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School Noticeboard
Edition 6: Thursday 13 October 2016
Inside this issue:
From the Director 2 Strengthening governance: Looked after children 3 Killer Clowns – a measured response 3 Online monitoring software – a schools responsibility 4 Professional group supervision session for DSLs managing casework related to extremism and radicalisation 5 In-year admissions 5 EYSFF Autumn term 2016 data collection 6
Updated statutory guidance on the constitution of maintained schools governing boards 6
Provisional collective agreement on council terms and conditions: trade union arrangements 7 Democracy week 2016 8
Link2ICT School News - October 2016 9
Link2ICT School News (school Bus) - October 2016 10
The ‘Power for Good’ Anti-Bullying twitter challenge 10
Annual Anti-Bullying week event 2016 - Friday 18 November 11
Effective teaching of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar in key stage 1 or 2 12
Getting behaviour management right 13
Headlines briefing - termly update 13
Maths and English subject leader networks 14
Headteacher’s induction programme: day 1 – 17 14
The Schools HR Conference 2016: Change Management – Restructures & Redundancy 15
Ofsted and computing course - 11 November 2016 16
Using iPads in maths and computing – 17 October 2016 17
MS Excel Core skills – 9 November 2016 17
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From the Director
Dear Colleagues,
BCC’s Education JD
Last week I touched on the future role of Birmingham City Council in education when following up
the BEP Conference and lots of networking conversations since. I was also invited to talk about
the role of local authorities at an academy governance conference in London last week and so
needed to distil what this is all about.
So, putting together the post-White Paper landscape, the arrival of the new Secretary of State and
the messages from Sir David Carter of late, there is a clear picture – a job description if you like.
From September 2017, the principal core duties for BCC in education are in early years, place
planning and admissions, SEND, safeguarding and fourteen plus transition. School improvement
will be the province of the RSCs, TSAs and MATs if you follow Chapter 5 of the White Paper to the
letter.
BCC will also continue its duties to maintain all those schools that chose to remain and, in line with
the clear vision of the Leader and Cabinet Member, will want to know how all Birmingham children
and young people are doing irrespective of the type of school they attend. So far from vanishing
off the scene, there is an abiding role in education.
The big question is not what BCC will do in education but how it will do it. That is all about stronger
partnership work with BEP, S4E and all major players in the city. We need to abandon historic
ways of working when the LA was ruler of all it surveyed. Today’s model must be all about co-
design, co-construction and co-delivery making sure we work with school leaders and governors. It
is about doing with rather than doing to. There will be a director to lead on education at BCC but
the title needs review – less” Executive Director” words and a stronger theme of partnership.
Meanwhile, as many of you have asked, I am committed to at least the end of this school year and
longer if it works!
In Changing Times The Future of Education in Birmingham there are many examples of schools
collaborating in different ways – mainly via MATs but also in co-operatives and trusts. These
important “forever” choices are rightly the province of school governors and leaders. The most
important thing is to work out what the best route is for each school mindful of your circumstances
and the impact of partnership on other schools around you.
I have, unusually, not been out and about much this week. A quick visit to Mayfield is always
good news and great to have an impromptu tutorial from Sue Middleton about different
approaches to teaching and learning of pupils with PMLD. Real education! Must get out more next
week as cabin fever will set in otherwise.
Best wishes Colin
@anfieldexile
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Strengthening governance: Looked after children
School governing boards play a vital role in overseeing safeguarding arrangements, ensuring they
are effectively managed and comply with the law.
In regard to looked after children, boards should expect to receive, as a minimum, an annual
report from the Head teacher and ensure it acts upon any issues that the report raises.
The report should include activities and targeted provision for the school’s looked after children to
help improve their outcomes.
It is also requested that Head teachers/designated safeguarding leads ensure copies of this report
are forwarded to the Head teacher of the Virtual School at: [email protected].
CONTACT: Andrew Wright, Headteacher, Virtual School EMAIL: [email protected]
Killer Clowns – a measured response Each time I look at the internet there seems to be weirder and weirder crazes, and the Killer
Clowns phenomenon is no different. Several Head Teachers have asked is there any guidance
from the Safeguarding Team on how to address this.
The best response I have seen on Twitter was from pupils at a secondary school in Essex who
invited clowns to come to their school, because ‘by the time we have finished with you, you’ll know
what scary is!’ of course this isn’t what Birmingham advocates.
If the Killer Clown issue is one that is frightening pupils in your school then the approach you may
want to consider should include two elements:
Reassurance for those who are potential victims &
Deterrent to stop those who might engage in the activity.
Amanda Daniels (Chief Education Psychologist) suggests the following approach:
“You may have heard about a number of incidents where people dressed as clowns have
been jumping out and scaring people. It is important that you make your pupils aware of
the following:
While some people may think this is funny, others can find it very frightening
It is important that if you set out to frighten or alarm people, you could be
committing a criminal offence
If you see someone dressed as a clown, you should ignore them
If you are frightened, talk to a trusted adult, such as your parents or a teacher
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If you think you are in danger, contact the police
Like all these fads this craze will pass (sooner rather than later I hope) and whilst it is receiving a fair amount of media attention and hype at the moment we should try to play it down and ensure that the children of Birmingham feel safe and secure. WEB: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50045/safeguarding_briefings CONTACT: Jon Needham EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 675 2449 or 07912 793 668
Online monitoring software – a schools responsibility Schools must, through their Online Safety Policy, ensure that they meet their statutory obligations
to ensure that children and young people are safe and are protected from potential harm, both
within and outside school (KCSIE16).
The use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues. Child
sexual exploitation; radicalisation; sexual predation - technology often provides the digital platform
that facilitates harm.
Schools in Birmingham must have an effective approach to online safety to protect and educate
the whole school/setting in their use of technology and establishes mechanisms to identify
intervene and escalate any incident where appropriate.
It is important to emphasize that Online Safety is a safeguarding issue, not simply a technical
issue; technology provides additional means for safeguarding issues to develop.
Governing bodies and proprietors should be doing all that they reasonably can to limit children and
staff’s exposure to risks and as part of this process governing bodies and proprietors should
ensure their school has appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place.
A briefing document with advice on roles and responsibilities and practical advice on how to manage on-line monitoring can be found on the Schools Safeguarding page under the safeguarding documentation tab. WEB: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50045/safeguarding_briefings CONTACT: Jon Needham EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 675 2449 or 07912 793 668
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Professional group supervision session for District Safeguarding Leads managing casework related to extremism and radicalisation Research indicates that group supervision has a positive impact at an individual and group level;
allowing group members to learn from others, share experiences, gain strategies. It has also been
shown to have an overall result of enhancing group members own mental well-being and ability to
identify, understand and find solutions within their everyday practice and casework (Bartle and
Trevis, 2014; Jones et al., 2013; Hulusi & Maggs, 2015).
Birmingham Educational Psychology Service is offering professional group supervision sessions
for District Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) with a particular focus on casework related to extremism
and radicalisation. The sessions will be facilitated by an Educational Psychologist who has
specific knowledge and expertise in the field of prejudice formation and extremism. The aim of the
sessions is to provide DSLs with protected time and a safe place to explore and reflect on
casework using a range of supervision models.
There will be eight sessions held across the academic year each lasting approximately 2.5 hours
with places for up to 8 group members.
Session dates (all sessions will run from 13:00 – 15:30):
Foundation Stage and Primary DSLs: Wed 2nd Nov 2016, Mon 5th Dec 2016, Wed 25th
Jan 2017, Thurs 16th Feb 2017, Tues 14th March 2017, Wed 5th April 2017, Tues 16th May
2017 and Wed 21st June 2017.
Secondary DSLs: Thurs 3rd Nov 2016, Thurs 8th Dec 2016, Thurs 26th Jan 2017, Tues 14th
Feb 2017, Thurs 16th March 2017, Tues 4th April 2017, Thurs 18th May 2017 and Tues 20th
June 2017.
Cost: £270 for eight sessions
Venue: Vauxhall Gardens, Barrack Street, B7 4H
CONTACT: Dr Louisa Jones EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 8288
In-Year Admissions Attached at the end of this noticeboard is a letter from Emma Leaman (Assistant Director – Educational Infrastructure) in relation to in-year admissions. Due to technical issues this letter was sent as an e-mail attachment last week. Click here to view letter.
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EYSFF autumn term 2016 data collection In order to calculate actual allocations for the Autumn Term 2016 and determine funding
allocations for the Early Years Pupil Premium, the Local Authority needs to collect data from
schools based on the October 2016 CENSUS. Schools are now requested to complete a data
collection template for the autumn term.
There are new aspects to the data collection process for the autumn. There are now mandatory
additional boxes to complete where schools are claiming full time funding for 3 and 4 year olds. A
breakdown of the total qualifying numbers is required to outline the eligibility criteria used to offer a
full-time funded place. The Early Years team will be validating these numbers and if any requests
are made for children who do not meet the fulltime place criteria, schools will be required to return
the funding allocation.
A number of schools either supplied a nil return or did not supply any data during the Summer
term. The autumn term’s data collection return is an opportunity for schools to rectify this. Please
ensure that all data is supplied and verified. The deadline for completion is 21 October 2016.
Please note, failure to complete all sections of the form accurately may impact upon a school’s
funding.
You can access the return from the following link: EYSFF Oct 2016 Data Collection
WEB LINK: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/downloads/file/1578/early_years_single_funding_formula_data_collection_schedule_october_2016_census CONTACT: Justin Pinkney EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 675 9302
Updated statutory guidance on the constitution of maintained schools governing boards The Department for Education (DfE) has published its updated statutory guidance on the
constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools.
Key updates include:
Disclosure and barring service checks
Supplying information to the Secretary of State about those involved in governance
Clarification information on governors’ access to training
Clarification information on parent governors
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The new version of the guidance references the DfE’s Governance Competency Framework,
which is expected to be published this autumn. The guidance emphasises the role of the
governing board in addressing both the training and development needs of individual governors.
School and Governor Support provide a comprehensive programme of training for governors and
governing boards. To access the programme visit www.birmingham.gov.uk/SGS-guidance
WEB LINK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/constitution-of-governing-bodies-of-
maintained-schools
CONTACT: School and Governor Support EMAIL: [email protected]
Provisional collective agreement on council terms and conditions: trade union arrangements Following the recent announcement of a provisional collective agreement between Birmingham City Council and the trade unions on a set of proposals for changes to terms and conditions of employment, the four council-recognised trade unions have made arrangements for consultation with their members. If implemented, the proposals would have an impact on support staff in community, community special, voluntary controlled and maintained nursery schools and pupil referral units where the council is the employer. This is because they are on the same terms and conditions as other employees in the wider council. Teachers are not affected. Unison and GMB have arranged a series of meetings. Staff who are members of the trade union are allowed to have time away from work to attend these meetings – but please inform your manager. Unison
17 October, 10am-12noon or 1-3pm or 4.30-6.30pm: main suite, Saffron Centre, 256 Moseley Road B12 0BS
18 October, 4.30-6.30pm: school hall, Swanshurst School, Brook Lane B13 0TW
19 October, 10am-12noon or 1-3pm or 4.30-6.30pm: main suite, Saffron Centre, 256 Moseley Road B12 0BS
20 October, 10am-12noon or 1-3pm or 4.30-6.30pm: Grand Stand, Alexander Stadium, Walsall Road, Perry Barr B42 2LR
GMB
13 October, 9.30-10.30am or 11am-12noon or 12.30-1.30pm or 2-3pm: Dickens Room, Birmingham and Midland Institute, 9 Margaret St B3 3BS
18 October, 9.30-10.30am or 11am-12 noon: Room G07, Lifford House, Fordhouse Lane B30 3BW
In the service areas where UCATT has members, local arrangements are being made to consult with them. Unite has already undertaken some consultation with their members and will advise if any meetings are arranged.
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The trade unions will come back to the council with the results of their consultation by week beginning 24 October. MORE INFORMATION: Read the provisional collective agreement proposals at www.birmingham.gov.uk/workforce-contract where you can also find contact details for the trade unions. CONTACT: You can also have a say on the proposals by emailing [email protected] PHONE: If you have any queries, email [email protected] or call 0121 675 7070 (option 5).
Democracy Week 2016 There are a number of schools taking part in Local Democracy Week with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Senior Councillor's and Managers. A list follows with details of schools taking part. The Lord Mayor’s office are going to contact those schools who missed out on the chance to be involved this time and offer tours of the Council house throughout the year.
Date and time Councillor Event and location Which school has this been offered
to
Monday 10
October, 9.30
– 10.30am
Lord Mayor
Cllr Carl Rice
Meet, visit LM Suite, tour
Council House
Hodge Hill College, Mr Riaz Ahmed
leading trip with 1 other teacher and 14
students. 783 2890
Monday 10
October,
8.45am
Cllr Waseem
Zaffar
Speaking at assembly for
year 12 students
Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy –
confirmed with him direct
Tuesday 11
October, 10.45
– 11.45am
Lord Mayor
Cllr Carl Rice
Meet Lord Mayor, visit
LM Suite, tour Council
House
Alston Primary School confirmed
Tuesday 11
October 2pm
Cllr Brigid
Jones
Visiting Brays Special
School and speaking to
students so will weave in
Democracy Week
message
Brays Special School
Wednesday 12
October , 9am
Lord Mayor
Cllr Carl Rice
Meet Lord Mayor, visit
LM Suite, tour Council
House
Montgomery Primary Academy – 15
children from the Junior Leadership
Team, plus possible 8 from Percy
Shurmer, their sister school
Wednesday 12
October ,
10.30am
Lord Mayor
Cllr Carl Rice
Meet Lord Mayor, visit
LM Suite, tour Council
House
St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary
School, school council, 14 children
Wednesday 12
October, 11.15
– 12.30
Cllr Waseem
Zaffar
Visit to Eden Boys
School to give deliver
Citizenship lesson
Eden Boys School
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Date and time Councillor Event and location Which school has this been offered
to
Thursday 13
October 12.45
– 2pm
Cllr Lisa
Trickett and
Julie Goodall
Tour and Q and A
sessions in council
chamber with Cllr
Trickett
Group to meet Julie at
12.45pmfor a tour first
and get them into
Chamber for 1.30pm and
to meet with Cllr Trickett.
Moseley School, 30 children.
Thursday 13
October, 1.20
– 3pm
Cllr Lisa
Trickett and
Julie Goodall
Overlap with above – slot
still free. (Meet Julie at
1.20 who would take to
Council Chamber for Cllr
Trickett, then tour
afterwards
Friday 14
October,
2.30pm
Cllr Peter
Griffiths
Regeneration event with
Ark Kings Academy
Secondary School
(contact Bali Paddock at
BCC)
Ark Kings Academy Secondary School
Friday 14
October 10.30
– 11.30am
Julie Goodall Tour and visit to the
council chamber
Washwood Heath Academy, group of
15 led by Miss Nusrat Sadiq,
partnership development manager
Friday 14
October 12.30
– 1.30pm
Julie Goodall Tour and visit to the
council chamber
Thornton Primary School, Neil Couldrey
curriculum manager and 15 children
from school council
Friday 14
October 1.30
– 2.30pm
Julie Goodall Tour and visit to the
council chamber
Nechells Primary E-Act Academy, Ms
Neelam Ahmed, Outreach support
worker/deputy designated safeguarding
lead
Link2ICT School News - October 2016 Here is your latest issue of the Link2ICT School Newsletter. In this edition, we look at professional development with BGfL365 and online safety, focus the
spotlight on Yarnfield Primary School who are using the Link2ICT Robot Days to support the
computing curriculum, provide an online safety update on appropriate filters as highlighted in
“Keeping children safe in education”, invite you to the Network Managers and School Technicians
Event on 9 November and Technology on 22 November, highlight the Link2ICT Monitoring Service
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- now used by over 100 schools and much more, not forgetting those all-important dates for your
diary.
We hope you find this newsletter of interest. If you do, pass it on to your colleagues in school. Our aim is to keep you up to date with new developments and to help you get the most from the services we provide. WEB: Link2ICT School Newsletter CONTACT: Link2ICT EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 5100
Link2ICT School News (school bus) - October 2016 TheSchoolBus provides current, comprehensive and compliant resources to school leaders, governors and teachers, across all school types. Their high quality resources, covering a wide-range of topics, including Ofsted, safeguarding, academy conversion, HR, CPD, DfE updates, assessment and much more, are proven to save schools time and money. TheSchoolBus are continuously updating their content to ensure accuracy and compliance. The essential benefit of TheSchoolBus is that their content is thoroughly and regularly vetted and peer reviewed, to ensure that subscribers are saving time and reducing risk when using their online resources. With over 2,200 schools and academies subscribed in just over two and a half years, totalling over 20,000 individual users, TheSchoolBus is fast becoming the most trusted school improvement service in the education sector. In the last year, over 120 Birmingham schools have subscribed, and TheSchoolBus would like you to join their growing community too. For more information, contact your: Link2ICT Account Manager. EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 5100
The ‘Power for Good’ Anti-Bullying twitter challenge The theme for anti-bullying week is ‘Power for Good’ and we are asking young people in
Birmingham to use their Power for Good in the lead up to anti-bullying week (14 -18 November)
and tweet about it - encouraging individual and collective action to stop bullying and create the
best world possible.
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Schools, colleges, youth groups and individuals can tweet using the hashtags
#Powerforgood and #stopbullyinginbrum. Please include our Twitter handle -
@stopbullybrum so we can see what you’ve been up to!
There are a few ideas below but we know you’ll have plenty more. Start tweeting just as soon as
you like! Every school that takes part will receive a certificate and we’ll display some of our
favourite tweets in the Council House Banqueting Suite as part of the City Council annual Anti-
Bullying week event 2016.
Watch out for some of our Councillors, Senior Officials and local celebrities sharing their
#Powerforgood too!
Ideas for using your Power for Good
Invite a new friend to join your game
Give someone a compliment
Say thank you to someone
Raise money for a good cause
Offer a helping hand
Websites for more ideas www.randomactsofkindness.org www.kindnessuk.com www.antibullyingalliance.org www.payitforwarduk.net www.loveyourneighbour.org CONTACT: Dawn Latham EMAIL: [email protected]
Annual Anti-Bullying week event 2016 - Friday 18 November Bullying Reduction Action Group invites you to use your #PowerforGood. Come and see what is happening in Birmingham to prevent and tackle bullying and celebrate equalities in our diverse City.
Programme of Events:- 9.30 Registration and Refreshments 10.00 Inspiring Presentations in partnership with Statutory and 3rd Sector Organisations 1.30 Lunch and the opportunity to tell us about your #PowerforGood Visit our Market Place Stalls & view our Twitter campaign board 2.15 Workshops:- o Building a positive school ethos and culture (Peacemakers) o Adults and Social Media (W. Mids Police) o The Role of Victim Support (Victim Support) o Power of Working with Bullies as Agents of Change (Elizabeth Nassem)
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16.00 Drinks Reception - Wine and Juice with entertainment from local young musicians And why not complete your day with a trip to the German Market! Click to book your Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-brag-anti-bullying-week-event-2016-tickets-27994748045 CONTACT: Dawn Latham EMAIL: [email protected]
Effective teaching of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar in key stage 1 or 2 With the renewed focus on vocabulary, punctuation and grammar in the National Curriculum for English, these courses will provide the opportunity to explore key strategies to support teaching and learning across KS1 and KS2. Aim: To enhance participants’ subject knowledge with regards to the teaching of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar and gain familiarity with the statutory requirements in the National Curriculum and the progression of skills in grammar across KS1 or 2. By the end of the courses participants will have:
gained an overview of current expectations regarding the teaching of vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation,
explored key strategies for effective teaching of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar through practical ideas to use in the classroom.
Course details: Key Stage 1 Date: 2 November 2016 Venue: Warwick House, 10 Edward Street, B1 2RX Cost: £245 Time: 9am-4pm Click here to book. Key Stage 2 Date: 14 November 2016 Venue: Warwick House, 10 Edward Street, B1 2RX Cost: £245 Time: 9am-4pm Click here to book. WEB: servicesforeducation.co.uk CONTACT: Andrew Cooper EMAIL: [email protected]
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Getting behaviour management right The aim of this half day is to build teacher confidence and competence in dealing with behaviour issues and provide a range of strategies to ensure behaviour does not impact negatively on teaching and learning. By the end of the course participants will have:
Strategies to promote positive behaviour management within the classroom
Practical ideas, books, and examples from schools
Opportunities to reflect upon good practice and explore strategies to support Course details: Date: 21 October 2016 Time: 1-4pm Venue: Health Education Service Training Centre, Midland Croft, B33 0AW Cost: £125 Click here to book a place. WEB: servicesforeducation.co.uk CONTACT: Andrew Cooper EMAIL: [email protected]
Headlines briefing - termly update The aim of this briefing session is to provide termly support for Primary Senior Leaders and managers through an overview of the latest local and national updates and information regarding inspection news, latest key document releases and opportunities to explore current pedagogy and good practice including: Ofsted (new CIF framework), STA, NCTL, DfE, NQT, ITT, latest statutory information for EYFS, KS1 and KS2, and school requirements. The briefing will allow participants to gain:
improved knowledge of the latest inspection information available to schools
improved knowledge of the latest documents released to support school assessment and improvement
improved understanding of latest pedagogical approaches/requirements Date: 1 November 2016 Venue: Warwick House, 10 Edward Street, B1 2RX Cost: £50 Times: 8am – 9.30am – Click here to book, OR 10 – 11.30am – Click here to book WEB: servicesforeducation.co.uk CONTACT: Andrew Cooper EMAIL: [email protected]
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Maths and English subject leader networks Maths Subject Leaders The aim of the session is to provide an opportunity for mathematics subject leaders to keep up to date with current thinking around maths and the implementation of the 2014 maths curriculum. By the end of the meeting participants will have reflected on current practice and considered new or different pedagogical approaches to the teaching of key areas of maths to help further understanding of how children learn. English Subject Leaders With the renewed Ofsted focus on the role of middle leaders in schools, these meetings will provide important updates and the sharing of best practice in leading English across a school. The aim of the session is:
to provide an opportunity for networking and sharing best practice in English teaching and learning,
to provide updates on current priorities including key national and local messages, Ofsted and other appropriate bodies,
to discuss specific aspects of the curriculum in depth, explore resources and share feedback from earlier sessions.
Date: 20 October 2016 Venue: Warwick House, 10 Edward Street, B1 2RX Cost: £125 each Times: Maths 9am-12pm – Click here to book English 1pm-4pm – Click here to book WEB: servicesforeducation.co.uk CONTACT: Andrew Cooper EMAIL: [email protected]
Headteachers induction programme – Day 1:
17 October
Day 1 of this year’s 3 day rolling Headteacher’s induction programme is taking place on Monday
17 October 2016, 9.00am to 3.30pm.
The venue is 10 Woodcock Street, Aston Birmingham, B4 7ER.
Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Attached is the agenda for the day and a map of how to get to Woodcock Street.
For more information and to reserve a place please email:
[email protected] or telephone 0121 303 8741.
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Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements (vegetarian options will be available). If
you have any other specific needs please also let us know.
This is a free event!
Free parking is available at Millennium Point – Jennens Road entrance only. Once you
collect your ticket please bring it along with you to Woodcock Street where it will be
validated.
CONTACT: Kimberley Blair
EMAIL: [email protected]
TEL: 0121 303 8741
The Schools HR Conference 2016: Change
management – Restructures and redundancy
This years’ HR Conference aims to provide school leaders with essential information on how to
implement a staffing restructure and how to manage the process of change itself. Our speakers
will be providing a range of perspectives on how to ensure your restructures are implemented in
the best possible way.
Stephen Drew (who starred on Channel 4’s ‘Educating Essex’) will be speaking about his own
experience of managing change. The Employee Relations team will explain how the restructuring
policy works, what to do and when, top tips and what to avoid. Gina Gardener our inspirational
speaker will be advising delegates on the skills needed to implement any change process from
redundancy to changes in terms and conditions and bringing staff with you on the journey. Finally,
Steve Head returns to deliver part two of his infamous 149 message and how we can use this in
planning for future restructures.
The day will include a Procurement Exhibition, free car parking and lunch/refreshments throughout
the day.
The event will take place on Thursday 10 November 2016 at The Holte Suite, Aston Villa
Football Club, Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE.
Cost per delegate for this all day event:
Subscribers to HR Service - £160 per person or £300 for two delegates from the same
school.
Non-subscribers - £180 or £320 for two delegates from the same school.
To book a place:
E-mail [email protected] to request a booking form.
CONTACT: Val McPherson, First Line Response Team Leader
Tel: 0121 464 2657.
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Ofsted and Computing Course - 11
November 2016
This full day course is an opportunity to hear ‘What I’m Looking For’ from an Ofsted inspector’s
perspective when looking at computing and ICT as part of a school inspection. It will provide
valuable insight in assisting primary schools to prepare, and be in good shape for, their Ofsted or
‘subject’ inspection.
This training course will be partly led by a consultant with recent inspection experience and will
look at how computing and ICT should be supporting school management tasks, the statutory
requirements for websites, ICT supporting learning across all subjects, tracking pupil progress, the
computing curriculum, outstanding lessons and online safety.
Course aims:
To help schools ensure their computing and ICT provision is in place (or in development), as well as preparing for their Ofsted inspection.
To see the wider impact that good quality computing and ICT has across the whole school.
To share experiences of how schools are implementing good computing and ICT practice.
Course outcome:
A clear understanding of the role computing and ICT plays across the school, the ability to evaluate your current position, and to create a development plan to achieve good and outstanding practice.
This course is intended for:
Head teachers or Principals
Members of Senior Management Team or Senior Leadership Team
ICT/Computing Leaders
Cost: £220.00 per person (£250 for non-subscribing schools)
WEB: Ofsted and Computing 11Nov16
CONTACT: Link2ICT
EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 8001/5100
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Using iPads in Maths and Computing – 17 October 2016 This half day course will look at how you can use the iPad to support Maths and the Computing
curriculum.
The course will be a practical session using a range of apps to teach and consolidate a range of
skills and concepts in the Maths and computing areas of the curriculum. For the iPad to be used
effectively and to have a real impact on teaching and learning, a variety of apps used in a
structured way, allows pupils to showcase understanding, computational thinking and their skills in
using technology. We will provide iPad minis with the apps installed for this training.
Course aims:
To learn how to use the iPad and feel confident to integrate their use into the Maths and Computing curriculum.
To use a range of apps assessing the suitability and value they could add to your school.
To share experiences of how the apps have been used in schools.
Course outcome:
A better understanding of the benefits the iPad can bring to teaching and learning in Maths and Computing in the primary curriculum.
Inspiration and enthusiasm for using iPads in schools.
Pre-requisites:
Familiarity of the iPad is preferred
Cost:
£149.00 per person (£179 for non-subscribing schools)
Venue: Fort Dunlop WEB: Using iPads in Maths and Computing
CONTACT: Link2ICT
EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: 0121 303 8001/5100
MS Excel Core Skills – 9 November 2016 This full one day course is designed to allow you to learn how to:
Understand the structure and layout of spreadsheets
Create, modify and save spreadsheets
Enter information
Perform calculations using formulas
Format spreadsheets to make them look professional
Create a variety of different charts
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Print spreadsheets Course details to include:
Introduction to Excel
Workbooks and Worksheets
Entering Information
Entering Formulas
Multiple Worksheets and Workbooks
Formatting Workbooks
Charts
Printing a Worksheet
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In-year admissions
Dear Colleague
In recent weeks a number of school colleagues have raised concerns over in-year admissions, in
particular the increasing requests from the Local Authority to admit new children. A very significant
number of children and families continue to apply for places in-year and I fully appreciate the
challenges that schools face in accommodating additional children. Julie Newbold and I are
working closely on the current processes and will be approaching the Head Teacher Fora for
colleagues who may want to join us in some of the current decision making so that we can
demonstrate how we are working, improve our processes through your feedback. We will also be
asking for your engagement to co-design a revised Fair Access protocol and consider options for
In-Year admissions.
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In the interim, I am writing to ask for your continued support and co-operation in ensuring all
children who require a place are admitted into a school as swiftly as possible. At present, the vast
majority of applications for a place in-year go directly to schools. We are reliant on a weekly return
from you to let us know who has applied to your school and to confirm whether you have been
able to offer that child a school place. If you have a vacancy and the child is the top of your waiting
list, the Admissions Code is clear that you must offer a place to that child. This applies to children
in ALL year groups including years 10 and 11.
Once School Admissions are aware a child is without a place, it becomes a priority for us to
secure a school place as soon as possible. Initially, we try to place children in schools with
vacancies. Since the start of term, we have attempted to secure places for 39 students in year 11
and 42 students in year 10. This has been an intensely time consuming and challenging process
and we absolutely rely on your support to help us ensure these children are in school as quickly as
possible. It can be very difficult for us to know whether you have a vacancy at a given point in
time: we rely on information provided in your weekly returns to establish whether vacancies have
been filled but this may not be up to date. You may receive calls from the admissions team to
confirm what places you have filled since the last census and any offers made against vacancies
held in your school. Your swift response really is essential to us finding places for children out of
school as quickly as possible. I hope you agree that it is fair for all schools with vacancies to play
their part in admitting children in-year; we are very conscious of schools wanting to be sure that
our processes for securing admissions are fair and for that reason we will be inviting greater Head
Teacher involvement in the process.
Some of the current pressures in the Primary phase are being addressed through providing new
places. Over the summer, we have worked in very close partnership with a number of schools to
provide additional 27FE across years 1-6. We have been delighted by the feedback on our
fantastic new learning chalets; we have provided these to a number of schools taking on additional
bulge classes over the summer and have had a hugely a positive response to these build projects.
We would be happy to share details of this offer with you and would love to hear from you if you
would be interested in taking part in this programme, particularly in hotspot areas where places
are needed in years 1 – 6.
Despite the additional places provided, there are some parts of the City where we cannot identify a
vacancy within a reasonable distance for a child out of school. When that happens, we will
approach nearby schools that are full with a request to admit over PAN. If no school is willing to
offer a place, we will use an allocations process to select one of the schools and issue a pre-
direction letter advising of the requirement to offer that child a place. We do our very best to
ensure these allocations are spread fairly across schools. In the event of refusal, we will either
direct the school if it is a maintained school, or refer to the Secretary of State and Regional
Schools Commissioner in the case of schools that are their own admissions authorities. Sincere
thanks to those schools who have admitted children through this process. In November, we will
provide our first quarterly report of those children who have placed by the Local Authority where
there is no school place within a reasonable distance so that you will be able to see the distribution
of these in-year admissions.
I appreciate the challenges for all schools asked to take pupils in-year, whether being asked to
admit over your admissions numbers or asked to fill a vacancy when you have already taken
significant numbers of children in-year. That said, ensuring all children are in receipt of education
has to be our shared safeguarding priority. At present, the level of challenge from some schools
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who are reluctant or unwilling to admit children in-year is leading to children being out of school for
longer than we would like. I very much hope that you will work with us to share the challenges of
in-year admissions across all of our schools for the benefit of our children and families, both in
admitting children through the current processes and also in helping re-shape our Fair Access
protocol and In Year admissions arrangements over the coming months.
Kind regards
Emma Leaman Assistant Director, Education Infrastructure Birmingham City Council
