Education Noticeboard

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

I am delighted to share with you all that Telford & Wrekin Council have won Local Authority of the Year at the MJ Achievement Awards 2022! It is always fantastic to win awards like this one, as it recognises the skills and commitment of the staff who form our Local Authority.

In other news it is lovely to be able to report that our local children are set to get improved play areas, thanks to a large amount of money being dedicated from the Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet. Telford Towns Fund consultations are also now underway, so please do get involved.

Summer is just around the corner, and registrations are now live for the summer provision of the Happy Healthy and Active Holiday’s Summer scheme. As always your help in promoting this scheme, and helping eligible families to apply for places, is appreciated.

On a less positive note, there has been a rise in both gastrointestinal and COVID-19 infections. Due to this the Health Protection Hub has provided timely infection control reminders, which can also be downloaded.

South Asian Heritage Month in Telford & Wrekin is underway, and we would love to share how you are marking the event within schools. Please do send stories, and photos, to education.noticeboard@telford.gov.uk.

As always there are a number of other articles including information on the upcoming National Co-production Week, updates from the Department for Education and current CPD opportunities.

Wishing you all a great rest of the week, and weekend!

Simon

Simon Wellman
Director: Education & Skills

CSE Report Publication - 12th July 2022

Dear all,

As you know an independent Inquiry was commissioned by the Council into Child Sexual Exploitation. I wanted to let you all know that we have now received notification from the Independent Inquiry that its report will be published at 5pm Tuesday 12 July. As we have not yet seen a copy of the report, I cannot tell you what the report says, but we do recognise that following the publication there will be some challenges, with increased press interest in the Council and the work of our services as well as some recommendations that we will need to respond to. I want to thank you all for your continued hard work in supporting our children and their families. We will keep you updated over the weeks that follow.

Jo Britton
Executive Director Children Services

Telford & Wrekin Council wins Local Authority of the Year

Telford & Wrekin Council has won Local Authority of the Year in the ‘Oscars’ of local government, the MJ Achievement Awards 2022.

The annual awards recognise the very best in council services across the UK.

Leader of the Council, Shaun Davies(Labour) said: “I am so incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. As a council on the side of our residents, it’s their views that matter most, but this kind of external recognition can give us confidence that we really are creating a better borough. The judges recognised the level of support we provided during pandemic, with one in five households receiving direct support from us in some way, but also a relentless focus on delivering against our priorities.

“Our £45million Pride in Our Community programme helps to make our communities clean, green and safe, we have outstanding children’s services, exceptional adult social care and have also attracted significant investment into the borough. We are never complacent and we will continue to work tirelessly to deliver excellent public services whilst having the lowest council tax in the Midlands.”

The judges said the council was “a place shaper with a positive focus on partnerships as well as its residents.”

The council has also been shortlisted for four other top awards in this year’s Local Government Chronicle awards, including Council of the Year. Winners will be announced on 20 July 2022.

Local children to get improved play areas thanks to £750,000 from Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet

Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet has agreed to invest £750,000 into local play areas following proposals raised at the recent authority’s cabinet meeting.

The proposals, which include the installation of new play equipment such as swings, slides and roundabouts and improved BMX and skate parks, complement the £3m investment package the council is currently directing into enhancing the borough’s parks and green spaces.

Sutton Hill is ear marked for £40,000 improvements which are anticipated to see enhancements to the skate park and children’s play area. As a borough wide investment, enhancements to areas identified as in greater need will be undertaken, to include existing play areas in Donnington, Madeley, Trench, Hollinswood and Randlay. Work is set to include the refurbishment and replacement of play equipment, new play areas and resurfacing of BMX and skate parks.

For the full story visit the Telford & Wrekin Newsroom.

Telford Towns Fund consultations are underway

Telford Towns Fund consultations for Station Quarter, Telford Town Centre, and Oakengates are now underway.

The consultations are asking the public to help shape the Towns Fund vision. If you’re not familiar with the fund, in 2019 a national fund of £3.6bn was launched to facilitate economic growth and ‘level up’ communities. In June 2021, Telford & Wrekin were informed that we had successfully secured £22.3m to deliver Telford’s Town Investment Plan consisting of three projects, to be delivered over five years.

The Telford Towns Fund consists of three projects: Station Quarter, Oakengates Theatre Quarter and Wellington Conservation Area. Station Quarter plans can be viewed on the ground floor of Southwater One (until 3 July 2022) and the Oakengates plans can be viewed within Oakengates Library (until 8 July 2022). You can see all the plans and have your say online.

Registrations are live for Happy Healthy and Active Holiday’s – Summer 2022

The Happy Healthy and Active Holiday’s (HHAH) scheme will be running through the Summer holidays (Saturday 23 July – Sunday 4 September 2022). Holiday activities will be available for children and young people who are receiving income-based free school meals.

A short film about the scheme is available to watch online.

There will be a range of activities on offer at Holiday clubs for children in reception to Year 11. Every day a child attends they will be provided with a nutritious meal and at least 4 hours of enrichment activities, including 60 minutes of physical activity, arts, crafts and nature walks! In order to access the scheme parents and carers of children who are eligible must register on the HHAH website. Video tutorials on how to register, manage and cancel bookings are all available on the website.

Parents and carers who are eligible for income-related FSM will be directly notified of the scheme and how to sign up by letter that they will get this week. If you are able to further promote the HHAH scheme to eligible families then that would be greatly appreciated. We know some families will need your support to register for the scheme and we’ve created an paper registration form to help any that are finding it difficult to apply online, please can we ask that schools support these families in completing the form and sending it back to us so that we can get them in contact with the holiday club. Thanks for your help with this!

Happy Healthy and Active Holiday's Registration Form

Those who have signed up to the HHAH Scheme will be notified by email when the activity sessions are live to book on to.

Like last year, there is some flexibility for other children, not eligible for FSM to access the scheme. This may include children and families living in areas of deprivation, those known to children services and those that have SEND as examples. If you feel a child would benefit from the HHAH programme, please contact the HolidayActivityHub@telford.gov.uk inbox so we can provide more information and a special code for the family to register on the website.

What’s Happening in Telford & Wrekin

The 'What’s near me – Summer 2022' information is available to download.

We have a range of fun free activities during the school holidays for Telford & Wrekin families to take part in for children from reception to year 11 for families receiving income-related free school meals. They’ll be able to have a healthy meal and join in on sports, arts, crafts and much more! Check out the HHAH Website for full details of what’s running over Summer.

Please note individual closing dates for different types of referrals to the Attendance Support Team for academic year 21-22

The latest information on the last dates for referrals for Attendance Support Team (AST) Warning Notices, referrals for Interviews Under Caution (IUC) and referrals for Holiday Penalty Notices is as follows:

AST Warning Notices – The closing date for the last referrals for any AST warning notice will be 8 July 2022. Warning Notices sent too close to the end of term are not as effective. After 8 July 2022 schools will be asked to defer any cases of poor school attendance until September. It is good practice for schools to write to parents at the end of term if they are concerned about overall levels of absence.

Interviews Under Caution (IUC) – Please be aware that the closing date for referrals for IUC has been extended this year to 15 July 2022. This is because AST now have two officers working throughout the summer break who will work in partnership with school staff to prepare the evidence needed to invite parents in for an IUC. We usually allow 2 weeks’ notice from when we issue the invitation, however, we need ample time to prepare all the questions, liaise with school staff before they break up for the summer break and to be able to offer a follow up date to parents if necessary.

Penalty Notices (HPN) – schools can refer to AST if a HPN needs to be considered for any case where the child has returned to school following a minimum of 5 school days unauthorised leave in term time. We can issue these at any time. If a Yr. 6 pupil (or Yr. 2 in infant schools) takes unauthorised leave and does not return before the end of term, it is up to the primary school (or infant school) to refer to us in September when the child attends their new school.

Please do not hesitate to contact AST if you have any concerns or questions about any of the above.

All completed referrals should be submitted to attendancesupportteam@telford.gov.uk

Infection control reminder for schools

We are currently seeing a number of educational settings with outbreaks of gastrointestinal infectious disease, and cases of COVID-19 are increasing, so the Health Protection Hub felt it timely to provide you with a reminder of the importance of the following control measures in school settings, and some resources to help you see-out the rest of the term with as little disruption as possible!

Exclusion (sending home from school)

Prompt exclusion (sending home from school) of children, young people and staff who are unwell with an infectious disease is essential to preventing the spread of infection in education and childhood settings.

Children with mild, respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education or childcare setting.

Children who are unwell and showing the symptoms of an infectious disease or a diagnostic result should be advised to stay away from their education or childcare setting for the minimum period recommended. Chapter 3 of the “Health protection in education…” website and the accompanying table provide further detail on the symptoms of different infections and recommended action. Feel free to contact the Hub on the email below if you need any advice in specific situations.

Ventilation

Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

If there are areas of the setting identified that may have poor ventilation, there are several simple things that can be done to improve ventilation.

These include:

partially opening windows and doors to let fresh air in
opening higher level windows to reduce draughts
opening windows for 10 minutes an hour or longer can help increase ventilation – where possible this can happen when the room is empty in between lessons, for example

You should always balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature.

Respiratory hygiene

Covering the nose and mouth during sneezing and coughing can reduce the spread of infections.

Spitting should be discouraged.

Anyone with signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection, regardless of the cause, should follow respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, specifically:

cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of used tissue in non-healthcare risk waste bin and perform hand hygiene
cough or sneeze into the inner elbow (upper sleeve) if no tissues are available, rather than into the hand
keep contaminated hands away from the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose
carry out hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects and materials

Handwashing

Hand washing is one of the most important ways of controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea and/or vomiting and respiratory infections.

Settings should ensure that staff and students/children have access to liquid soap, warm water and paper towels. Bar soap should not be used.

All staff and pupils should be advised to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food, after playtime and after touching animals.

All cuts and abrasions should be covered with a waterproof dressing.

Alcohol hand gel can be used if appropriate hand washing facilities are not available but should not replace washing hands particularly if hands are visibly soiled or where there are cases of gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and vomiting) in the setting. Alcohol hand gel is not effective against norovirus. Further information is available here Choosing hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants to use during the COVID-19 pandemic (hse.gov.uk).

Cleaning

Effective cleaning and disinfection are critical in any education or childcare setting, particularly when food preparation is taking place.

In the event of an outbreak of infection at your setting, we would recommend enhanced and more frequent cleaning, to help reduce transmission - for example twice daily cleaning of areas (with particular attention to door handles, toilet flushes and taps) and communal areas where surfaces can easily become contaminated such as handrails, with hot, soapy water and an appropriate disinfectant. Milton is recommended especially when you have outbreaks of D&V, used in accordance with the instructions.

Dedicated cleaning equipment should be colour coded according to area of use.

Dealing with soiled clothing

Staff dealing with soiled clothing should ensure that:

manual sluicing of clothing is not carried out as there is a risk of inhaling fine contaminated aerosol droplets; soiled articles of clothing should be rinsed through in the washing machine pre-wash cycle, prior to washing
gloves and aprons should be worn when handling soiled linen or clothing
hands should be thoroughly washed after removing the gloves and aprons

Clothing may become contaminated with blood or bodily fluids. If this occurs, clothing should be removed as soon as possible and placed in a plastic bag. It should be sent home with the child with advice for the parent on how to launder the contaminated clothing -any contaminated clothing should be washed separately in a washing machine, using a pre-wash cycle, on the hottest temperature that the clothes will tolerate.

Resources

The Spotty Book gives advice on general control measures and advice of specific diseases:

We would advise that it’s read in conjunction with the “Health protection in education and childcare settings”, which has chapters on introduction to infections, infection prevention and control, public health management of specific infectious diseases, action in the event of an outbreak or incident, immunisation, educational visits and an exclusion table. The landing page is an ideal place to start.

If you require any specific advice, or to advise us of an outbreak, please email HealthProtectionHub@telford.gov.uk and we’ll provide advice and assistance.

This guidance is available to download.

Infection control reminder for early years settings

We are currently seeing a number of educational settings with outbreaks of gastrointestinal infectious disease, and cases of COVID-19 are increasing, so the Health Protection Hub felt it timely to provide you with a reminder of the importance of the following control measures in early years settings, and some resources to help you see-out the rest of the term with as little disruption as possible!

Exclusion (sending home from early years setting)

Prompt exclusion (sending home from early years setting) of children, young people and staff who are unwell with an infectious disease is essential to preventing the spread of infection in education and childhood settings.

Children with mild, respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, can continue to attend their education or childcare setting.

Ventilation

Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

If there are areas of the setting identified that may have poor ventilation, there are several simple things that can be done to improve ventilation.

These include:

partially opening windows and doors to let fresh air in
opening higher level windows to reduce draughts
opening windows for 10 minutes an hour or longer can help increase ventilation – where possible this can happen when the room is empty in between lessons, for example

You should always balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature.

Respiratory hygiene

Covering the nose and mouth during sneezing and coughing can reduce the spread of infections.

Spitting should be discouraged.

Anyone with signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection, regardless of the cause, should follow respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, specifically:

cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of used tissue in non-healthcare risk waste bin and perform hand hygiene
cough or sneeze into the inner elbow (upper sleeve) if no tissues are available, rather than into the hand
keep contaminated hands away from the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose
carry out hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects and materials

Handwashing

Hand washing is one of the most important ways of controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea and/or vomiting and respiratory infections.

Settings should ensure that staff and students/children have access to liquid soap, warm water and paper towels. Bar soap should not be used.

All staff and pupils should be advised to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food, after playtime and after touching animals.

All cuts and abrasions should be covered with a waterproof dressing.

Cleaning

Effective cleaning and disinfection are critical in any education or childcare setting, particularly when food preparation is taking place.

Dedicated cleaning equipment should be colour coded according to area of use.

Laundry, nappy changing, dealing with soiled clothing

There should be a designated area on site if there is a need for laundry facilities. This area should:

be separate from any food preparation areas
have appropriate hand washing facilities
have a washing machine with a sluice or pre-wash cycle

Staff involved with laundry services or dealing with soiled clothing should ensure that:

manual sluicing of clothing is not carried out as there is a risk of inhaling fine contaminated aerosol droplets; soiled articles of clothing should be rinsed through in the washing machine pre-wash cycle, prior to washing
gloves and aprons should be worn when handling soiled linen or clothing
hands should be thoroughly washed after removing the gloves and aprons

Children in nappies must have a designated changing area. This should:

be away from play facilities and any area where food and/or drink is prepared or consumed
have appropriate hand washing facilities available

Staff should wash and dry their hands after every nappy change, before handling another child or leaving the nappy changing room.

Staff involved in managing nappies should:

wrap soiled nappies in a plastic bag before disposal in the general setting waste
clean children’s skin with a disposable wipe (flannels should not be used)
label nappy creams and lotions with the child’s name and do not share with others
wipe changing mats with soapy water or a mild detergent wipe after each use
clean mats thoroughly with hot soapy water if visibly soiled and at the end of each day
check mats weekly for tears and discard if the cover is damaged

A designated sink for cleaning potties (not a hand wash basin) should be located in the area where potties are used. Disposable gloves should be worn to flush contents down the toilet. The potty should be washed in hot soapy water, dried and stored upside down.

Hands should be washed using soap and warm water and dried after removing disposable gloves.

Resources

The Spotty Book gives advice on general control measures and advice of specific diseases:

If you require any specific advice, or to advise us of an outbreak, please email HealthProtectionHub@telford.gov.uk and we’ll provide advice and assistance.

This guidance is available to download.

Helping Ukrainian students in schools

This is an update from the Department for Education.

Information to provide schools and colleges with links to further information and resources to support their Ukrainian pupils and students.

This information is available on the GOV.UK website and is for:

school and college leaders
school and college staff
governing bodies in all maintained schools, FE colleges, academies and free schools

Resources to help support children and young people arriving from Ukraine.

Launch of the ‘Don’t Face it Alone’ campaign

This is an update from the Department for Education.

Youth charity The Diana Award is running Don’t Face It Alone, an anti-bullying campaign encouraging young people and us all to #SpeakOutAboutBullying.

The campaign launched on Wednesday 22 June 2022 and encourages young people not to suffer alone from bullying and instead to speak out and report it, whether it is taking place online or offline. Backed by tech companies, the campaign aims to get the nation talking about bullying and the positive steps that can be taken to prevent it.

Education settings can sign up for free resources, videos and further ways to get involved on the Don’t Face it Alone website.

Webinars for schools on attendance best practice

This is an update from the Department for Education.

Following the publication of new attendance guidance, the Department for Education (DfE) are running a series of effective practice training webinars to support schools and trusts to meet the new expectations.

Details on these upcoming webinars and how to register are below:

· Thursday 30 June 2022, 4pm to 5pm – Sign up for a webinar hosted by Unity Schools Partnership on analysing absence and attendance data to target improvement efforts.

· Thursday 7 July 2022, 4pm to 5pm – Sign up for a webinar hosted by Diverse Academies on effective governance which supports stronger attendance.

All webinars will be recorded and shared as part of improving attendance good practice for schools and multi-academy trusts.

Update on the new curriculum body announced in the schools white paper

This is an update from the Department for Education.

In the schools white paper, the Department for Education (DfE) announced the intention to establish a new arms-length curriculum body which builds on the success of Oak National Academy's work in the pandemic.

They can now provide a further update, which will outline the proposed approach to establishing the arm’s length body. A webinar for schools and trusts will take place on Monday 4 July 2022, from 5pm to 6pm – the purpose is to share thinking about the curriculum body’s proposed activities, as well as to provide an opportunity to ask questions.

South Asian Heritage Month in Telford & Wrekin schools

In the coming weeks, a wide range of activities and workshops are taking place in schools and settings across Telford & Wrekin to celebrate South Asian Heritage month.

All of the workshops, including free kabaddi sessions, are funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner with support from Telford & Wrekin Council and the Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Council to implement them. The workshops are delivered by the Multicultural Development Team and Ashia Miah from the Shropshire and Telford Asian Women’s association, as well as Sairana Alex.

If you are also considering taking part, there are the free MDT resources, which are available to download, to support those celebrating for the first time.

South Asian Heritage Month – Primary resource pack

South Asian Heritage Month – Secondary resource pack

We would love to know how your school or setting is marking and commemorating the diverse South Asian history and culture.

How you can share:

Send your pictures and brief description on what you have done to celebrate, to education.noticeboard@telford.gov.uk for inclusion in the Education Noticeboard.

Share on your social channels with hashtag #southasianheritagemonth and tag Telford & Wrekin Council in your posts using @TelfordWrekin.

The Telford & Wrekin Interfaith council, our partner in South Asian Heritage month, would also love to see your events and activities so you can also tag them in too! -

The Telford and Interfaith Council’s key objectives are to:

champion Interfaith dialogue in the borough of Telford & Wrekin;
provide a space for meeting, conversation and cooperation between leaders and representatives of faith communities;
promote and facilitate constructive engagement between different faith and belief communities across Telford & Wrekin through dialogue, educational activities, civic engagement and promotion of religious equality;
influence decision making in all areas of public life and t form links with and be consulted by statutory and voluntary bodies;
share concerns and provide mutual support.

All photos received will be considered as having permission for us to share on our social channels.

Thank you for your support.

MDT support for individual schools to plan and develop staff knowledge around South Asian Heritage month is free and available upon request.

To find out more about South Asian Heritage Month 2022, visit the website.

Resources for Ukrainian speaking children

As part of the Local Authority support for the Ukrainian refugees, the Multicultural Development Team are pleased to highlight free resources, provided by the Department for Education, to all schools to assist in their support of Ukrainian speaking children.

The resource pack includes:

guides to the English education system
mental health and wellbeing support
English language support
short courses

The MDT Website can be visited by individual schools looking to make a request to plan and develop staff knowledge. If you would like any further information, please contact the MDT team.

Co-production Week 2022

National Co-production Week is back for a seventh year and takes place 4 July to 9 July 2022. It celebrates the benefits of co-production, share good practice and promote the contribution of people who use services and carers in developing better public services.

The theme this year is:
The impact of co-production.

Co-production is about working in equal partnership with people using services, carers, families and citizens. Co-production offers the chance to transform social care and health provision to a model that offers people real choice and control.

Please watch the introductory film from John Evans, Disability Rights and Diversity Consultant.

For information on events, activities and online resources – as well as highlights from previous years – please visit the National Co-production website.

Early Years Alliance launces ‘We Are Educators’ campaign

The Early Years Alliance has launched a new campaign recognising those working in the early years as educational professionals.

The ‘We Are Educators’ campaign aims to help those working in the early years sector highlight to parents, local communities and policymakers the unique importance of the early years and the role the early years workforce plays in shaping children’s lives.

As part of the campaign, the Alliance will be directly contacting MPs and peers to ask them to voice their support for the early years sector, and their recognition of the early years workforce as educators.

In addition, educators who sign up to the campaign will be given:

access to a free #WeAreEducators toolkit which includes a mini-guide on how to highlight the early education being delivered at their settings when communicating with parents and carers;
a template letter to send to their MP inviting them to visit their setting to view education delivered in action;
digital recruitment banner adverts and social media graphics for the setting's website and social media pages;
posters, social media graphics and other materials to help settings to highlight the vital role of play in early learning.

Earlier this month, research commissioned by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, found that only 17% of the general public recognise the unique importance of the 0-5 period of a child’s life relative to other age brackets.

This report joins raft of research which shows that despite the critical importance of the first five years of a child’s life to their long-term learning and development, the early years provision is often viewed and treated as ‘childcare’ to support parents to work, and not as vital early education.

Educators not babysitters

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, commented: “For far too long, hardworking, talented and knowledgeable early years professionals have been treated as ‘babysitters’ by policymakers, rather than valued as the educators that they are.

“Using a range of free resources, materials, blogs and activities, we hope that early years educators will be well-equipped with the tools they need to highlight the important and irreplaceable role that the early years plays in a child’s educational journey, and we hope as many providers as possible will sign up to use the #WeAreEducators toolkit.

“Anyone who has ever worked in our sector knows that play is learning and that the early years is education. it is our hope that through this campaign, parents, local communities and -crucially – policymakers will come to understand this too.”

Join in

Early years providers can sign up to the #WeAreEducators campaign, and receive a free toolkit, on the Early Years Alliance website.

‘First Five Years Count’ campaign

The National Day Nurseries ‘first five years count’ campaign has launched to celebrate the early years sector, and all they do to make the first five years of a child’s life count.

Nurseries aren’t just childcare

Did you know a high quality nursery can put children three months ahead? We know that nurseries and the early years workforce have an impact that lasts a lifetime. We’re here to shout loud and proud about the incredible difference nurseries and the early years workforce make and give thanks to those who give so much to the futures of children.

The #firstfiveyearscount campaign is striving to:

increase understanding of the importance of early childhood education;
better the perception of the early years workforce as educators of young children 0-5;
address the recruitment and retention crisis;
boost the positive feedback the workforce receives about their work;
support the uptake of early years places within settings.

Private Fostering: A guide for professionals - Updated

Following the Laming report in to the death of Victoria Climbie, regulations relating to private fostering were amended and strengthened by Section 44 of the Children Act 2004.

The Children (private arrangements for fostering) Regulation 2005 clearly sets out the role of the local authority, the parent and private foster carer and related professionals. Private fostering arrangements can be a positive response from within the community to difficulties experienced by families. Nonetheless, privately fostered children remain a diverse and potentially vulnerable group of children.

Thus, the local authority has a legal duty to assure itself that the arrangement is satisfactory and that those in whose care the child resides are promoting their welfare and safeguarding them.

The Private Fostering team are delivering raising awareness training during Private Fostering Week (4 – 10 July 2022). The sessions will take place on the following dates:

Thursday 7 July 2022, 12:00 - 13:00 Click here to join the meeting

Friday 8 July 2022, 12:00 – 13:00 Click here to join the meeting

The training is available to book via Ollie and will take place via Microsoft Teams.

Changes to the Pre-exclusion Hotline

The pre-exclusion hotline has been working well and many schools have been utilising the support that comes alongside the hotline.

Many schools are now using the hotline at the correct time – which is before considering an exclusion, rather than after a decision to exclude has already been made. This is in order to access some immediate support to prevent the exclusion from taking place.

For most users, a member of the BSAT team has been able to offer immediate intervention by discussing the exclusion in more detail and offering a preventative solution. This support is available for both the individual child and their school.

During our recent review of the service, it has become evident that some schools are calling multiple times with regards to the same child. This is usually because the child has been identified as in need of further support – so from September 2022 there will be a limit of 1 free visit per child, per term. After this, the hotline will be able to offer telephone support, however visits to school will be traded through BSAT.

I am really pleased that many schools have commented on the use of the hotline and how valuable it is to support Head teachers in their decision making process.

The Pre-exclusion Hotline number is 07816 372459.

The Power of Music to Change Lives: A National Plan for Music Education

The new National Plan for Music Education (NPME) was published by the DfE and is entitled, The Power of Music to Change Lives and follows on from the first national plan, “The Importance of Music”, published in 2011. The full document can be found in the link above and also attached is the summary document from the Music Teachers’ Association.

The document is divided into three chapters and covers: High Quality Music, Partnership through Music Hubs and Supporting Progression and Development. There are actions for all stakeholders to take but especially for school and subject leaders and for organisations like ourselves who are leading or key delivery partners in local Music Hubs.

The new plan has three goals for Music Education:

All children and young people receive a high-quality music education in the early years and in schools.
All music educators to work in partnership with children and young people’s needs and interests at their heart.
All children and young people with musical interests and talents to have the opportunity to progress their interests and potential, including professionally.

Schools will have a significant role in achieving these goals and Music Education Hubs will be asked to support by focusing on Partnerships, Schools, Progression and Musical Development, Inclusion and Sustainability. Page 18 of the plan has a helpful diagram with a suggested model for achieving a quality Music Education and we would fully support this approach of having the following in place: Curriculum Music, Instrumental and Vocal Work and Ensembles, Events and Opportunities.

The advice we are giving locally is to look at short, medium and long term development for music in your school as part of this new request to have a Music Development Plan in place. For many years we have worked on self-assessment audits with school and subject leaders and we will continue this funded support from September. Please remember that the steps that many of you have been taking to recover and improve music since the pandemic are a helpful starting point.

A few other thoughts to highlight:

Reminders throughout that Music is a statutory part of the National Curriculum.
The importance of a quality and experienced workforce is highlighted repeatedly.
Additional resource will be provide to support instrument purchase and replacement – much needed where stock needs replenishing and updating.
The Model Music Curriculum and its aims are referenced throughout – the four ‘aims’ are attached as a reminder.
Inclusion is a key pillar of the approach where no child should be left unable to access a quality music provision.
A broad range of resources, to be used as appropriate for your school are referenced.
Best practice schools are to be identified locally to assist with support for others.

The Music Partnership is the Music Hub covering the local authority areas of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford & Wrekin. Our first priority will be to continue delivery as planned through the 2022/23 academic year, building on the progress made since the pandemic and in response to the published Model Music Curriculum and the recent re-focus on music as part of Ofsted’s revised inspection framework. We will also be on hand to guide and support schools as they start to review and respond to this new national plan.

In September, we will provide a series of online briefings, summary slides for the local offer, a booking process for schools wanting to get started with Music Development Plans and a set of templates that will help schools and trusts set out their priorities.

Autism Education Trust update

The programme of Autism Education Trust (AET) professional development is now running across Early Years, Schools and Post 16. Most schools and settings now have an Autism Lead in place, and our schools are engaging with Good Autism Practice (GAP) whole school CPD.

A reminder that Good Autism Practice (GAP) is aimed at education practitioners who work directly with autistic children, is suitable for all staff within the school as part of their training. This is a half a day session at a cost of £300 per school/setting.

Making Sense of Autism (MSA) is brief, and is aimed at office and ancillary staff, caterers, caretakers, transport staff and governors. This 1 hour training session costs £100 per school/setting.

GAP and MSA continue to be delivered by the EP and LSAT teams. To ensure sustainability, for the coming academic year, we are offering GAP on five ‘PD’ days, which has so far proved popular.

Dates to choose from for whole school GAP:

5 September 2022
6 September 2022
31 October 2022
3 January 2023
17 April 2023

There are a maximum of eight training slots available on any given PD day. Please book via CPDSchoolImprovement@telford.gov.uk indicating your 1st choice and 2nd choice of date. Training spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Any questions, please contact our new AET Lead Officer Dr Jane Park jane.park@telford.gov.uk.

CPD courses for school staff, senior leaders and governors to the end of the Summer Term 2022

The CPD Booklet continues to be available on the Telford Education Services site.

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).

Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher (SG 107) Face to Face	Wednesday, July 06, 2022	9.15am to 3.15pm
Recently Qualified Teacher Development Programme (CPD 507)	Wednesday, July 06, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
School Duties under the Equality Act 2010 – and how to write an effective Accessibility Plan (LSAT 304)	Wednesday, July 06, 2022	9.15am to 12noon
IRIS Training	Wednesday, July 06, 2022	3.30pm to 5pm
Teaching Children with SEND: Meeting the Needs. Session 6: Literacy Difficulties (LSAT 508)	Thursday, July 07, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Safety Intervention Refresher Training (formerly MAPA Refresher Training) BSAT 212	Thursday, July 07, 2022	9am to 11.30am
Virtual School Conference for Designated Teachers and Nominated Governors for Children in Care (CPD 620)	Friday, July 08, 2022	9am to 3.30pm
Supporting Behaviour and Learning - Children with ADHD/ODD & CD (new course –see separate article)	Monday, July 11, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
The Role of the Early Years Practitioner in Supporting and Enhancing Play (EY 008)	Wednesday, July 13, 2022	1.15pm to 4pm
ECT Induction Tutor - initial training (CPD 520)	Wednesday, July 13, 2022	4pm to 5.30pm
Newly Appointed Designated Safeguarding Leads' Training (2 days) - part 1 (SG 102) Face to Face	Wednesday, July 13, 2022	9.15am to 4pm
Newly Appointed Designated Safeguarding Leads' Training (2 days) - part 2 (SG 102) Face to Face	Thursday, July 14, 2022	9.15am to 4pm
Verbal Intervention Training (BSAT 213)	Thursday, July 14, 2022	9am to 11.30am
Verbal Intervention Training (BSAT 214)	Thursday, July 14, 2022	3pm to 5.30pm

Supporting Behaviour and Learning - Children with ADHD / Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) & Conduct Disorder – new course

PSS 104: Supporting Behaviour and Learning - Children with ADHD / Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) & Conduct Disorder (CD) is a new twilight online CPD course. It is aimed at those staff members in schools, both primary and secondary, who work directly with children and young people - including teachers, learning mentors, teaching assistants, school support staff and other childcare professionals.

The course aims to raise awareness and understanding of ADHD, ODD and CD and, most importantly, help staff to support children to improve their outcomes – with a focus on supporting behaviour and learning.

As well as ADHD, the course will examine Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). Delegates will understand the challenges facing neuro-diverse children and the strategies they can use to avoid isolation and exclusion.

Course dates and times:

Monday 11 July 2022, 4pm to 5.30pm

Delegate fees

£85 for one delegate.
£76.50 per person for two delegates from the same school on the same date.
Whole school cost: As these courses are taking place on a Monday evening, when many schools hold staff meetings, we can offer access to this online course at a whole school price of £250 per school. (Please note: for ‘whole school’ bookings please select one date).

To book please send a completed CPD booking form to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk – if your request is for ‘whole school’ access, please simply state this on your form, rather than listing all the staff at this stage, and we will get back to you to confirm the details.

Maths Hub – West Midlands Secondary Conference

The West Midlands Maths Hub Secondary Conference will take place on Friday 8 July 2022, 9am – 3.30pm, at the University of Wolverhampton (Walsall Campus).

More information is available on the Shaw Maths Hub website and a poster is available to download.

Talk to Us

24 July 2022 (24/7) is Samaritans Awareness Day, because they are there to listen 24/7. On this date and throughout July, the Samaritans run their awareness-raising campaign Talk to Us, to remind people that they are there for anyone who needs someone to listen.

Every year in July, Samaritans branches in the UK and Republic of Ireland hold local events to raise awareness that Samaritans are here to listen to anyone who's struggling to cope, at any time of the day or night.

How can you get involved?

If you’d like to help raise awareness for #TalkToUs and #SamaritansAwarenessDay then please show support on social media by sharing the downloadable social media assets throughout July.

If you’d like to order printed signposting materials, such as leaflets and posters, please sign up to access the Samaritans online Brand Centre.

Whatever you're going through, call the Samaritans free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

Take the challenge

Ready to take the Plastic Free July challenge? Participants tell us that the tips and tricks in our weekly emails during July help them to keep motivated during the challenge. People also enjoy reading stories from our participants and other news from our global movement. Enter your details here to get the latest plastic-free ideas (don’t worry – we won’t spam you or pass your email address onto anyone else). Together we can make a difference and be a part of the solution.

This entry was posted by Claire on Thursday, 30 June 2022.

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

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