Included in this update:

• Measles Update
• Non-Statutory Guidance - Gender Questioning Children - Government Consultation 
• Early Education Entitlement - 30 Hours Places for Foster Children
• Deadline Extended for the Autumn Term WellComm Data Return
• Early Years Single Funding Formula Returns for Spring 2024
• Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus School Nursing Services
• Makaton Training
• Services for Education
• Reflections Training Academy Open Day - February Half-Term

Measles Update

Schools will have recently received the following update from the Health Protection Team. 

There is an increasing number of people in Birmingham with measles, with many measles cases linked to Birmingham schools. Measles is a very infectious disease that can spread rapidly - outbreaks can happen when not enough people have been vaccinated. While most people recover completely within a couple of weeks, measles can cause serious illness and in rare cases it can be fatal. Measles can cause disruption to schools, as any child or adult who has not had at least one dose of MMR and comes into contact with a person with measles will have to be excluded from nursery, school or work for 21 days and stay at home.

It’s really important at the start of this new school term to familiarise yourself with the attached Measles Action Cards, and ensure all staff in your setting are familiar with them and have them available for reference as well. You can keep up to date with measles updates throughout the school term via the School Noticeboard.

Please also make sure to send out the Measles Letter to Parents.

Actions

Following these steps will help slow down the spread of measles cases in Birmingham schools and protect your students and staff from further cases.

• Send out the Measles letter to parents, encouraging uptake of the MMR vaccine. 
• Be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles, and know how to respond if you have measles cases at your setting:
  • Schools suspected measles action card
  • Early years suspected measles action card
• Encourage children and staff to catch up with both doses of the MMR vaccine - Schools MMR vaccination conversations action card

MMR Vaccine

The best way to protect against measles is to get 2 doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. If parents are not sure if they or their child has been vaccinated, they can check the personal child health record (the Red Book) or speak to their GP surgery. Anyone can catch up with missed MMR vaccinations at any age by contacting their GP surgery.

For families that avoid pork, an MMR vaccine is available that does not contain any pork products.

Measles Symptoms

If children develop symptoms of measles, parents should contact their GP surgery or 111. They should NOT go to the GP, to A&E or any other setting without calling ahead. Staff will make special arrangements to see patients so that if they have measles, they won’t pass it to others.

The first signs of measles are:

• high temperature
• runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• cough
• red, sore, watery eyes
• rash usually appears a few days after cold-like symptoms (sometimes starts around the ears before spreading to rest of the body)

If you have any queries or require further information, please contact the team at HPTeam@birmingham.gov.uk

Non-Statutory Guidance for Schools and Colleges: Gender Questioning Children

Government Consultation

The Department for Education, working closely with the Government’s Equality Hub, has worked to produce non-statutory guidance on Gender Questioning Children, to provide clarity for schools and colleges, and reassurance for parents.

They are now consulting on this guidance and seeking views from parents, teachers, headteachers, pupils and clinicians. 

The consultation can be found at this link and the closing date for responses is 12 March 2024.

We would encourage you to contribute to the consultation, and for those school leaders who would like an opportunity to discuss the guidance and the implications for practice in more detail, Razia Butt, Director of Thriving Children and Families will be hosting a webinar on Monday, 29 January 2024 at 15:00-16:00.

Simply click here to join the webinar on the day

The guidance will also be discussed at the forthcoming Education Safeguarding Group on 23 January 2024.

For any queries in the meantime, please contact the team at education@birmingham.gov.uk

Further content:

• Parent first approach at the core of new guidance on gender questioning children - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Gender questioning children: Everything you need to know about new draft guidance for schools - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

Early Education Entitlement - 30 Hours Places for Foster Children

Foster parents can apply for 30 hours extended entitlement for their 3 and 4 year old foster children, if they are in paid employment outside of their foster care role.

These applications cannot be made via the usual route of the Childcare Choices website and have to come directly to the local authority. The foster carer or social worker should email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk for an application form. The Social Worker and Birmingham Virtual School Advisor have to be in agreement that the application is in the best interests of the child.

The same deadlines apply - they must have a code by 31 December 2023 in order to access 30 hours from January 2024 for Spring term. If you are aware of any looked after children that might be eligible for 30 hours extended entitlement, please signpost them to earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

As with all 30 hours codes you will still need to validate the code on ECS before agreeing the 30 hours start date. You must do this by entering the code on ECS and then check the validity start date of it to make sure it is eligible for the current term:

https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/oefe/birmingham/la/schools

Further information about 30 hours and validating codes can be found on EYMIS: www.ted-birmingham.org.uk

• Username: PVI2 (please note this is a capital i not the number one)
• Password: PVI2year (please note this is a capital i not the number one)

If you have any queries regarding 30 hours extended entitlement please email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk

Deadline Extended for the Autumn Term WellComm Data Return

FAO: Primary 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.

Each term we request that every early year's provider returns their WellComm screening results to us via an online survey. As it was a busy end to last term, we have extended the deadline for the autumn term data to Sunday, 21 January 2024.

If you have already returned your screening data, thank you, and please ignore this email.

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 data return simply follow this link

Early Years Single Funding Formula Returns for Spring Term 2024

FAO: schools with Early Years provision for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

Each term schools are required to submit and return an on-line Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF submission to provide us with your numbers of eligible 2 year olds, EYPP and FSM take up so that we can reconcile your early years funding.

It is the schools responsibility to ensure that the form is completed within the time-frame – failure to do so will result in incorrect budget allocations.

The link to the form will be emailed to schools during Census week and you will be required to complete the form between 18th and 25th January 2024. The email is sent to your enquiry@ email address so please ensure that the person responsible for this mailbox knows who to forward the link to within your school. We do not have the facility to use individual email addresses.

Please only include your Early Years Children on this form – do not include children in Reception. Remember that all 2 year olds that you claim for and all 3 and 4 year olds that you are claiming EYPP and FSM for must have an eligible code that you must keep a note of on the children's records for the purpose of EEE audit. If the system does not confirm eligibility you can contact earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk for support.

Please note there is no facility to receive a copy of your on-line submission – however you should have the details of numbers of eligible children on your records in line with the terms and conditions of EEE funding. The EEE Provider Agreement detailing the terms and conditions of delivering early education entitlement can be found on EYMIS: http://www.ted-birmingham.org.uk

To access EYMIS please use:

• Username: PVI2
• Password PVI2year

If you have any queries regarding the on-line form or the eligibility of children please email earlyeducation@birmingham.gov.uk FAO Dee Sterling-Miller.

If you have any queries regarding your funding allocation please email fairfunding@birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus School Nursing Service

FAO: SENCo/Head Teacher

Do you need additional School Nursing input? If so Birmingham Community NHS Foundation Trust can help.

Through the Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Plus (Traded Services) School Nursing service additional education focused services that supplement the NHS ‘core’ school nurse service can be provided.

The link between educational attainment and positive health is well documented, however, sometimes schools find that incidence of health-related needs amongst their pupils requires more clinical support. Schools are offered the opportunity to buy additional dedicated school nurse time to address health needs that lie beyond the scope of the core service.

School health topics that BCHC Plus provide support for include:

• Curriculum input focused on health and wellbeing.
• Issues arising in school that may have a link to health.
• Dedicated support addressing a school’s wider health related challenges.
• Liaison with GP’s, health visitors and other professionals.
• Health education and promotion activities.

To find out more about how BCHC Plus (Traded Services) can benefit your school, pupils, families and staff, please contact the BCHC Plus team on 0121 466266 or email bchc.bchcplus@nhs.net.

Makaton Training

FAO: SENCo/Head Teacher

Levels 1 and 2

This workshop is suitable for Professionals who need to use Makaton in their work (as well as for those who require 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 are provided.

• Course date:  Level 1 – 20 February 2024
• Course date: Level 2 – 27 February 2024

Level 3

Builds on the signs and symbols learnt in Levels 1 and 2. It aims to increase participants’ knowledge and skills, and 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.

• Course date: 11 June 2024

For further information regarding these courses please contact Helene Elia at Helene.elia@nhs.net

Services For Education

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

The final deadline is 28 January 2024 and this is the last cohort with confirmed scholarship funding available, so make sure you get staff registered whilst fees are covered! 

You can find out more on the Services for Education website.

Safer Recruitment Centre Based: delivered by accredited Safer Recruitment Consortium trainers, enables schools to meet statutory requirements and to improve processes that help deter, reject or identify people who might abuse children or who are otherwise unsuited to working with them and identifies ways settings can create safer environments with a culture of vigilance. Book Here

Twilight Online Safer Recruitment: this online course is delivered as four twilight sessions to give flexibility for busy professionals Book Here

Safer Recruitment – Refresher Training: this half-day course, is a refresher course for those who have previously completed the full day initial Safer Recruitment training. Book Here

Academy Compliance with Statutory Duty: Written Agreement 12 January Deadline

Local authorities have a statutory duty to deliver moderation and monitoring.

Teachers and Assessment Leaders New to Year 2 – Preparing for the Essential Assessment Processes at the End of KS1 Monday, 4 March Book Here and Experienced in Year 2 Monday, 18 March Book Here

Reflections Training Academy Open Day

Friday, 16 February 2024 at 13:00 - Units 2a and 2b Commercial Street, Birmingham, B1 1RS

This is an excellent opportunity during the half-term break for any current Year 11 students who are considering a career in hairdressing or barbering.

Reflections specialise in Hairdressing and Barbering, and students are welcome to come along to chat about their career aspirations and find out more about Apprenticeships, Traineeships and Study Programmes. 

Students can explore the facilities, meet the tutors, and find out more information on courses and jobs to apply for.

Bookings for the open day can be made by emailing BHXRecruitment@reflectionstraining.co.uk or calling 0121 643 2147.

Further information can be found at the Reflections Training website: www.reflectionstraining.co.uk