Included in this update:

• Update on Birmingham City Council's Financial Position
• Oracle Update
• The Children's Advice and Support Service (CASS)
• Pupil place planning - Proposals to reduce PAN for 2024 entry
• Education Infrastructure - Christmas bulletin
• Early Years Autumn Term WellComm Data Collection
• Christmas Waste Collections
• Department for Education consultation on elective home education guidance
• Services For Education - National Professional Qualifications in partnership with Best Practice Network.

 

Update on Birmingham City Council’s Financial Position

Webinar – Monday, 18 December 2023 at 2pm

Schools will have recently received a message from Sue Harrison, Strategic Director for Children and Families, inviting them to attend a webinar on Monday, 18 December at 2pm to hear the latest financial update.

You can join the meeting by simply following this link

For those unable to attend, a recording of the session will be made available shortly after.

Oracle Update

With the end of 2023 and the end of school term fast approaching, the last 6 months of the year has involved an immense amount of work to address immediate technical issues to stabilise the existing Oracle system, as well as designing a sustainable mid to long-term solution.

On 12 December the council’s Cabinet approved proposals to continue the essential, priority work needed to complete the current phase of the Oracle Programme by March/April 2024. A second report to Cabinet will follow in early 2024, setting out the council’s plans for the reimplementation of the Oracle system and the replacement income management system. This report will also provide clarity around the Oracle Programme approach and timescales for implementing the long-term, ‘optimised’ solution, whilst maintaining the stability of the existing live system.

In the new year, further information will be shared on the forthcoming Cabinet decision and the way forward for the Oracle Programme. As work progresses, regular updates and support will continue over the coming months to manage any changes relating to schools that receive HR, Finance and Payroll services from the council.  

In the meantime, we wish you all a happy festive break and best wishes for the year ahead.

The Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS)

The Children's Advice and Support Service (CASS) provides a single point of contact for professionals and members of the public who want to access support or raise concerns about a child.

If you submit a referral through the online referral form to CASS and have not received a response within 30 minutes of the submission, please telephone the team to ensure that your referral has been submitted successfully.

In the event that technical errors occur, CASS will not be aware of them unless you telephone to notify them that there may be a problem.

Monday to Thursday: 8:45am to 5:15pm
Friday: 8:45am to 4:15pm

Telephone: 0121 303 1888

Emergency out-of-hours

Telephone: 0121 675 4806

Email: cass@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk

Many thanks in advance for your support.

Pupil place planning - Proposals to reduce PAN for 2024 entry

In order to help address the sustained impact of surplus primary places and lower intakes in schools, we have reduced PANs at several of our maintained schools and we are currently seeking a proposed PAN reduction at the following maintained school:

Sladefield Infant School - reducing from 120 to 90 for Reception 2024

The business case will be sent to the Schools Adjudicator in due course for consideration. We will publish the outcome of the decision.

We continue to discuss reductions in PANs for Reception 2025 entry.

Community and voluntary controlled school PANs are currently being consulted on with a decision due in Spring 2024. If you are an academy and would also like to discuss proposals for Reception 2025 please also get in touch. For further information, please contact Education  Infrastructure: ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk

Education Infrastructure - Christmas Bulletin (Issue Dec 2023)

This term’s Education Infrastructure bulletin is available on the BESS website at this link.

Contact Education Infrastructure for school place planning, capital projects and asset management queries: edsi.enquiries@birmingham.gov.uk 

Thank you for your support and we wish you a peaceful Christmas break.

Early Years Autumn Term WellComm Data Collection

FAO: Primary schools and Nursery Schools

Thank you for using the WellComm Toolkit to improve Speech-Language and Communication (SLC) outcomes in your school or setting. The WellComm data collection returns are demonstrating that targeted interventions offered by early years providers have improved children's level of SLC development. Therefore, we request that every early year's provider returns their Autumn Term WellComm screening results by 31st December 2023. 

If you have not had the capacity to screen all of your children during the term then, please, send us the results that you have. To complete the survey, please click here

Christmas Waste Collections

FAO: All staff/Parents

There are changes to bin collections over Christmas and new year – please check the revised schedule so you know when to put your bins out over the festive season: birmingham.gov.uk/christmascollections

Please share this information with all parents.

Department for Education consultation on elective home education guidance

The Department for Education is seeking views on proposed changes to the non-statutory elective home education guidance for local authorities and parents. The consultation can be accessed via this link.

The closing date for responses is 18th January 2024.

Services For Education - National Professional Qualifications in partnership with Best Practice Network.

The Spring 2024 application window for National Professional Qualifications is now open.

The initial deadline to apply is 20th December 2023 with a final deadline 28th January 2024, so don’t miss out and apply today!

This is the last cohort with confirmed scholarship funding available, so make sure you get staff registered whilst fees are covered! 

Working in partnership with Best Practice Network, we are proud to be a delivery partner for a range of professional development programmes to support teachers and school leaders at all levels – from new teachers following the Early Careers Framework through to senior leaders engaging with National Professional Qualifications.

We provide the following NPQs:

• Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
• Leading Behaviour & Culture (NPQLBC)
• Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)
• Leading Teaching (NPQLT)

Our suite of National Professional Qualifications are DfE fully funded and are designed to support aspiring and current leaders in schools to grow and develop the skills needed to have real impact on the lives of young people and fellow colleagues.

Find out more here  https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/npqs/

Other courses available:

The Reading Framework, July 2023 – 15.45- 16.45 Tuesday 9th Jan 2024

Updates Revisions and Additions  Book here: