Education Noticeboard - 29 June 2023
Welcome to the Education Noticeboard. A round-up of news, guidance and key updates for education settings.
Included in this update:
- Director Update
- Primary schools across the borough celebrate 10 by 10 achievements
- Happy Healthy Active Holidays Summer 2023
- Urban Games Summer 2023 programme released
- Summer Reading Challenge 2023
- Measles and staff MMR vaccinations
- Commissioning Alternative Provision
- SENCo Drop In – Speak to your SEND Officer
- Short Breaks Market Place Event: 5 July 2023
- National Professional Qualification for Early Years leadership (NPQEYL)
- South Asian Heritage Month
- Kabaddi is growing in Telford for South Asian Heritage month!
- World Population Day: 11 July 2023
- Information for CPD courses to the end of the Summer Term 2023
Dear colleagues,
Primary schools across Telford & Wrekin took part in an event last week to celebrate the achievements of the pupils taking part in the 10 by 10 scheme. It is fantastic to be able to share such positive news from within the community, and the event was a great success.
The summer school holiday’s will be here before we know it. We have shared the new Happy Healthy Active Holidays brochure, the timetable for the Urban Games activities and information about the Summer Reading Challenge. All great resources for children, young people and their parents and carers – please share via the usual channels.
As always, the Education Noticeboard is full of updates and reminders including those from SEND, Early years and Alternative Provision.
Finally, last week was National Windrush Day. It would be great to hear how children and young people across Telford & Wrekin learnt about this historic event, so please send your stories and pictures to education.noticeboard@telford.gov.uk as we would love to share them.
Have a great rest of the week.
Simon
Simon Wellman
Director: Education & Skills
Primary schools across the borough celebrate 10 by 10 achievements
Primary schools in Telford & Wrekin have been celebrating the achievements of their children as part of the council-run 10 by 10 programme, which encourages them to explore and improve their skills in key life-enhancing activities.
A special 10 by 10 event recently took place at Telford Theatre where primary schools gathered to celebrate all the things their children have been doing as part of 10 by 10 and to share their feedback and aspirations for the future of the programme.
Launched over a year ago by Telford & Wrekin Council, 10 by 10 has been instrumental in encouraging children across the borough to discover new talents and opportunities before the age of ten. The 10 by 10 website has recorded over 1,600 registered accounts, with parents and carers seeking information on the ten activities, local offers and following their child's exciting adventures.
Primary schools across the borough are actively involved with 10 by 10 - with swimming lessons, library usage, bike riding and many other activities as part of their curriculum or extracurricular offer. This includes accessible activities for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Reception classes received 10 by 10 adventure cards at the beginning of the academic year, engaging children with the ten activities and tracking their progress along the way.
Council Leader Shaun Davies said: “We want Telford and Wrekin to be the best place to grow up, ensuring all children have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities. We are very proud to be the first council in the UK to run 10 by 10. It’s been tremendously successful since the launch, with every primary school in the borough engaging with the programme and with many families taking part. This helps all children thrive, especially those that might not otherwise benefit from essential extra-curricular activities. As a dad to a 6 year old just participating in 10 by 10, I can honestly say it’s brilliant in helping children learn and discover new things, many of which are free or affordable for families.”
Councillor Shirley Reynolds (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for Early Years, Children and Young People, said: “A happy and fulfilling childhood gives the best start in life, and this is what we are committed to providing to every single child in our borough. Over the past year, by working together with schools and local partners, we have managed to achieve so much with 10 by 10. Families could benefit from free swimming lessons, special reduced entry at Attingham Park, free bike rides, visits to borough’s green spaces and many others.
“While the first year of 10 by 10 has been truly great, we believe we can do even better by continuing to work together. We are regularly expanding 10 by 10 with new offers and activities, accessible for children of all abilities. This summer holds exciting news, including the launch of a natural history museum at Exotic Zoo, to encourage children to explore museums and heritage sites.
“Additionally, the Summer Reading Challenge in our libraries will help children enter the captivating world of books, by joining our superstar team and their animal mascots through a summer obstacle course and by collecting golden book stickers along the way. “For a fun-filled summer, our Leisure team will have a number of affordable and entertaining leisure activities on offer at our centres.
“In September, a new generation of reception children will receive their 10 by 10 adventure cards, to explore and track their activities. Whether through school or by finding local offers on the website, we hope borough children and families will enjoy as many 10 by 10 activities as possible."
Parents and carers are encouraged to create an account to follow their child's adventures and find out about new 10 by 10 offers and news visit the 10 by 10 webpage.
Happy Healthy Active Holidays Summer 2023
Our bookings are now open for Summer Holiday Activities! Please visit the Telford.gov.uk website to register for Happy Healthy Active Holidays.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Reception – Year 11 benefit related FSM Children.
- SEND Children.
- Referral in by schools/services for vulnerable/at risk students that may benefit from the scheme.
If there is a child/children that you feel would benefit from this scheme who doesn’t qualify for FSM but can be included as part of the 15% allocated funding (download the criteria for more information) for our vulnerable and deprivation areas, please provide us with their details at the holidayactivityhub@telford.gov.uk email using Code SUMMER23.
The Happy Healthy Active Holiday booklet for Summer 2023 is also available to download.
Urban Games Summer 2023 programme released
Telford & Wrekin Council’s urban games offers a fun and safe environment for young people aged 8+.
Sport sessions are held in local parks including cycling, cricket, football, basketball and many more. Each session will be hosted by professional and qualified coaches from AFC Telford United, Shropshire Cricket and Telford Bike Hub. There are also Wild Families sessions, in collaboration with The Wildlife Trust.
The full Urban Games Summer Holiday 2023 programme can be downloaded from the Telford.gov.uk website:
Encourage children and young people to visit their local library this summer to join in with the free Summer Reading Challenge.
They can sign up in person to receive a free Ready, Set, Read collector folder and choose books to read over the holidays. On completing the challenge, they will receive a certificate and medal to mark their achievement!
The Summer Reading Challenge is presented by the Reading Agency and supported with funding from the Arts Council England. The challenge will be running at all Telford & Wrekin libraries, from Saturday 15 July to Saturday 16 September 2023.
Measles and staff MMR vaccinations
There has been an increase in cases of measles nationally, although not yet within Telford & Wrekin. It can lead to serious complications and is highly infectious. It will spread rapidly within educational settings among those without immunity from vaccination or previous infection. Available to download is some information, which has been slightly amended since previously circulated it in May:
Given the risk to staff working with children, we would advise that they check their vaccination status and catch up with any missed vaccines. Further information is provided on the NHS website.
Anyone who is unsure of their MMR vaccination status should contact their GP practice to check, and book an appointment if necessary.
Commissioning Alternative Provision
We are pleased to be able to present the final version of the guidance on Commissioning Alternative Provision in Telford and Wrekin. This guidance builds on current guidance from the DfE and from Ofsted and will support schools to ensure that they are legally complaint when commissioning places from alternative provision settings.
DOWNLOAD: Schools AP Commissioning Guide
This guidance also contains the Alternative Provision Quality Assurance Framework. This is the framework that we, as an LA, use to quality assurance provisions that we commission. This is available for schools to use where appropriate. Many schools have developed their own framework to quality assure AP, this is appropriate, however, it does make it simpler for the providers if everyone uses the same framework should you wish to adopt this.
There is also a link to the Alternative Provision Directory, intended as a one stop shop to help you find provision that might meet the needs of your young people.
Queries can be directed to Andy Cooke, SDM: Alternative Provision and CiC, via email to Andy.cooke@telford.gov.uk.
SENCo Drop In – Speak to your SEND Officer
Following feedback from the SENCo Network Meeting the team have arranged three drop-in sessions for SENCo’s to meet with their SEND Officer.
To provide everyone with an opportunity to ask questions we are offering 10 minutes slots that can be booked in advance. The dates and times that are available are as follows:
Lakeside
Thursday 6 July 2023
11am – 12noon
Wrekin
Thursday 6 July 2023
1.30pm – 2.30pm
Hadley
Friday 7 July 2023
1pm – 2pm
To book your place please contact the team via an email to SENDandInclusion@telford.gov.uk.
Invites to the drop ins and additional information about your timeslot will be sent a week before the sessions are due to take place.
For more information visit the Locality Teams page on the SEND Local Offer website.
Short Breaks Market Place Event: 5 July 2023
Please share this information with parents/carers in your school community.
Telford & Wrekin Council is inviting you to the Short Breaks Market Place event on Wednesday, 5 July 2023.
This event is for anyone who cares for a child or young person with a disability. It's an opportunity to find out more, in one place, about different services and support available to you.
There will be yoga taster sessions, a sensory tent and other taster activities, information from local partners, drinks and snacks as well as a chill out zone to make the most of the day
Date: 5 July 2023
Time: 11am - 7pm
Location: Telford and Wrekin CVS, Hazeldine House, Central Telford, Telford, TF3 4JL
For more detail please download the information poster for the event or visit the Short Breaks webpage.
National Professional Qualification for Early Years leadership (NPQEYL)
The National Professional Qualification for Early Years leadership (NPQEYL) has been developed to increase knowledge of leadership in early years settings, strengthen staff approaches to teaching and learning, and support children whose development has been impacted by the pandemic. Participants will gain skills and confidence so they can deliver high-quality education and care to support children’s development, become a better organisational leader and develop staff so they can reach their full potential. The course is free, flexible and designed by sector experts to help professionals across the sector to develop their career:
NPQ Early Years Leadership - Manor Teaching School Hub
Please note this is an 18 month National Professional Qualification for Leaders in EYFS. For more information please refer to the government guidance.
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) begins on the 17 July 2023, but we are asking schools to start their events earlier in July, to ensure no child misses out.
South Asian Heritage Month is a new celebration having been created out of a desire to learn more about South Asian culture and history that has an impact on our world today. This cross-curricular topic not only covers many elements in History but also addresses many fundamental SMSC and PHSE aspects of the curriculum.
Recent events have highlighted the ever-increasing need for pupils to understand about our shared history. The Multi-cultural Development Team (MDT) are working with Southasianheritage.org and have produced resources, specifically for primary and secondary schools, to celebrate this event.
The resources provide staff with the knowledge and resources to plan, deliver and support pupil’s knowledge and discussion of issues around South Asian culture, heritage and history by focusing on five key themes:
Identity
History
Creatives
Sports
Health and Well-being.
There is also the opportunity to explore key questions that may arise from recent events and provide a greater knowledge of the diverse cultures in Telford & Wrekin.
These resources can be accessed on the South Asian Heritage Month website. MDT have also created a SAHM webpage for the council.
Support for individual schools to plan and develop staff knowledge is available upon request. If you would like any further information, please contact the MDT team via an email to Multicultural.Development@telford.gov.uk.
Kabaddi is growing in Telford for South Asian Heritage month!
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) begins on the 17 July 2023, but we are asking schools to start their events earlier in July, to ensure no child misses out.
South Asian Heritage Month is a new celebration having been created out of a desire to learn more about South Asian culture and history that has an impact on our world today. This cross-curricular topic not only covers many elements in History but also the importance of Sports, Health and Well-being.
The Multi-cultural Development Team (MDT) are working with the British Kabaddi Association and Safer Stronger Communities to deliver free workshops again this year, specifically for primary and secondary schools, to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month through sport.
Kabaddi is an extremely popular sport, similar to tig and rugby, which promotes teamwork. The workshops are led by Moinul Islam MBE. He is an official representative of the British kabaddi Association who received his MBE for founding ’Outta Skool’ which offers multi-sports to underprivileged young people. He has developed and delivered Kabaddi as a GCSE physical Education syllabus and has been delivering it for the past 15 years. Moinul is currently the National Kabaddi development officer for the English Kabaddi Association.
Kabaddi is an excellent way for children to explore culture and Diversity through Sport. The Kabaddi will continue in Telford through the Happy Healthy Holidays scheme and schools are welcome to contact them or MDT for more information.
MDT support for individual schools to plan and develop staff knowledge around South Asian Heritage month is free and available upon request.
World Population Day: 11 July 2023
World Population Day is an annual event celebrated on July 11, to raise awareness about population issues around the globe. This day was first established in 1989 by the United Nations to bring attention to population growth and its effects on our planet. It's a great opportunity for us all to learn more about global population trends, access resources that help promote sustainable development, and support initiatives that prioritize human rights.
Interesting facts about the Earth’s population
- The world population increases by about 83 million people every year. The current population of the world is 8 billion.
- The highest proportion of the population being in China and India with 3 billion people.
- In 2000, the average global life expectancy was 67 years old. Fast forward 20 years, and it increased to 72.
- It is estimated that the population grow by 215,000 people per day
- The United Nations projects that the world population to reach 10 billion by 2057.
- We extract 90 billion tons of resources from Earth every year.
Please see below links for free information and resources about World Population Day:
Information for CPD courses to the end of the Summer Term 2023
The CPD Booklet continues to be available on the Telford Education Services site to the end of the academic year 2023.
The CPD Booklet for 2023-24 is currently in production and will be available on the same link BY Friday 30 June 2023.
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 (unless stated otherwise).
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Safeguarding Training for Newly Appointed Governors |
Wednesday 5 July |
5.30pm to 7.30pm |
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Safety Intervention Refresher Training (formerly MAPA Refresher Training) - CPI accredited (BSAT 212) |
Thursday 6 July |
8.45am to 12.30pm |
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Child Protection Supervision |
Thursday 6 July |
9.15am to 12.15pm |
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Pupil Premium Network Meeting |
Monday 10 July |
4pm to 5.30pm |