• Message from Sue Harrison, Strategic Director of Children and Families
• UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Celebration 2023
• Nitrous Oxide Learning Session for Schools
• The Big Ambition Survey! 
• Makaton Workshops
• Online Primary Reading Conference - Inspiration, Engagement and Attainment* - Services for Education
• Invitation to Join the Services for Education KS2 Moderation Team
• Peer Mediation Plus - funding available for West Midlands schools
• Birmingham Schools Climate Conference 2023

Message from Sue Harrison, Strategic Director of Children and Families

Dear colleagues

I hope the first couple of weeks of the new academic year have got off to a good start.

There will be plenty going on during the Autumn term, and I’m keen to maintain the momentum we created before the summer break, and look forward to continuing our conversations and working together to achieve great things for our children and young people. We have prepared a programme for the senior leadership team to visit schools to encompass all schools within a realistic timeframe.

I’ve been promising to provide you with an up to date Children and Families Directorate contact list and I’m delighted it’s now available on the council’s website here: Children and Families Directorate - Meet the team. As we appoint more permanent posts, the list will continue to grow and develop. Please let us know if there’s anything else you’d like us to include, and in the meantime we hope you find it a valuable resource.  

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at today’s BCC/BEP Headteacher Briefings, and there will be further opportunities to attend sessions like this throughout the year. Don’t forget to also look out for more details on the Learning to Shape Birmingham Conference taking place in November – the agenda is already packed with amazing speakers.

I’d like to personally invite you to the fringe event taking place on 14 November. This is a separate event which follows on directly from day 1 of the conference between 17:15-19:00, and will consist of a series of short updates, a meal and a conversation about how we can best improve joint working across the city. You can book separately for this by following this link - Conference Fringe Event - A conversation with Sue Harrison.

Our Head Teachers’ Reference Group is an incredible space to brainstorm with colleagues, and if you felt you could afford some time we’d dearly love to see you at a future meeting. Simply email education@birmingham.gov.uk and we’ll be pleased to send you further information. Huge thanks to those of you who already attend, your input is incredibly valuable.

I know that many of you had queries regarding the Section 114 notice issued last week and what it means moving forward. If you are interested in the wider context, you can watch a webinar for Council staff that took place this week with our Chief Executive, Deborah Cadman; the Deputy Leader, Cllr Sharon Thompson; Interim Finance Director, Fiona Greenway and colleagues from HR and Communications – Birmingham City Council Chief Executive Webinar

Although the council is experiencing unprecedented financial challenges, the Children and Families Directorate continues on its journey of improvement to provide and deliver the best services for the children, young people and families in Birmingham. Our vision to ensure that all children and young people are safe, healthy, included, confident and achieving remains our highest priority. Birmingham will be a great place to grow up and our children and young people will thrive!

I wish you and your colleagues all the very best for the Autumn term, thank you as always for your commitment and dedication, and I’ll very much look forward to seeing you soon.

With kindest regards

Sue

Sue Harrison - Strategic Director of Children and Families

UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Celebration 2023

It is with great sadness we have to inform schools that we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Celebration, which was scheduled for 13 October 2023.

We know that this will be disappointing to many, but given the present circumstances we hope you will agree that this is the right course of action to take.

The plan is to reschedule the event for later in the academic year, and schools will be notified accordingly.

If schools have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at unicefcelebration@birmingham.gov.uk

Nitrous Oxide Learning Session for Schools

Monday, 18 September 2023 – 12:00-13:30 – Microsoft Teams

This learning session is part of a programme of talks which aim to share insight, evidence and practice on a range of public health topics. This session will focus on improving understanding of nitrous oxide in education settings. The speakers include senior practitioner Claire Preece and Service Manager Colette Lloyd from Aquarius, and Mohammed Ashfaq from KiKit.

Some of the main objectives of the session are to:

• Provide a better understanding of Nitrous Oxide, what it is and the effects it has on the substance user.     
• Explore the prevalence of Nitrous Oxide use for young people in Birmingham, by looking at statistics and sharing information obtained pertinent to Nitrous Oxide use from Aquarius’s experience of supporting young people using Nitrous Oxide across the city.  
• Discuss how we talk to young people about their nitrous oxide use, and what you can do to advise and support nitrous oxide users.  
• Advise on referral pathways for further substance use support.  
• Raise awareness of the importance of culturally sensitive help, advice and support for substance misuse.

To register for this session simply follow this link

For any queries or further information please contact Ayan Mohamoud at ayan.mohamoud@birmingham.gov.uk

The Big Ambition Survey

The children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has opened a survey up for Children and Young People to give their views on what they would like to see from politicians about the issues they care about. More information can be found here: A big ambition for children | CYP Now.

The Big Ambition Survey will be asking what young people enjoy about their schools, communities, family life and the wider world. It will also be asking what they want for the future, their hopes, dreams and aspirations.  

The survey will close in December, after which responses will be collated and will provide a comprehensive picture of the practical changes that children want.  

A link to the survey is here – The Big Ambition Survey – please share widely!

Makaton Workshops

A number of Makaton Workshops are taking place throughout the year and if any schools would like further information please contact Helene Elia at Helene.elia@nhs.net

Level 1 and 2

This workshop is suitable for Professionals who need to use Makaton in their work (as well as for others who wish a more in-depth training) and Parents and non-professional carers e.g., child-minders, who need to use Makaton in everyday situations The sessions cover current best practice around sign and symbol use and an overview of alternative systems of communication. At the end of the Workshop, participants will be able to use signs from stages 1-4 plus the Additional stage of the Makaton vocabulary. Participant manuals containing all the signs and symbols will be provided.

• Level 1 - 14 November 2023 
• Level 2 - 21 November 2023 

Level 3

Builds on the signs and symbols learnt in Levels 1 and 2. It aims to increase participants’ knowledge and skills. It develops ideas and confidence in using signs and symbols and teaches accurate interpretative skills. Sign analysis is considered, and Stages 5 and 6 signs and symbols are taught. Participant manuals are provided.

• Level 3 - 11 June 2024

Online Primary Reading Conference - Inspiration, Engagement and Attainment

Thursday, 9 November 2023

Services for Education are pleased to present a full-day online conference covering all aspects of reading! The focus will be Inspiration, Engagement and Attainment. Presentations from some of the very best national experts from universities and organisations around the country will be shared during the event. These will cover intrinsic elements of our practice such as:

• Building a Reading Culture
• How to Teach Reading Fluency,
• Phonics Teaching,
• Developing Comprehension, and more!

To book your place simply follow this link

Invitation to Join the Services for Education KS2 (Key Stage 2) Moderation Team 2023-24

Services For Education (SfE), School Support Service, work on behalf of Birmingham Local Authority to organise, manage, and deliver statutory assessment duty for KS1 and KS2.

SfE are inviting formal applications to become a Standard and Testing Agency (STA) accredited Services for Education Teacher Moderator for Key Stage 2 statutory Teacher Assessment (TA) of writing in summer 2024.

Please follow this link for further information and application process  

Peer Mediation Plus - Funding Available for West Midlands Schools

Funding is available for schools in the West Midlands to help set up a Peer Mediation scheme and train staff to get the most out of the scheme.

Peer mediation involves children being trained to mediate their peers’ conflicts at school. It is underpinned by the same values that inform adult mediation. It is voluntary, inclusive and leads those people who find themselves in a dispute, to find their own solution to their problem, rather than being told what to do.  It is conflict resolution for young people, by young people. 

In summary, this is what is offered:

• Pupil workshop
• 3 days mediation training - with up to 24 selected peer mediators
• Staff CPD (3 twilights or one-half day and one twilight)
• Lunchtime Supervisor Training (a 90-minute session)
• Invitation to a WM Peer Mediation Leads Network
• Evaluation including a follow up visit to the school once the scheme is established.

Schools are asked to commit to all aspects of the offer and to make a financial contribution towards the costs. The actual cost to deliver this work is £2,634.00 per school. Each school will be asked to contribute £500.00.

For any queries or further information please contact Libbs@peacemakers.org.uk

Birmingham Schools Climate Conference 2023

InterClimate Network (ICN) is delighted to be working with Birmingham City Council to offer a UN-style COP28 climate conference for Birmingham secondary schools. 

The conference will be held in Birmingham's Council Chambers on Wednesday, 6 December and will:

• Enhance critical climate thinking and bring the ‘real world’ global climate negotiations to life as they represent 16 nations as at COP28 in Dubai.
• Investigate local climate action and what more can be done in our schools and communities. 

Free to schools, and suited to Years 8-13, places are limited (max of 16 country teams with 4 per team). 

Please click here for more information including a previous conference example: Birmingham Schools Climate Conference - InterClimate Network

For any queries and to register interest please contact schools@interclimate.org

Trauma Informed Schools UK Training – Briefing Sessions

For Secondary Schools wishing to take part in the randomised controlled trial with TISUK and the Youth Endowment Fund

Schools who meet the eligibility criteria for this trial will:

• Be mainstream, non-fee-paying secondary schools.
• Not have received training from TISUK in the last three years.
• Not currently be taking part in a different randomised controlled trial.

These 1.5 hour presentations will inform key secondary school staff about the trainings that will be provided to intervention schools by Trauma Informed Schools UK as part of the YEF trial. They will outline the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on pupils’ progress and research that shows how training staff to address the unmet emotional needs of children can increase attainment and improve behaviour and attendance. There will be a focus on how a whole school cultural shift can develop mentally healthy school practice for all. The sessions will explore some of the key interventions covered on the trainings, illustrated by moving and emotionally powerful case studies.

More information on the project can be found here: Trauma Informed Schools Project

To book onto a session of your choice simply click on the appropriate link below:

• Friday, 15 September 2023 at 13:30
• Monday, 18 September 2023 at 13:30

For any queries, please contact rowan@traumainformedschools.co.uk