Chairs’/Vice-Chairs’ Briefing – 15 July 2020
Minutes of the virtual Chairs’/Vice-Chairs’ briefing that took place on July 15th are available here.
Month: July 2020
Offer of Support to Prevent Permanent Exclusions
The main responsibility of the Inclusion Team is to manage and prevent permanent exclusions. We do envisage, however, that there will be several young people returning to school in September who may struggle to re-engage with education. Colleagues within the Inclusion Team have a wealth of experience working with young people whose barriers to learning …
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Change in frequency of the coronavirus (COVID-19) email updates from Monday 20 July
From Monday 20 July, the DfE will be reducing the frequency of email updates from every weekday, to one email per week which will be sent on a Monday for the duration of the summer holidays. The DfE plan to resume sending daily updates from Monday 24 August in preparation for the start of the …
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CYPS Trailblazer Wave 3
We are delighted to announce that Northumberland has been successful in the 20/21 bid of Wave 3 monies for the CYPS mental health support team (MHST) in schools trailblazer initiative, one of only four areas in the region to gain additional funding. This will allow us to build on the excellent work that has been …
Safe to Learn Edition 46
This week’s edition of Safe to Learn can be found here.
Message from Dean Jackson, Service Director, Education and Skills Service
I would like to thank you for all the time and trouble that you have taken to send such kind messages to me over the last few weeks. I have enjoyed working with you enormously and it will always be a source of pride for me that I have been both a headteacher and the …
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School Governance update
UPDATED: The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its guidance relating to governance in maintained schools and academy trusts in England.
Pupil Numbers
The number of pupils in our schools and settings each day over the last few weeks has stabilised at between 9000 and 9,500, with a further 1200 children in pre-school provision. The percentage of the total cohort that is now back in school is well above the national average.
5 0’Clock Update Summer arrangements
We will continue to publish the 5 0’Clock Update throughout the six weeks of the summer holiday. From next week, it will be published twice a week on Tuesday and Friday evenings. We will review this after three weeks to decide whether to carry on publishing twice weekly or to reduce to once a week …
Coronavirus (COVID-19): reducing burdens on educational and care settings
The DFE has updated its list of data collections, services or requests which are due to continue – the full details are presented in the summary of changes.
NCC Press Release – Praise given to Northumberland’s schools
Schools across Northumberland are being praised for their hard work and dedication over the past 17-weeks, through what can only be described as a ‘crazy time.’ Over 10,000 children have been back in schools across the county, with every key worker who wanted a place for their child getting one since lockdown was announced on …
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Locality Headteachers Meeting Summer arrangements
It was agreed at the Locality Headteachers Meeting that we would not hold any further meetings until the last week of the holiday. This meeting will be on Thursday 27th August at 11am. Joining details will be circulated in that week’s Update.
E&S Officer Availability Summer arrangements
Members of the Education & Skills Senior Management Team, including Dean Jackson, will be available at various times, dependent upon leave, throughout the summer holiday. If you need to contact us, please feel free to do so. Please copy Dean Jackson in so that, if the colleague you need is unavailable, he can reallocate the …
COVID Summer Food Fund
UPDATED: The DfE has updated its guidance for schools and local authorities on providing vouchers to support pupils eligible for free school meals over the summer holiday period during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The DfE has also provided further information on providing food parcels and free meals in further education.
Taking exams during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UPDATED: This is updated DfE guidance on what schools, colleges and students need to know about cancelled GCSEs, AS and A levels and other qualifications in 2020, and the plans for taking future exams. The DfE has removed some questions relating to outdated information, has included a new question with more detail on centre assessment …
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DfE NEWS: Major overhaul of higher technical education announced
The DfE has announced here a new package of measures for higher technical education that will build on the work to transform technical and vocational education in Britain
Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: 23 March to 9 July 2020
UPDATED: A summary of attendance in education settings since Monday 23 March and early years settings since Thursday 16 April has been published.
Parliamentary Education Select Committee
The Education Select Committee’s report on exam cancellations and calculated grades can be found here. A summary of the report can be found here.
Annual Parents Survey
NEW: OFSTED have reported the findings from their online surveys on parents’ awareness and perceptions of Ofsted. Surveys conducted by YouGov on behalf of Ofsted.
OFSTED PRESS RELEASE: Inspection reports are popular with parents
The latest YouGov survey, published on the same day as the OFSTED annual report and accounts, found that Ofsted’s inspection reports are well-received by parents.
NEW GUIDANCE: NQT support and inductions from September 2020
The DfE has published new Information to help schools and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) prepare for NQT induction from September 2020.
Providing free school meals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UPDATED: The DfE has updated its guidance for schools and local authorities on free school meals’ arrangements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It has updated the guidance and application form for the temporary extension of free school meals eligibility to NRPF groups. This includes the increase in the income threshold from £16,190 per annum to …
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Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
UPDATED: In this document, the DfE sets out guidance for apprentices, employers, training providers and assessment organisations in response to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). It has been updated to confirm that, from 13 July, providers can welcome back 19+ apprentices into educational settings and that the flexibility to suspend level 2 functional skills for …
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Reducing teacher workload: Education Development Trust report
NEW REPORT: The DfE has published a report by the Education Development Trust (EDT) on school-led projects aimed at reducing teacher workload
DFE COLLECTION: Reducing school workload
The DfE has pulled together in one place here all the support documentation and practical resources for schools to help reduce workload, including the school workload reduction toolkit.
Early Adoption of the EYFS reforms
In order that the EYFS Team can plan appropriate support through the EY networks and forums in the Autumn Term, it would be helpful if you could complete this Google Form It is requesting that schools confirm whether or not they are adopting the EYFS reforms early from September 2020 and also if they are …
Staff Absence Teachers and Support Staff Insurance Supply Schemes from September 2020
The two Insurance Supply Schemes are designed to provide a level of financial support towards the cost of hiring replacement staff to cover staff absence. The Scheme operates on a mutual pooled basis by collecting premiums from schools and making payments to those schools that have staff absences at a predetermined rate. The Scheme runs for the …
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Year 8 Personal, Social and Health resources for the summer break
We have had a request for a summer safety Padlet for year 8s. If you would like to share it with your pupils (suitable for years 7-9) the link is here. Topics and activities include: water safety, first aid, rail safety, anti-racist vs not racist, alcohol, personal responsibility, digital safety, new skills to learn. and …
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The requirement for Daily Act of Collective Worship
In answer to a question from the Northumberland SACRE it has been confirmed by the DfE today that the requirement for a daily act of collective worship still stands from September (unless pupils have been withdrawn by their parents/guardians). This will be made more difficult as assemblies are unlikely to take place in many schools, …
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10 top tips to encourage children to read
NEW GUIDANCE: 10 top tips to encourage children to read The DfE has published new information to help parents to think about ways to make reading enjoyable and engaging.