Notice: 8 October 2020

A round-up of news, guidance and key updates for education settings.

Included in this update:

My continued thanks for all your efforts at this time and responding to current challenges. An area to celebrate is the high attendance rate of children and young people attending our early years provision, schools and colleges in Telford and Wrekin. This is testament to the work you are all doing to support and keep your community informed. My thanks to those who have taken a recent call with either myself or Jo. It is really good to check in with you; hear what Is going well and what might need improving further. We are planning to do more of this over coming weeks. The noticeboard is jam-packed this week with plenty of articles which I hope you find helpful.

Best wishes

Simon Wellman
Interim Director Education and Skills

Update on Flu Vaccinations

Last week schools were informed about the council scheme for flu vaccinations and we are pleased that some colleagues have been able to book an appointment for a vaccination. Unfortunately the Council have only been provided with a limited number of vaccines, 700 in total, and it has therefore been necessary to prioritise front line care staff and special schools. As a result there are no more vaccines at this stage for general release.

We understand that some of your staff unable to access a vaccine through our scheme, will be concerned about how to access a vaccine. I believe in previous years some schools have made arrangements through local pharmacies for flu vaccinations for their staff and many have considered this for this current year.

Staff should also be reminded that if they are over 65, pregnant or have underlying health conditions they are eligible for a free vaccine through their GP. It is important that they take up this free offer as they are in a priority group.

Extending this to all over 50’s has also been proposed nationally but we await further confirmation of this, which is likely to come later in the year.

All other staff, not eligible through the NHS, can access a private vaccination through pharmacies and this option is still open to them as long as local supplies allow.

Thank you all for your extraordinary efforts at this time.

Jo Britton, Executive Director, Children Services

For further enquiries please contact us by email: hrhelpdesk@telford.gov.uk or your named HR advisor.

Ventilation and Air Conditioning Guidance: Update 1 – Changes (7 October 2020)

The changes contained within this update is to reflect the need to understand your ventilation systems and for windows to be remain open, albeit during cooler weather they do not have to be wide open but just enough to create an airflow, when the building is in occupation. Schools and academies are able to ask for further support including a ventilation audit of their building. This service is provided by the biT team. If you already buy back into the biT buy back service, this advice will already be included within your buyback plan. If you do not buy back the service, a charge will be payable for this.

Please contact the biT team on 01952 384500.

Download the Ventilation and Air Conditioning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19 Update: meetings, training and interviews

We continue to recommend that, where meetings, training and interviews can take place digitally without face to face contact, they should do.

Ask yourselves - is it essential, what are the benefits of undertaking a face-to-face meetings, and are there any consequences for not having a face to face meeting?

Also consider your contingency plan – If you have a positive case in school, the more staff that are a contact the more staff will need to isolate.

Only where absolutely necessary should participants physically attend meetings and strict social distancing should be maintained throughout.

There should be no sharing of pens, documents or other objects.

Health and Safety
Donna Irish
Email: donna.irish@telford.gov.uk

Remote education: a legal duty

The Department for Education (DfE) is offering several school-led webinars on remote education to help share good practice. This is to support schools that are looking for help to improve the quality of their remote provision in line with the expectations set out in the guidance for full opening.

The Remote Education Temporary Continuity Direction sets out the legal expectations - where a class, group of pupils, or individual pupils need to self-isolate, schools are expected to provide immediate access to remote education. View the full document on the GOV.UK website.

On the 1 October 2020, the DfE published remote education good practice, which outlines non-statutory suggestions to help schools meet the expectations for remote learning. It covers the following areas:

ensuring access to remote provision
what matters most in remote education
effective remote teaching provision
finding solutions in remote provision

Schools can spend their catch-up premium on remote education, for example purchasing additional devices or textbooks.

EdTech Demonstrator webinars

The EdTech Demonstrator programme is a peer-support network of schools and colleges that was launched in April 2020. It offers advice, support and guidance on ways technology can be effectively embedded to support remote teaching during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and beyond.

Schools and colleges can access existing EdTech webinars from the EdTech Demonstrator website, or you can sign up for bespoke 1:1 support from a demonstrator school or college.

Schools and colleges new to digital platforms, such as Microsoft Office 365, or G-Suite for Education, are advised to apply for 1:1 support.

Webinars for school leaders

School leaders have shared what has worked for them in getting their schools set up to deliver remote education. The webinars last for 45 minutes.

The webinars were live through Microsoft Teams on the 30 September 2020 (primary) and 1 October 2020 (secondary). For those who missed these the recordings of each webinar are available to watch through the DfE YouTube channel.

Webinars for teachers

Teachers have shared what has worked for them when teaching remotely. Live webinars through Microsoft Teams were held on 6 October 2020 and 8 October 2020 for primary and secondary colleagues respectively and explored remote teaching strategies and techniques, using examples from science lessons (primary) and music and Spanish lessons (secondary). Recordings of each webinar will be available to watch after the live events through the DfE YouTube channel.

New webinars for middle leaders

Webinars and case studies on curriculum sequencing will be available later in the Autumn Term.

For more information:

Remote education webinars.

Free School Meals – support for pupils who have to stay at home

Following the full re-opening of schools, a small number of pupils will still be unable to attend if they are required to self-isolate, or if local lockdown arrangements are in place. Schools should work with their suppliers to prepare meals or food parcels for pupils who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals and who are not in attendance because they:

are self-isolating
have had symptoms or a positive test result themselves
are a close contact of someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19)
are not attending as a result of local lockdown arrangements.

The DFE has advised that although the guidance notes that schools should provide meals or food parcels, it does not prohibit the issue of vouchers as an alternative. Schools can issue vouchers in such circumstances, but would need to be responsible for sourcing and paying for the vouchers, and should note that the DfE will not reimburse these costs as the funding is held by the school.

Schools should note that the guidance states that there is no requirement to provide universal infant free school meals to infant pupils who are not in school.

Visit the GOV.UK website to view the full guidance for providing school meals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Issuing Vouchers

The Council Catering Team charges £2.45 for each secondary and £2.35 for each primary Free School Meal served. There is no charge for FSM(s) not taken, therefore allowing for the purchase of vouchers or a packed lunch instead for pupils who are not in school. The funding for FSM provision is included within schools’ Pupil Premium funding.

Based on this, the recommended weekly (minimum) voucher amount based on a daily meal charge of £2.35 primary and £2.45 secondary is £12 for primary and £12.50 for secondary pupils. Schools may of course wish to top this up if they feel this is appropriate and affordable.

For schools subscribing to the School Catering Service a packed lunch can be provided by the catering team for isolating pupils, but the school would need to be responsible for delivery and make their own arrangements for this.

World Mental Health Day

This Saturday, 10 October 2020, is World Mental Health Day. Mentally Healthy Schools, under the leadership of the Anna Freud Centre, have published a toolkit of resources ‘Celebrating Differences’ designed to help schools support pupils who may need more help with their mental health, and celebrate the unique and different qualities each child brings to your school community.

View our toolkit via the Mentally Healthy Schools website.

Rapid support for children and young people affected by the coronavirus crisis (Barnardos / DfE)

The See, Hear, Respond Partnership will quickly identify and support children, young people and families who are struggling to cope with the impacts of coronavirus. Its aim is to provide early intervention before these children reach the threshold for statutory intervention.

See, Hear, Respond does not replace your usual referral process for children who meet a statutory threshold for significant harm: such referrals must be made to the local authority safeguarding team using your usual safeguarding procedures.

Barnardos say they 'especially want to invite referrals for families who are most isolated from support due to Covid-19, including:

Under 5s, with a specific focus on under 2s
Those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and where there are concerns about their welfare e.g. online safety
Children and young people experiencing anxiety, stress and other mental health difficulties
Children who may be at increased risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation inside or outside of the home
Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee children who experience barriers to accessing services
Young carers’.

You can find more information and a referral form here: Barnados See, Hear, Respond.

Or for more information, please email: educationsafegurding@telford.gov.uk.

Support for BAME Pupils who are absent due to Covid-19 anxiety

The Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council are a new organisation that want to help families in Telford. They have been providing a specialised Foodbank and family support in Telford during the Lockdown. Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council has successfully obtained a grant from National Lottery funding to provide support for vulnerable pupils, and, in particular, those from BAME backgrounds. The Interfaith Council is working with the Multicultural Development Team (MDT), the Attendance Support Team and the Educational Psychology Service to fund FREE support for schools who have pupils NOT attending school due to Covid-19 fears, or have shielding/ BAME attendance issues. Support is only accessed via a referral to MDT for support.

Support will include:

Flash academy login for online learning for pupils
MDT support for schools for 1 hour per case
Free 1 hr interpretation
Educational Psychology support
Interfaith Council family / community support.

Access to this free support will be via a referral to MDT and support will be determined by each team, based on the level of need of the family and children. Some support will be offered to specific schools based on the need identified by the data collection by Attendance Support in July and September 2020.

Due to the restrictions of the grant, the period of support is only until March 2021. There is a limited amount of funding and the support and support hours will be closely monitored - when they are used and the grant depleted, the funding and support will end. Schools can refer pupils directly to MDT if they have not been contacted directly by the services involved to support specific families.

If you would like to refer a pupil for support, please contact the Multicultural Development Team.

Download the Multicultural Development Team (MDT) referral form.

Email: Multicultural.Development@telford.gov.uk
Phone: 07855148693 or 07800671756
Website: Multicultural Development Team Website.

Early Learning and Childcare Partnership Hubs

Currently 8 Early Learning and Childcare Partnership Hubs operate across Telford and Wrekin. What does Ofsted say about good partnership working?

‘We found various views on the definition of school readiness and whether the term refers to readiness to start school on entry to Year 1 or at the start of entry into Reception. Where providers had developed close partnerships they were more likely to have developed a localised mutual understanding of what was expected in terms of children’s readiness at the time of transfer. Defining what school readiness means is an essential factor in ensuring that children can be well prepared for starting school.’

‘Are you ready? - Good practice in school readiness.’ HMI report.

Illustration of the Early Education and Childcare Partnership hubs

To find out when and where the next meetings are being held view the Talking Training Website or for more information, please email: Lisa.seymour@telford.gov.uk.

Phone: 01952 385424

Publication of training materials to support Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education

A key aim of the Department for Education (DfE) is to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe, to equip them for adult life and enable them to make a positive contribution to society.

To support that aim, you will be aware that Relationships Education is compulsory for all primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is compulsory for all secondary school-aged pupils and Health Education is compulsory for all pupils in primary and secondary state-funded schools.

The DfE wrote to all schools on 19 of August 2020 to let you know that, in the context of Covid-19, the DfE had published a statement on GOV.UK to reassure schools that, whilst the above subjects became compulsory from 1 September 2020, schools have flexibility over how they discharge their duty within the first year of compulsory teaching. Schools which assess that they are prepared to deliver teaching, and have met the requirements set out in the statutory guidance, are encouraged to begin delivering teaching whenever is practicable to do so. However, schools that assess that they are unable to adequately meet the requirements because of the lost time, and competing priorities, should aim to start preparations to deliver the new curriculum, and to commence teaching the new content, by at least the start of the Summer Term 2021. To ensure teaching begins as soon as possible, schools are encouraged to take a phased approach (if needed) when introducing these subjects.

The DfE is committed to supporting schools to implement the new RSHE content. View the training materials and support on GOV.UK website. Additional content will be added in the coming months.

Plan your Relationships, Sex and Health Education Curriculum

(RSHE implementation guidance)

Non-statutory implementation guidance entitled Plan your Relationships, Sex and Health Education Curriculum is aimed at: headteachers and principals; senior leadership teams; teachers; curriculum co-ordinators and governing bodies and proprietors. It provides some basic principles to help school leaders plan and prepare for the new statutory curriculum.

Training modules

The DfE have published nine training modules in addition to the RSHE Mental Wellbeing teacher training module.

RSHE training available

The DfE has commissioned Train the Trainer programmes, delivered by selected lead teaching schools, to provide high quality RSHE training and support free of charge to state-funded schools. Participating schools will be expected to cascade the training within their own schools or wider teaching school alliances. Schools are encouraged to contact their regional lead Teaching School(s) to find out details of training available in their region.

Community Children and Young People’s Health Services during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Latest information from Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, explaining how services are being delivered in the community for children and young people. Information about the different ways that the teams will be working, PPE, appointments, and how they are keeping everyone safe.

Including:

Immunisation and Vaccination Service
Community Children’s Nursing Team and Paediatric Diabetes Nursing Team
Children’s Community Audiology
Children’s Therapies and Child Development Services
Child Development Centres
Children’s Occupational Therapy
Children’s Physiotherapy
Children’s Speech and Language Therapy
Community Paediatric Service
0 - 19 Service – Leading on the Healthy Child Programme
The Wheelchair and Posture Service
The Paediatric Psychology Service.

Download the Community Children and Young People Health Services during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Moving Beyond the Lockdown – support from the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) to assist with the transition back into school

The transition from ‘lockdown’ to ‘ways of working’ that has been mapped out by the UK Government included returns for primary schools and secondary age students from the start of the Autumn Term. A recent EPS article in the SEND Newsletter May 2020 highlighted possible challenges likely to be faced by educationalists and other support agencies linked to young people and their families, alongside our colleagues, and referenced key models of psychology. There will be many people who will transition without the need for EP intervention; however, we also need to be prepared as an educational community to support those young people, families and colleagues who need us.

Telford and Wrekin EPS has undertaken considerable time and research to develop a psychological offer to assist in the successful transition and reintegration of all our staff, children and young people. We have carefully selected relevant evidence-based applications of psychology that will help schools and settings to facilitate positive outcomes.

We firmly believe in, and promote, the ‘human’ element of the return out of lockdown. For that reason, the underlying and No1 factor we advocate is that of ‘relationships’. There are many examples of intervention and support that could be shared, but without ‘the human touch’, they are insufficient. With that in mind it is essential that schools continue to use relational, strength-based approaches, such as nurture, emotion coaching, trauma informed practice (your EP can provide information on these and other approaches).

As an EPS, we are proud of the strength of relationships we have with our schools. Your link EP will work closely with you through the stages. We are all familiar with the ‘graduated response’ laid out within the SEN legislation and the EP transition offer is similar, working at ‘universal’, ‘targeted’ and ‘specialist’ levels.

If you don’t have an EP package it may still be possible to purchase one; please contact the team using via email to find out more.

Universal

Consultation approach

Your link EP will begin the process of collaborative problem-solving by consulting with key members of staff. Initially, these will need to be staff who have the authority to elicit change in the school, for example, members of the SLT, SENCo’s and Mental Health Leads. The consultation process is not predetermined; rather it is flexible and adaptable to the unique strengths and development needs of each school or setting. Therefore a problem-solving model could be utilised as follows:

Illustration of the Model of Psychological Consultation

A recent review of research literature (Dudley EPS May 2020) emphasised the need for mobilising existing resources from within schools. Therefore, in order to build upon existing good practices in schools, the consultation process draws upon existing knowledge and skills within your staff teams and combines this with psychological research and applications such as:

Nurture
Attachment
Resilience Wheel
Growth Mindset
PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy)
Mental health challenges such as ‘anxiety’.

Emotional Literary support assistants (ELSA)

ELSAs are trained in a wide range of skills that may be utilised at a Universal level.

Note: In response to demand, TAW EPS has been offering further ELSA training during September and October 2020; all ELSAs will have completed their trained by October half term[1].

The universal stage of psychological consultation will result in whole school action plans that address the needs of all staff, young people and their families. However, there will be some people who will require more targeted support. Your EP can work with you to assist with the identification and support of more vulnerable children or groups.

Targeted

Using the relational approach, your EP will assist you, via psychological consultation, to identify young people, families and staff, who may require deeper support.

ELSAs have a range of strategies and approaches that could be applied at the targeted level, including (but not exclusively):

Small group or 1:1 support around grief, loss and bereavement
Social stories to support young people with transition, including those with previously identified mental health concerns and/or autism/social communication needs
Emotional self-regulation strategies and support
Small groups to promote friendships and ‘coping skills’

Your EP will also be able to support suitably skilled pastoral staff, such as Inclusion Mentors and Mental Health Leads, to assist with empowerment and seek to ‘mobilise existing resources’ within schools. These may include exploring strategies and programmes built upon psychological research, such as techniques from CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), or materials from the Wellbeing Toolkit. Your school may have access to relevant previous school programmes, such as Social Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL). Your EP will be able to assist you to draw upon current resources, signpost to additional resources and to offer further training and support to staff.

Beyond targeted support, there may be a few people who require more specialised support. Your EP will be able to work closely with you at the Specialist level.

Specialist

We anticipate that there will be some staff, young people and families who will require more specialised, bespoke, support. This could be offered through pastoral / ELSA trained staff, supported by personalised EP supervision, or consultation-based 1:1 work with school staff members; we know support is sometimes more effective when provided by someone known to the young person who they see on a day to day basis. You may jointly agree with your EP that the EP delivers the 1:1 work. Alternatively you may agree to refer on to another professional, in which case your EP will advise and signpost to an appropriate specialist.

Training

The EPS offers training to support staff. This ranges from whole school to specific staff groups. All our training is based upon evidence-based approaches and we ensure that you understand the psychology underpinning each package. Relevant training may be:

Trauma Informed Practice (EPS / BSAT joint design and delivery)
Therapeutic approaches
ELSA
ACE
Attachment
Resilience
Growth Mindset.

For more information, please contact us by email: SENDandInclusion@telford.gov.uk or talk about your schools training needs with your link EP.

Inclusive School Forum – dates

The Inclusive School Forum is a school-led forum within Telford and Wrekin which provides support and challenge to mainstream schools regarding the provision and practice they deliver for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). It aims to provide an opportunity to network and deliver peer to peer guidance. Through sharing best practice, the focus is to develop an inclusive education system within Telford and Wrekin, whereby children with increasingly complex needs achieve and succeed within mainstream schools.

SEND Local Offer

DATE OF FORUM (TUESDAY)	TIME	PAPERS DUE IN (THURSDAY)
10 November 2020	9am - 1pm	5 November 2020
1 December 2020	9am - 1pm	26 November 2020
12 January 2021	9am - 1pm	7 January 2021
2 February 2021	9am-1pm	28 January 2021
2 March 2021	9am-1pm	25 February 2021
30 March 2021	9am-1pm	25 March 2021

ISF Reminders can be found on the Education Noticeboard 1 October.

Great Results from Landau – class 2020/2021

Landau students have had fantastic results this year. Considering the challenges we are very proud of every one of our learners and it just shows that education can be a positive experience for everyone if you focus on the individual’s strengths, nurture their skills and accept our differences.

Well done class of 2020/2021!

Illustration of the Landau Study Programme Illustration of the 100% feedback on the course Illustration of the 97% of learners

SEND Local Offer – New Page SEND Provision in Secondary Schools

Following feedback from primary schools we are happy to announce a new page on the SEND Local Offer for year 6 children and their parents who are looking for a secondary school for September 2021. On this page you will find information for parents and young people regarding the SEND provision in each school. Information is included for maintained schools and academies. There are links to the School Admissions website, school admissions booklet, mythbuster and the school area catchment maps.

Information provided for each school includes:

School Website
SEN Information Report
SEND Policies
Virtual Open Events/ Tours (as available)
And School contact information

View the SEND Provision in Secondary Schools website.

If you would like any more information or would like to add additional information about your school, please contact us at: localoffer@telford.gov.uk.

A Call to Aspiring and Middle Leaders – Getting Educators on Board for School Governance

Did you know that as a teacher and a school leader you are eligible to serve on a Governing Board at a school other than the one you work in?In fact, it is an invaluable opportunity to see the leadership and workings of another school.

Currently we are seeking to recruit volunteer governors to serve on Governing Boards in schools across Telford and Wrekin.

Why volunteer?

Governing boards must have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience – including that of education professionals in order to be effective. As teachers, middle leaders, and senior leaders, you can make a valuable contribution of experience and expertise to the Governing Board of a different school.

Governing in another educational setting is a fantastic professional development opportunity for educators, particularly for those of you that are aspiring senior leaders, or those looking to apply your expertise in another community. It enables you to develop strategic leadership skills and knowledge, gain a practical understanding of governance, and build networks with other educators and professionals from different sectors.

The main purposes of a governor

To work as part of a team:

Setting the strategic direction of the school
Holding the leadership to account for the performance of the school
Making sure that resources are used effectively and money is well spent.

Qualifications needed

There are no specific qualifications for the role of governor. You just need the right attitude, enthusiasm and time to devote to the role – and, as educational professionals, you have a lot of expertise to offer to a Governing Board.

If you would like to submit an application, or find out more information about the role, we would love to hear from you.

Please email schoolgovernance@telford.gov.uk.

The Music Partnership – GCSE exam networks on Microsoft Teams

These meetings are aimed at those teaching secondary music across Telford. They are to further clarify the changes to assessment arrangements for 2021 and a representative from the Examination Group will also be attending the meeting to answer questions.

Download the The Music Partnership GCSE Networks.

To book a place, please email musicservice@entrust-ed.co.uk stating which date you would like to attend.

For up to date information about all of our events, please visit our Facebook page.

For more information, please contact us by email: Telford.music@telford.gov.uk

Soundpots – Early Years Music Making to support Speech and Language Development

These network meetings are fun, friendly and supportive and always full of ideas to take away and try out immediately.

Download the Agenda for Soundpots Early Years Music Network Meeting 20 October 2020.

To book a place, please email info@make-some-noise.com giving your name, setting name and email address.

For up to date information about all of our events, please visit our Facebook page.

For more information please contact us by email: Telford.music@telford.gov.uk.

CPD courses through to October half term

Please see below a list of the CPD courses running from mid-October to half term which may be of interest. Further details of these, and our fuller CPD offer, can be found in the CPD Booklet, available on the Telford Education Services website.

Bookings can be made in the normal way by completing a CPD booking form and sending it via email to cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

Primary Science and Design and Technology Subject Leaders' termly update and development meeting (CPD 517) online via Microsoft Teams	Tuesday 13 October 2020	3.45pm to 5.15pm (revised time)
Awareness Raising of Emotion Coaching (PSS 0041) online via Microsoft Teams	Tuesday 13 October 2020	4pm to 5.30pm
Youth Mental Health First Aid (PSS 001) – two days online via Microsoft Teams	Tuesday 13 October 2020 Wednesday 14 October 2020	9.15am to 4pm (both days)
Making the most of your CLEAPSS membership online via Microsoft Teams	Wednesday 14 October 2020	4pm to 5pm
Governors' Responsibilities for Exclusions (SG 104) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 15 October 2020	5pm to 7pm
The role of the Early Years Practitioner in supporting and enhancing play (EY 008) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 15 October 2020	1.15pm to 4pm
An Introduction to EAL for Newly Qualified Teachers (CPD 527) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 15 October 2020	3.30pm to 6pm
MAPA Refresher (BSAT 212) online via Microsoft Teams in partnership with CPI – involved pre-requisite online modules – please see the CPD booklet for full details	Thursday 15 October 2020	9am to 11.30am (revised time)
Meeting the Statutory Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the EYFS (EY 009) online via Microsoft Teams	Monday 19 October 2020	4pm to 5.30pm
Understanding Nurture (PSS 101) online via Microsoft Teams	Tuesday 20 October 2020	9.15am to 12noon
Restorative Justice (PSS 003) online via Microsoft Teams	Tuesday 20 October 2020	4pm to 5.30pm
Newly Appointed Safeguarding Governor Induction Training (SG 103) online via Microsoft Teams	Wednesday 21 October 2020	5pm to 7.30pm
EAL and SEND? (CPD 601) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 22 October 2020	1.15pm to 4pm
Raising Awareness of Child Protection (SG 105) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 22 October 2020	3.30pm to 5pm
Effective Circle Times in the EYFS (EY 302) online via Microsoft Teams	Thursday 22 October 2020	1.15pm to 4pm

We very much look forward to welcoming you onto our courses.

Sue Dyson
Traded Service Specialist, School Performance and Development
Email: sue.dyson@telford.gov.uk

For bookings, please email cpdschoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk

DSL Refresher Training

DSL Refresher Training must be attended by all DSL’s every two years from the date of their initial training.

This training is currently being made available virtually. Delegates will complete four e-learning modules on Ollie and then attend a webinar session.

To access the e-learning and/or book a webinar session please visit the Telford learning pool website and search for Designated Safeguarding Leads Refresher Training.

Please note that each delegate will need to register personally using their Ollie profile in order to be able to access the course and complete the modules i.e. School Business Managers or School Administrators cannot book a place for individual delegates on this occasion.

If any problems are experienced in accessing Ollie, or completing the course modules, a call should be logged though ICT self service – or, if your school does not subscribe to Telford and Wrekin ICT Support, via email to Ollie@telford.gov.uk.

Please note that delegates are advised to use Google Chrome to complete the course rather than Internet Explorer.

Support for Newly Qualified Teachers in Telford and Wrekin

Do you have an NQT in your school?

A short checklist to ensure you are off to a good start:

Registration form completed and returned to our NQT Administrator Sara Bickerton via email - schoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk
First quality assurance form (QAS1) completed by the Induction Tutor and returned to Sara (this form will help you to check that all initial induction tasks have been completed)
QAS2 form in the process of being completed by the NQT – please remind them to email this to Sara by October half term
NQT Induction Tutor Guide and NQT Guide downloaded from the NQT SharePoint site (all the above mentioned forms can also be found on this site).

Please note: any NQT who completed in July 2020 should have now received confirmation of this from us – if not, please contact schoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

A large number of teachers began their period of statutory induction this term. We want to work even more closely with schools to track and support this group of teachers through what is likely to be an induction period punctuated with interruptions and additional challenges.

So far this term we have run:

A welcome event for NQTs, to take them through the induction process and provide re-assurance on how schools and Telford and Wrekin as the Appropriate Body will support them over the next three terms.

Training for Induction Tutors and Mentors new to the role and

Termly network and update meeting for Induction tutors

Attendance at all of these meetings forms part of the statutory quality assurance process and is included free of charge as part of the Appropriate Body Support Package.

As an additional support mechanism this term, we have also introduced a fortnightly online surgery, which provides an opportunity for NQTs to talk directly (but virtually!) to LA NQT Manager, Ant Snowden, about any questions or concerns they may have.

Please remember, if you have any concerns or worries about an NQT in your school, please contact us so that, together, we can find a way forward.

How to contact us:

Anthony Snowden
Email: anthony.snowden@telford.gov.uk
Telephone: 07581109477

Administrative queries: schoolimprovement@telford.gov.uk.

NQT Administrator Sara Bickerton

Let’s Get Telford Healthy

We have some exciting news for you! - we have launched our new campaign ‘Let’s Get Telford Healthy’

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted to many people how important it is to take care of their health; taking care of your long term health includes maintaining a healthy weight, keeping active and quitting smoking, which are all part of living a healthy lifestyle.

To help you in making changes to your lifestyle we have a new email programme from the Healthy Lifestyle Team to guide you through all you need to know about getting healthy.

Sign up to our free support and you’ll receive messages over a 12 week period that introduce a different topic each week to help you make the changes you chose. We will also send you weekly messages with tips and ideas for you to try out. We will include videos, case studies and useful links to help you reach your goals.

You can contact us for additional help if you feel you need it, as well as joining the Healthy Lifestyles Chat group on Facebook for support from others on their journey.

So sign up today to start your journey and receive your welcome email with more information and don’t forget to share your journey using the hashtag #LetsGetTelfordHealthy on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

The Healthy Lifestyle Team

This entry was posted by Admin on Wednesday, 07 October 2020.

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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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