Education Noticeboard 6 September 2024

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

Included in this Edition of the Noticeboard

Directors Update

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you’re well and had a good August! Can you believe it’s September already? I hope that you have all had a terrific summer and managed to get some quality downtime despite the indecisive weather.

Welcome back to the Education Noticeboard, your one stop shop to access information for education settings from Telford and Wrekin Local Council. As always, we will endeavour to keep you updated on national and local news, and we anticipate there could be quite a lot of news over the coming months! Don’t forget we love to hear from you so please do send us any positive news stories that we can feature in future editions.

I hope you are having a fun start to the term.

Best Wishes

Simon

Simon Wellman Director: Education & Skills

News

The Quad welcomes first learners as part of new academic campus

A new first class education facility has opened its doors to learners this week as part of Telford & Wrekin Council’s ambitious Station Quarter project to create a vibrant new residential, educational and business community in Telford Town Centre.

The Quad is a state-of-the art digital skills and enterprise hub and will form part of a wider academic campus in the heart of Telford.

This development is a unique collaboration between the Council, Harper Adams University, Telford College and other partners which aims to retain local talent, to be the catalyst for creating careers in applied sciences and the digital sector and is expected to host more than 300 students a year.

The Quad will make a big difference to learners who live in the south of the borough, offering them an excellent, high quality education provision on their doorstep which is more easily accessible than the main Telford College and Harper Adams sites in Wellington and Newport.

Station Quarter is all part of a wider Investing in Telford and Wrekin programme which is transforming other areas including Oakengates and Wellington - creating a better borough for everyone.

Telford College will offer courses for up to 200 learners aged 16 to 18 at The Quad, providing new learning opportunities for them, as well as running a range of evening courses for adults.

Meanwhile, Harper Adams University is set to deliver a series of short courses from The Quad, before recruiting to a range of degrees to be taught at the new base, including Applied Data Science, Robotics, Automation & Mechatronics, Engineering Business Management, and Digital Manufacturing.

As well as delivering a first class educational facility, a new 7,500 square foot business incubator is also located on the third floor of The Quad.

This dynamic area will cater for a range of business needs, support new and growing companies and help them thrive.

In the incubator there will be individual units for businesses to rent on a flexible basis, training rooms and the Start Up Telford and Innovate Telford programmes will be delivered from this space.

Councillor Lee Carter (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council Leader, said: “We are really excited to see The Quad open in Station Quarter and after months of planning, the vision to create this outstanding education facility has now become a reality.

“This is just one element of the wider Station Quarter project but is all part of our commitment to build a better borough, breathe new life into some of our most historic buildings and creating new spaces for the future.

“Investing in Telford and Wrekin is quite literally laying foundations for the future, creating opportunities to learn new skills, secure great jobs, enjoy top cultural activities and live in an attractive place.”

Councillor Shirley Reynolds (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Education, Employment & Skills, added: “It’s wonderful to see learners from across Telford and Wrekin, starting courses at The Quad – giving them the skills and knowledge to secure future careers in different sectors.

“For learners living in the south of our borough, The Quad is easier to get to in Telford Town Centre and not two bus rides away from the College’s Wellington campus or Harper Adams University, which will hopefully improve their aspirations and make a big difference to their destinations.

“As well as giving learners of all ages the opportunity to study courses delivered by Telford College and Harper Adams University, the facility is also the perfect space to help businesses develop and flourish in Telford and Wrekin.”

Lawrence Wood, Telford College Principal and Chief Executive, said: “This is a really exciting development for us.

“Maths and digital qualifications are a vital pathway to higher quality and better paid jobs and having a campus in the heart of the town centre makes the college more accessible than ever.

“Our curriculum at Station Quarter is targeted towards careers in sectors such as cybersecurity, AI, virtual and augmented reality, cloud computing, wireless technologies and 5G innovation. These are skills which local employers tell us they desperately need.”

You can find out more about The Quad and the wider Station Quarter project here: Station Quarter - Telford & Wrekin Council

This work is part of Telford & Wrekin Council’s ‘20 pledges in 20 weeks’ campaign which is seeing the local authority deliver 20 actions on the things that matter most to local people during the first 20 weeks following Cllr Lee’s Carter’s appointment as Leader on 18 July.

One of the pledges is to deliver and progress Station Quarter, Oakengates and Wellington regeneration projects and The Quad is part of Station Quarter.

The pledges reinforce the Council’s ongoing commitment to protect, care and invest to create a better borough.

You can track the Council’s progress on its 20 pledges at www.telford.gov.uk/20pledges

Synergy Web is Live Information on School Access Module (SAM) Portal Access

Important information for all schools regarding Synergy Web and the SAM Portal – the new way to submit information to Education & Skills colleagues within the local authority.

Dear Colleagues,

As you are hopefully all aware, this week we are going live with our fantastic new Synergy Web Case Management system. This system will be available for all our teams within Education & Skills, with SEND being the last team to go live over the coming months.

Using Synergy will ensure that our teams are able to work collaboratively, maintaining the chronology of their work with children and young people all in one system, rather than the current processes which involve work being stored in multiple databases.

Some of you will already be familiar with the SAM Portal as it is already used to submit FAP and Student Engagement Referrals, and review school admissions. However as of today, Thursday 5 September, the SAM Portal will be the only mechanism for submitting the following forms:

AST Referrals
Child Not Receiving Education Referrals
Educational Psychology Service Consent
Fair Access Panel Referrals
LSAT Consent and Background Information
Modified Timetable Notifications
Permanent Exclusion Notifications
Pre-Suspension Hotline Request for Service
Significant Incident / Restraint / Restriction Record
Student Engagement Programme Referral
Suspensions Notifications
Children in Care Attendance and PEPs

Considering this, the need for colleagues within our schools to have access to the SAM Portal is now essential.

To request access to the SAM Portal, please complete the attached form and send to the relevant recipient (details on form).

Please DO NOT try to create your own account as these need to be set up for you.

Changes within the Education & Skills Mangement Team

Please note that as from 1 Septemeber 2024 there has been some changes within the Education & Skills mangement team.

Good luck to all those in their new posts

For further information please see the attached structure chart

Download the new structure chart

Call out for volunteers to join the Independent Appeals Panel

Telford & Wrekin Council are looking for volunteers to join the Independent Appeal Panel which deals with primary and secondary school admissions and exclusion reviews

The admissions panel considers appeals from parents or carers whose children have been refused admission to their preferred school.
Our independent panel members consider the cases put forward by parents and schools and decide whether or not the appeal should be upheld.
Find out more about this volunteer role:

https://www.telford.gov.uk/info/20026/school_admissions/802/school_admission_review_panel_members

The LA anticipate lots of enquiries from parents relating to leave in term time, here are some useful Q & As.

The Attendance Support Team (AST) have provided some useful Q& As in readiness for September. Many parents will want to know what might happen if they take their child out of school.

Some parents may be unaware of the changes to legislation regarding Penalty Notices and associated leave in term time. Please see below the Q & A sheet.

Also see letter samples circulated via the Education Noticeboard

As a reminder:

Penalty Notice fines for unauthorised absences will be brought under a National Framework to help tackle inconsistencies in their use. A PN fine to parents must be considered if a child misses 10 sessions of unauthorised absence from school in a 10-week rolling period.

Alongside this, PN fines will go up to £160 (reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days for the first PN issued) and £160 if paid within 28 days.

Any second Penalty Notice issued within 3 years to the same parent for the same child will be at a flat rate of £160.

If absences continue within a three-year period of the first Penalty Notice being issued, alternative enforcement will be imposed.

Penalty Notices may be issued if the criteria is met of 10 unauthorised sessions of absence within a 10 week period as set out in the National Framework.

The national framework introduces a ‘Notice to Improve’ that can be issued before a Penalty Notice, where appropriate if support can change behaviour of unauthorised absence.

Following a consultation with Headteachers, Governing Bodies and the Police, the Local Authority will continue to issue any school attendance related Penalty Notice following referrals from schools.

Telford & Wrekin new Code of Conduct (from 19.08.2024) includes:

Penalty Notices
Exclusion Penalty Notices

The change in the National Framework incorporates all unauthorised absence (including leave in term time). In one type of Penalty Notice, and it will become a standardised statutory framework.

The payment of Penalty Notices is to the Local Authority.

AST will now circulate all relevant information to schools in a timely manner so that parents can be informed about the changes from the beginning of the new school year – September 2024. Please make this information available to parents.

The DfE will also be holding training webinars relating to all the changes, but these have been deferred due to the imminent general election. AST will also include information relating to the changes in the Attendance Briefing on 3rd July 2024.

For further information

Working together to improve school attendance

New regulations for schools in next stage of attendance drive

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/attendance-hubs

Major national drive to improve school attendance

Download the Quotes for Website & Correspondence

Download Penalty Code of Conduct

Download Sample School Letter

Download Leave in Term Time

Download useful Q&A for Sept 2024

Leadership Conference

Telford & Wrekin’s Annual Leadership Conference for Headteachers, Principals and CEO’s

An exciting opportunity to book your place for this pivotal and unmissable event, taking place Wednesday 23 October 2024

The Annual Leadership Conference for Telford & Wrekin Headteachers, Principals and CEO’s is taking place Wednesday 23 October 2024 from 8.45am to 1pm, including lunch.

The conference will provide a first opportunity to share school performance data, with comparisons to regional and national data, trends over time and identification of hot issues. The data presentation will also include SEND, CiC, Fairshare, attendance, exclusions and suspensions and will help to focus strategic networking discussions on the range of issues challenging our schools.

We are delighted to announce details of our two keynote speakers – Darren Edwards, record-breaking Disabled Adventurer, Inspirational Speaker and Author – and Malcolm Reeve, National Leader of Education and Chair of the Programme Board for Whole School SEND.

Please see below the flyer for further information about our keynote speakers.

The delegate fee for this event remains unchanged from 2023 at £60 per person, with a discounted offer of £100 for two delegates from the same school, including lunch. This event has been priced competitively to simply cover costs and to hopefully maximise attendance from all of our schools.

The Partnership Board is delighted to welcome all Headteachers, Principals and CEOs to this event. There is also some space for Deputy Heads to attend too, but we ask that they only attend alongside their Headteacher, and not as a replacement.

To secure your place/s please send a completed CPD booking form to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk as soon as possible.

We look forward to seeing you on 23 October 2024 but, in the meantime, best wishes for the new term ahead.

Download further information on Conference

Download Booking form for Conference

Health and Wellbeing

GIRFT shares posters to schools to raise awareness of testicular torsion

A series of NHS posters aiming to raise awareness among boys and education leaders of the need to act quickly on testicular torsion has been made available to schools.

In February, GIRFT shared its national pathway for best practice in the management of testicular torsion, developed by a multi-disciplinary group of more than 50 NHS colleagues –urologists, paediatric surgeons, general surgeons, anaesthetists, emergency care physicians, radiologists and Operational Delivery Network (ODN) leads – with the aim of reducing delays and preventing more boys and men from losing a testicle.

One of the 28 consensus statements agreed by the working group stated that education about testicular torsion should be delivered by schools, so that boys experiencing acute testicular pain recognise the signs of torsion and the importance of acting quickly and feel confident in reporting it to an adult.

In collaboration with members of NHS England’s Youth Forum, GIRFT has worked to develop three youth-focused posters designed for display in boys’ toilets in schools. A link to the posters has now been featured in the Department for Education’s latest Sector bulletin, sent to 72,000 education leaders across the UK.

The bulletin encourages teachers to download the posters and reminds them of a series of NHS-endorsed online resources developed by clinicians, including information for teenagers and parents and lesson plans for use in Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) lessons, as well as other information on causes of pain in the testicles on the NHS website.

Testicular torsion is a time-critical surgical emergency, which occurs when a testicle twists, cutting off the blood supply and causing sudden scrotal pain. It can happen at any age but is most common in teenagers and young adults and occurs in around 1 in 1,000 boys between the age of 10 and 20. If a testicle is twisted, it can die within six hours unless the patient has emergency surgery.

It is widely recognised that the time between the onset of pain from testicular torsion and contact with a healthcare practitioner can be delayed because of the private and sensitive nature of the condition. While the GIRFT pathway is for clinicians – beginning at the point of presentation whether at a GP practice, the emergency department or to NHS 111 – the pathway working group recognised that better awareness is key to ensuring timely presentation.

Safeguarding

Online seminar to raise awareness around suicide prevention and bereavement

The Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) are hosting an online seminar to raise awareness around suicide prevention and bereavement on Monday 9th September between 12.30 – 1.30pm. The session will be delivered by Lyn Stepanian, Public Health Practitioner for Telford and Wrekin Council and will cover the following topics:

Suicide statistics
Work already taking place
What you can do
Support on offer for those affected

FREE Zero Suicide Alliance training

By the end of the session it is hoped that you will be more confident about discussing this difficult topic and have an understanding of the support in place for those who need it. Small actions can make a big difference to an individual’s life and there is no greater time than now to make a positive, long lasting difference in preventing the preventable.

If you are interested in attending please drop an email to partnerships@telforsd.gov.uk and a link to the Teams meeting will be shared with you

Early Years

Early Years & Childcare Newsletter Summer 24

Download Summer 24 Newsletter

Number Sense Local Offer September 24 Cohort ( 2024 Online Programme)

Open to all EY provider types including school based nurseries, maintained nursery schools, PVIs and Childminders

Our Number Sense Programme will help young learners to acquire the skills to develop a deep understanding of number.

Through play-based counting activities, subitising and recognising patterns and relationships, children will develop a strong foundation in number that will support them to become stronger, more confident mathematicians. The programme has been designed by drawing on high-quality evidence and the expertise of the team at Ryders Hayes Stronger Practice Hub in partnership with Roy Broadfield at Impact in Learning.

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Must attend all three core training sessions

Online Core Training Sessions:

Session 1: Wednesday 18th September 4-5.30pm

Session 2: Thursday 3rd October 4-5.30pm

Session 3: Thursday 17th October 4-5.360pm

Online Implementation Support Drop in-sessions:

Session 1: Wednesday 25th September 11.30-12.30am

Session 2: Wednesday 9th October 11.30-12.30am

Session 3: Thursday 24th October 11.30-12.30am

For further information visit the website:-

Thrive Together Stronger Practice Hub Number Sense Sept 24 Cohort Online Programme Expression of Interest Form (google.com

Outdoor Education Activites

Play For All – Telford and Wrekin Council’s Play Strategy Consultation

Play and recreational space is integral to the health and wellbeing of our Children and young People. The purpose of the Play Strategy is to ensure that the council has a robust framework for the prioritisation, provision and development of play and recreational spaces across the borough. The aim of the strategy is to identify the play and recreational needs of all residents, through a lens of Play for All, with a specific focus on inclusive play and safe, engaging spaces for girls.

Play is an innate activity that is engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, a universal activity that we all undertake. The act of play is somewhat complex, with diverse and broad characteristics. It can be a creative act, interior (e.g. imaginary) or exterior (with others), it can be physical, natural and adventurous, or structured and require problem solving. The act of play can require boldness, yielding self-learning and an understanding of the world around us. For many children, play can provide an opportunity to recognise and manage self-risk, a crucial skill for life and enables the development of social skills and builds physical and emotional confidence.

Play England’s national strategy is currently under reform following extant exploration into play provision. This has demonstrated that traditional play spaces fail to meet the need of children and young people with additional needs and/or impairment, nor provides suitable or safe opportunities for girls and young women. This is further supported by the National Disability Action Plan (Feb, 2024), published actions 16 and 17, directly addressing the requirement for play spaces and parks to be more inclusive and accessible. Research undertaken by Making Space for Girls highlights that 88% of current provision is used by males and subsequently not inclusive of girls and young women.

The Play Strategy will explore play sufficiency, facilities, places and spaces that provide opportunities for all residents of the Borough to experience both formal and informal play. This Play Strategy aims to highlight opportunities for diversified play in the Borough, reflecting residents’ views gathered during a period of public engagement and consultation, with specific engagement with priority groups. These groups have been highlighted by the above national, (alongside local strategic agendas), and often experience disparity in provision that limit their ability to access play spaces.

To understand the deficits in provision and the experiences of our children and young people, the voice of the child is integral to this consultation. Therefore, we are looking for the support from the Boroughs schools in completing a short survey and participation in focus group workshops. We are seeking focus group participants that are; girls of all ages/young women, children and young people with SEND and young people (both male and female) in Key Stage 4, to participate in informal workshops.

The duration of the workshops would be between 60-90 mins and the location would be to suit the school and to ensure minimal disruption. The optimal number of participants would be between 6-8 per workshop and will be an informal visual activity.

If you would like your students to participate in this consultation, please contact Jade Jackson (jade.jackson@telford.gov.uk). Interested parties please respond by Friday 20th September

Click on the link below to download the survey

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/ruk3u5

Outdoor Learning and Forest School Leaders

Sharing Good Practice Fun and Support Sessions on 24th September 3.30pm.-5.00pm

Join like-minded people to explore new sites, ideas, share good practice, renew skills and eat cake! Networking is an essential form of support in a world that can be isolating.

It is a safe place to explore good ideas and ask for help for tricky situations.

Creating an event which can take place termly to help support and develop everyone’s practice.

This session will be taking place at the at Short Wood Primary school

Please book space through;

https://wrekinforestschool.co.uk/events/category/training-sessions

£5 to cover Tea and Cake

For further information contact Alan.braybrooke@telford.gov.uk

CPD

Primary, Secondary and Post-16 Maths – Funded Opportunities

Please see below for DfE funded opportunities for maths

Primary

Teaching for Mastery (+ £1000 funding) - based at and led by Primary Mastery Specialists at William Reynolds, Lightmoor Village and Sir Alexander Fleming Primary Schools

Sustaining Teaching for Mastery (Leading Maths)

ECTs

Specialist Knowledge – Teachers

Specialist Knowledge – TAs

Secondary

Teaching for Mastery – full for 2024-25

Sustaining Teaching for Mastery

Subject Leaders

Non-specialists

Specialist Knowledge – TAs

Supporting students to achieve a Level 2 qualification in Maths

Securing Foundations at Year 7

Post-16

Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Core Maths

Developing A Level Pedagogy

For further information contact operations@shawmathshub.co.uk

Other Information and Resources

SAM Portal New User Request Form

This form is to be completed by the Employee and signed by their Manager

Once completed please do one of the following:

log via IDT Self Service (if available)
If IDT Self Service is not available and access is required for Admissions ONLY email to admissions@telford.gov.uk
If IDT Self Service is not available and access is required for School Forms, or Schools Forms AND Admissions email to educationsystemsupport@telford.gov.uk

Please make sure this form is completed fully, or it will not be processed

Download the New user form

10by10

All Telford & Wrekin Primary Schools will be receiving 10 by 10 letters and adventure cards at the end of this week, which we are asking you to please distribute to your new reception children.

The letter explains the 10 by 10 initiative with information about how to create an account online. The accompanying adventure card is for children to start tracking their progress against each of the activities.

We would also ask that you remind all parents and children that they can create an account to record and track their progress for each activity on the 10 by 10 website as well as print out copies of the adventure card.

There are lots of activities for children to get involved in across Telford and Wrekin and we will continue to provide updates and information throughout the year to schools and parents.

https://10by10.telford.gov.uk/

Should you require any further assistance please contact:

Rebecca Carey - SDM: Education Achievement and Enrichment

Rebecca.carey@telford.gov.uk

This entry was posted by Zoe on Monday, 02 September 2024.

About

Every week during term time we publish a new update for the education community. It includes essential briefings and specialist information about education.

Site Feed