11am or 5pm - 6.30pm

Focussed session: Anxiety and Emotions

12 October 2021
11.15am-12.45pm or 6.45pm - 8.15pm

General Session

11 November 2021
9.30am - 11am or 5pm - 6.30pm

Focussed session: School Concerns (+ IASS Guest)

11 November 2021
11.15am - 12.45pm or 6.45pm - 8.15pm

General Session:

7 December 2021
9.30am - 11am or 5pm - 6.30pm

Focussed session: Using Communication tools

7 December 2021
11.15am - 12.45pm or 6.45pm - 8.15pm

A flier is available to download:

Flyer: Autism support sessions with the educational psychology team

Bookings can be made via email to jayne@podstelford.org or by telephoning 0777 534 2092 with details and times of which session(s) you would like to attend.

Funded Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) Lead training

Currently underway is a huge drive on increasing the understanding of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) within Telford & Wrekin schools, to increase inclusion. All schools are asked to co-work towards achieving this whole-borough vision. To support this co-work, and make achieving this vision a reality, a funded place is being provided for a one member of senior staff from each setting to attend the ASC Lead training, during the forthcoming Autumn Term.

Why does my schools need an ASC Lead?
A lead autism practitioner is needed in every school in Telford. The ASC Lead can then drive planning the support and provision for children with social communication needs, across the school.

What impact will the ASC Lead have in my school?
Having an ASC Lead will enable all young people to have an increased sense of belonging to their school and promote inclusion. This is essential because it will increase the holistic development of each young person identified with ASC.

In addition, if requests are made for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), schools will be able to demonstrate levels of interventions linked to the graduated response. Furthermore, the acquired skills across all school staff will assist with the presentation of young people to the emotional health and wellbeing panel for consideration to be placed on the ASC pathway. The content of the Autism Education Trust (AET) links to the Ofsted framework for inspection, and therefore will support each school when engaging with Ofsted Inspectors.

Next Steps
Schools are asked to sign up one member of staff for the ASC Lead training. Please identify the member of staff who is, or will be, the autism lead in your school and ask them to sign up to just one of the dates below. The autism lead will need to be a senior member of your team who is able to oversee the development of policy and practice.

The dates are as follows:

13 October 2021
3 November 2021
10 November 2021
17 November 2021
24 November 2021
1 December 2021
8 December 2021

To book a place on a course, please send a completed CPD booking form by email to CPDschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.
The booking form is available online.

Once your member of staff has received the ASC lead (Leading Good Autism Practice, or LGAP for short) training, they are encouraged to then begin to organise the delivery of whole school training. This can be achieved by contacting Michael Lane (Senior Educational Psychologist and ASC Lead) who will co-ordinate the allocation of training staff to schools. He can be contacted by sending an email to Michael.lane@telford.gov.uk

Telford & Wrekin KS2 Sportsability Sportshall Athletics Competition

You are invited to enter a team in the Telford & Wrekin Primary Schools KS2 Sportsability Sportshall Athletics Competition.

This is an inclusive event, targeting children with additional needs that otherwise would prevent them taking part in the mainstream event. There fewer events to give more time for the children to cope with the environment.

Due to the popularity of previous year’s Sportsability Sportshall Athletics Competitions, there will be two sessions this year. Schools need only attend one session. Please specify which session you would prefer (this may not be guaranteed so please be prepared to attend either morning or afternoon).

1st Session
Date:               Wednesday 20 October 2021
Time:             Registration 9:30am
                        Start 9:45am - Finishing time 12:00noon
Venue:            Telford College

2nd Session
Date:               Wednesday 20 October 2021
Time:             Registration 12:30pm
                        Start 12:45pm - Finishing time 2:45pm
Venue:            Telford College

Details of these events are as follows:

Each school’s team will consist of a mix of boys and girls (maximum of 8 and a minimum of 6 any combination).
Pupils may compete in a maximum of three track and two field events, drawn from the following:

On the track:
1+1 Lap Relay            requiring 2 athletes from each team to run 1 lap each
2+2 Lap Relay             requiring 2 athletes from each team to run 2 laps
6 Lap Paarlauf*           requiring 2 athletes from each team
4x1 Lap Relay             requiring 4 athletes from each team to run 1 lap each.

On the field:
Speed Bounce requiring 2 athletes from each team
Standing Long Jump requiring 2 athletes from each team
Standing Chest Push requiring 2 athletes from each team
Javelin Throw requiring 2 athletes from each team.

*Paarlauf races are for teams of two athletes who run in turn. The two members must cover a total of 6 of laps between them. They do not necessarily have to run the same distance. Each athlete must cover at least one lap.

The morning session will begin promptly at 9:45am and will be finished by 12.00noon. Each attending school is being asked to provide a member of staff to help officiate the event.
The afternoon session will begin promptly at 12:45pm and will be finished by 2:45pm. Each attending school is being asked to provide a member of staff to help officiate the event.
In the interests of safeguarding, only school staff and participating children will be allowed access to the site. We Cannot Admit Spectators.
Attending schools are required to complete the attached data collection sheet and TEAMSHEET and hand it in on the day of the competition.
If you are not a member of the Telford & Wrekin School Sport Partnership, the entry fee per school is £120 and you will be invoiced at the end of the autumn term. Payments cover the hiring of facility, equipment, medals and any other costs occurred by hosting the competition.

Please download the risk assessment, and read thoroughly:

Key Stage 2 risk assessment

Use of Bibs:
In previous year’s events, school teams have been allocated a set of coloured bibs to use during races (one bib per child). Coloured bibs will continue to be allocated for schools in the forthcoming events, however Sportshall Athletics have stated that each school will only be allocated 6 bibs per school to be shared amongst the athletes from that particular school. Sportshall Athletics are required to quarantine bibs following their use for 24 hours prior to them being used again and do not have enough bibs to allocate a single bib for every child on a daily basis and be able to quarantine all their bibs for the required 24-hour period. It is therefore suggested that 6 bibs will be rotated between the pupils from that school during races.

Please note, arrangements for this competition may be subject to change (including postponed/cancelled) if there are any alterations or further restrictions imposed within future Government COVID-19 guidance. All TWSSP staff are regularly briefed about the latest COVID-19 guidelines for PE & School sport.

If you wish to enter a school team, please do so by completing the entry form and returning to Frankie Williams at Telford Langley School by Friday 8 October 2021 and complete the team sheet and bring that with you on the day.

Key Stage 2 Sportsability letter and entry form

Key Stage 2 Sportsability Teamsheet

Telford & Wrekin KS3 Mixed Sportsability Sportshall Athletics Event

You are invited to the KS3 Mixed Sportsability Sportshall Athletics Event taking place at Telford College on Wednesday 20 October 2021. Registration is at 3:45pm

Key information:

Year group:	Key Stage 3 mixed
Gender:	Mixed teams
Eligibility:	All competitors must be in years 7, 8 & 9 at the start of the 2021/2022 academic year.
Team information:	Maximum 8 athletes / Minimum 6 athletes per team. All athletes will compete in all the field events and can compete in a maximum of 3 track events.
Venue:	Telford College
Competition format:	Track events: 1 Lap race – 1 athlete 2 Lap race – 2 athletes 6 Lap Paarlauf* – 2 athletes 4 x 1 Lap Relay – 4 athletes	Field Events: Standing Long Jump Chest Push Speed Bounce Javelin
	Paarlauf races are for teams of two athletes who run in turn. The two members must cover a total of 6 of laps between them. They do not necessarily have to run the same distance. Each athlete must cover at least one lap. A points system will be used to determine the winning team.*

To enter, please download the full informatIon and risk assessment:

Key Stage 3 Sportsability information and risk assessment

School Admissions – starting reception in September 2022

The online application form for children who are due to start Reception in September 2022 is now available via the Telford & Wrekin website. The Admissions Information Booklet is also available for download.

To apply for a Reception 2022 school place parents will need to use the online system.

Available to download is the ‘Starting School poster’ and we would be grateful if you could display this in your school, and distribute within your newsletters, social media etc.

Starting School Poster

Please note:

Parents will need to make an application to the Local Authority of where they are living e.g. where they pay Council Tax to.
If a child is attending nursery, they still need to apply for a school place.
The deadline for applying for a school place is 15 January 2022.
There is no guarantee of a place at the school even if a child has been attending their nursery or preschool.
More information around school allocations and oversubscription criteria is available on the Telford & Wrekin website.
If a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan the closing date is 31 October 2021 for all applications.

The school admissions website page also contains lots of additional information around school admissions.

If a customer is having problems with the application itself please signpost them to the School Admissions Team at admissions@telford.gov.uk

School Admissions – starting junior school in September 2022

The online application form for children who are due to start junior school in September 2022 is now available via the Telford & Wrekin website. The Admissions Information Booklet is also available for download.

A letter to parents/guardians has been provided. Please download and distribute this letter to Year 2 parents/guardians as a reminder for them to apply on time.

Infant to junior transfer: Letter to parents

Please note:

Parents will need to make an application to the Local Authority of where they are living e.g. where they pay council tax to
If a child has an Education, Health & Care Plan the closing date is 31 October 2021 for all applications

The school admissions website page also contains lots of additional information around school admissions.

If a customer is having problems with the application itself please signpost them to the School Admissions Team at admissions@telford.gov.uk

School Admissions – starting secondary school in September 2022

The online application form for children who are due to start secondary school in September 2022 is now available via the Telford & Wrekin website. The Admissions Information Booklet is also available for download.

A letter to parents/guardians has been provided. Please download and distribute this letter to Year 6 parents/guardians as a reminder for them to apply on time.

Junior to secondary transfer: Letter to parents

The school admissions website page also contains lots of additional information around school admissions.

If a customer is having problems with the application itself please signpost them to the School Admissions Team at admissions@telford.gov.uk

Black History Month Programme – October 2021

Black History Month takes place every October and this year the City of Wolverhampton Council alongside Telford and Wrekin Council and The Children’s Society will be hosting a number of virtual events for their employees and regional partners (the sessions are open to all school staff, but are not intended for pupils to attend). This year’s theme is PROUD TO BE.

Proud to be who you are, proud to be where you are from, proud of your culture, your heritage and your future.

The education, diversity and inclusion departments from Telford and Wolverhampton have worked together to produce an excellent programme of events. These look to explore the diversity of the Continent of Africa, traditional dishes from Jamaica and Zimbabwe, why hair love is so important and many others. There will be opportunities to talk about intersectional issues and developing black leadership with guest speakers, and the chatty cafes to allow you to step out of work mode for a while and have themed conversations with colleagues.

Date:	Session:	Time:	Book:
12 October 2021	Nate Ethan – LGBT in the Black community	10am to 11am	Book on Eventbrite
14 October 2021	Chatty café – Hair	12.30pm to 1pm	Book on Eventbrite
18 October 2021	Chatty café – Proud to be	12.30pm to 1pm	Book on Eventbrite
20 October 2021	Historian Tony Talbert – pre-slavery Black British history	12noon to 1.30pm	Book on Eventbrite
21 October 2021	Chatty café- Allyship	12.30pm to 1pm	Book on Eventbrite
22 October 2021	Managers panel – Breaking the glass ceiling	2pm to 4pm	Book on Eventbrite
25 October 2021	Hair love live	2pm to 4pm	Book on Eventbrite
26 October 2021	Cook along – Zimbabwean dish	2pm to 4pm	Book on Eventbrite
29 October 2021	Closing event (due to limited space this event cannot be booked before 18 October 2021)	6pm to 9pm	Book on Eventbrite

The full programme, which contains more information about each session, is available to download.

Black History Month Programme

All events will have limited spaces so booking via Eventbrite is essential, where possible events will be recorded and made available via YouTube for those who are unable to attend.

The month will be topped off with a special in person closing event (which has very limited spaces) which will host speakers, musicians, food and community leaders. This will be the perfect opportunity for people to have input in what events they would like to see in the near future.

Attachment Research Community (ARC) conference 2021

The Virtual School would like to remind you to sign up to the Attachment Research Community (ARC) Conference 2021. It is an exciting event, and will support you on your journey to becoming an attachment and trauma informed school. – details are available to download:

ARC Conference 2021

The Virtual School also offer free Attachment and Trauma Training – please contact John Newton (CPD Lead) to book a session.

Thinking Differently for Disadvantaged Learners

The Professional Learning Programme “Thinking Differently for Disadvantaged Learners” is based around six recorded training modules available to all staff (and governors) to access at their own convenience and/or for schools to incorporate into their whole school professional development plan.

Over 12 hours of materials presented in bite-sized sessions, designed and produced by leading experts who have a wealth of experience in leading school improvement for disadvantaged youngsters.

For more information about the Professional Learning Programme, please visit the Challenging Education website.
To access all the resources, activate your individual school account using the link provided (all school staff can use the same username and password):

Activate Challenging Education account

CPD courses for school staff, senior leaders and governors

The 2021-2022 CPD Booklet is available on the Telford Education Services site and we very much look forward to receiving your bookings.

Course bookings with a course code are made by sending a completed CPD booking form via email to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

Other courses and briefings without a course code are usually booked by sending your email address name and school name to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk

Please note: with effect from Monday 27 September 2021 all face to face training (other than Newly Appointed DSL, MAPA and ELSA training) has been moved to online training delivery for a period of four weeks initially. This is to support business continuity in schools.

Safeguarding Arrangements for School Leases (online)	Monday 11 October (revised date)	5pm to 5.45pm
Managing Sexual Violence & Sexual Harassment in Schools (SG 201) (online)	Monday 11 October	9am to 12noon
Raising Awareness of Prevent (SG 101) (online)	Tuesday 12 October	3.30pm to 5pm
Developing Early Years & Childcare Provision - supporting school sustainability and child outcomes (EY 113) (online)	Tuesday 12 October	9.30am to 11.30am
The Role of the Early Years Practitioner in Supporting and Enhancing Play (EY 008) (online)	Tuesday 12 October	1.15pm to 3.15pm
Best practice in your breakfast, after-school and holiday provision (EY 104) (online)	Wednesday 13 October	9.30am to 11.30am
An Introduction to EAL for Early Career Teachers (CPD 527) (online)	Wednesday 13 October	3.45pm to 6pm
ELSA Training - Part 5 (EPS 004) FULL (face to face)	Wednesday 13 October	9am to 3pm
Autism Spectrum Condition Training (EPS 107) FULL (online)	Wednesday 13 October	9am to 4.30pm
Motivational Interviewing Webinar for Headteachers	Thursday 14 October	9.30am to 12.30pm
Employee Investigations Training (HR course)	Thursday 14 October	3pm to 5.30pm
Governors' Responsibilities for Exclusions (SG 104) (online)	Thursday 14 October	5pm to 7pm
Meeting the Statutory Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the EYFS (EY 009) (online)	Thursday 14 October	4pm to 5.30pm
SENCO Network Meeting – Briefing (online) (LSAT 227)	Thursday 14 October	4pm to 5.30pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 4: Literacy (EY 308) (online)	Tuesday 19 October	1pm to 2.30pm
EYFS: Areas of Learning and Development Session 4: Literacy (EY 309) (online)	Tuesday 19 October	4pm to 5.30pm
The Strategic Role of Governors (GO 601) (online)	Tuesday 19 October	4pm to 6pm
Designated Teacher for Children in Care Network Meeting (Post 16 ) (online)	Tuesday 19 October	4pm to 5pm
Assessing and Monitoring of progress in EAL (CPD 701) (online)	Wednesday 20 October	3.45pm to 6pm
Newly Appointed Safeguarding Governor Induction Training (SG 103) (online)	Wednesday 20 October	5pm to 7.30pm
ELSA Training - Part 6 FULL (face to face)	Wednesday 20 October	9am to 3pm
MAPA Refresher (BSAT 212)	Thursday 21 October	9am to 11.30am
Absence Management of Employees (HR course)	Thursday 21 October	3pm to 5.30pm
Primary Science and Design & Technology Subject Leaders' Termly Update and Development Meeting (CPD 517) (online)	Thursday 21 October	4pm to 5.30pm
Understanding and managing your school budget (GO 508) (TBC)	Thursday 21 October	9.15am to 12noon
Raising Awareness of Child Protection (SG 108) (online)	Thursday 21 October	3.30pm to 5pm

This entry was posted by Claire on Wednesday, 06 October 2021.

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