Included in this week's noticeboard:

• Libraries Consultation – Have your say!
• National Education Nature Park Grants
• Bursaries available for Peer Mediation Plus Training in your Primary School
• Bus stops changes: Moor Street Queensway, City Centre
• SENAR Service Contact Information
• Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Plus Occupational Therapy Service
• Short Break Services Offer - Survey for Parents
• Services for Education - Training Opportunities
• Live Wellbeing Event featuring a Gladiator!

Libraries Consultation – Have your say!

Birmingham Libraries are currently consulting on the future of Library Services and are inviting all people that live, work or study and want to access the service, to help shape the future of Library services. The consultation is now live and runs until the 17 July 2024.

To have your say and be involved in the consultation for Library Services, take part in the online Libraries Consultation 2024 Be Heard Survey.

Birmingham City Council is also hosting a number of online and in-person sessions. Dates can be found on Be Heard and the council’s Library Consultation Libraries consultations page at this link.

Paper copies of the Be Heard questionnaire in both standard and large print can be requested from any Birmingham City Council Library.

Your views really matter, so please take the time to be involved.

National Education Nature Park Grants!

The following schools are eligible for up to £10,000 to support their engagement in the National Education Nature Park and help you to enhance nature on your site. This is a non-competitive grant. Applications are open until the 1 May 2024.

• Abbey Catholic Primary School
• Albert Bradbeer Primary Academy
• Al-Furqan Primary School
• Anderton Park Primary School
• Aston Manor Academy
• Aston Tower Community Primary School
• Barr View Primary & Nursery Academy
• Benson Community School
• Birchfield Primary School
• BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy
• Brearley Nursery School
• Broadway Academy
• Brookfields Primary School
• Canterbury Cross Primary School
• Chivenor Primary School
• Christ The King Catholic Primary School
• Clifton Primary School
• Colmers Farm Primary School
• Conway Primary School
• Eden Girls' Leadership Academy
• Edith Cadbury Nursery School
• George Dixon Academy
• George Dixon Primary School
• Gossey Lane Academy
• Greenwood Academy
• Hamilton School
• Hawkesley Church Primary Academy
• Heathfield Primary School
• Highfield Nursery School
• Holte School
• Holy Trinity CE Primary Academy (Handsworth)
• Holyhead School
• James Watt Primary School
• Kingsland Primary School (NC)
• Kingsthorne Primary School
• Ladypool Primary School
• Lea Hall Academy
• Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nurser
• Maryvale Catholic Primary School
• Mayfield School
• Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy
• Nelson Junior and Infant School
• Nelson Mandela School
• New Hall Primary School
• Osborne Primary School
• Our Lady and St Rose of Lima Catholic Primary School
• Robin Hood Academy
• Rubery Nursery School
• Sacred Heart Catholic School
• Shenley Fields Nursery School
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School
• St Chad's Catholic Primary School
• St Clement's Church of England Academy
• St Columba's Catholic Primary School
• St George's Church of England Academy, Newtown
• St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
• St Mary and St John Junior and Infant School
• St Saviour's C of E Primary School
• Timberley Academy
• Titan Aston Academy
• Titan St Georges Academy
• Warren Farm Primary School
• Wattville Primary School
• Weoley Castle Nursery School
• West Heath Nursery School
• West Heath Primary School
• Westminster Primary School
• Woodcock Hill Primary School
• Yardley Primary School
• Yarnfield Primary School

To get started on your grant application, you will need register on the website: https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/ then complete your site boundary. You can also try out our activities to get your pupils involved and learn more about your site. Then you will be able to create an account on our grant portal and access your application If you need any support completing your application please get in touch, with the Nature Park Regional teams westmidlandsnaturepark@ltl.org.uk.

Bursaries available for Peer Mediation Plus Training in your Primary School

Peacemakers is a West Midlands based charity with over 30 years of experience working in primary schools.  We have significant bursaries available to help you set up a Peer Mediation scheme in school for Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025.

• Peer Mediation is conflict resolution for young people by young people.
• We offer a workshop for the year group(s) mediators will be selected from, exploring what mediation is and then 3 full days of training for up to 24 children selected to become mediators.
• They are trained to mediate disputes that happen in the playground. This means staff spend less time responding to problems that arise and creates a more peaceful school environment. 
• The trained mediators develop skills for life, which ripple through the school. 
• Our Peer Mediation Plus package also includes training for lunchtime and classroom staff about mediation and conflict resolution, in order to ensure maximum success of your scheme. 

“I have been so impressed with the training that you have provided for both staff and children.  Personally speaking, I found your staff training really useful and it has helped me discipline my practice too!  It was a delight to see the quality of the training and the impact it had on our Year 5s yesterday - they have skills for life and we will be sure to roll this out widely."

Feedback from a Headteacher at a school who received Peer Mediation in 2024

Contact Libbs Packer:  libbs@peacemakers.org.uk to find out more and how to apply. https://peacemakers.org.uk/primary-schools/

Bus stops changes: Moor Street Queensway, City Centre

Transport for West Midlands recently let you know about some changes to certain bus stops in the Moor Street Queensway area of Birmingham City Centre.

Thank you for sharing the toolkit of resources we sent out to you to help staff and students who use the bus travel to and from your site easily while these changes are taking place.

Ongoing changes are occurring to a few of the bus stops in this area to enable better management of bus routes and traffic along Moor Street Queensway and as such we would appreciate you reinforcing and cascading the below travel advice out to students/staff to ensure everyone is travelling safely and with the most up to date information possible.

Travel Advice To Share:

• Put your safety first – much of Moor Street Queensway is a construction site. Please use designated crossing points and signed walking routes to get to and from your destination.
• If you usually get on or off your bus by Moor Street Station, New Street Station or Priory Queensway, your bus route is still operating and you will still be able to get your bus close to where you normally do, however the bus stop you need to get on and off at may have changed. Our journey planner tool can assist you with mapping out your journeys.
• Familiarise yourself with the changes to your bus stop by following this link to the update city guide

We would appreciate any help you can offer with sending out this message again to staff and students.

SENAR Service Contact Information

If schools need help and support from the SENAR service please don’t forget you can find out the contact information for your assigned officer here: SENAR - Local Offer Birmingham. This information is updated weekly to ensure contact details remain fresh and schools can reach the right person first time.

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Plus Occupational Therapy Service

FAO SENCO/Head Teacher

BCHC Plus Occupational Therapists work with children and young people to help them achieve their full potential in activities of daily living that they need, want, or are expected to participate in. These activities include washing, dressing, feeding, toileting, school-based activities such as handwriting and play based activities. We provide additional services supplementing those currently available through locally commissioned NHS provision. This enables schools and other settings to purchase the Occupational Therapy Support their pupils need, providing scheduled dedicated time and support from a named therapist.

We are able to provide specialist 1:1 assessment of identified children; environmental assessments e.g. classroom/school hall/playground. Individual goals and treatment; screening and Identifying priority children; targeted whole school approach to improving occupational performance; supporting school staff to identify children that would benefit from specific interventions.

To find out more about how BCHC Plus can benefit your school; pupils; families and staff; please contact our BCHC Plus team as follows on 0121 466266 or email bchc.bchcplus@nhs.net  

Our OT training portfolio is continually expanding so please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding your particular needs or requests.

Short Break Services Offer - Survey for Parents

Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children's Trust are reviewing the local short break services offer. This is because the current contractual arrangements will expire soon, so now is a good time to think about opportunities to spend the money that is available for short breaks differently to support better outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. The money that is available for short breaks in Birmingham isn't changing, although we recognise that the demand for short breaks is increasing. This review of short breaks in Birmingham is an opportunity for us to understand how we may make better use of the available budget to ensure that opportunities are available for as many families as possible.

We want to work with local families and gather as many views as possible, so please take the time to respond to our survey by clicking on the following link: https://forms.gle/91EPrEVAfbLXHNVF7

Your help will support the development of a new short breaks service offer in Birmingham.

Services for Education - Training Opportunities

Update for Existing DSLs on Safeguarding and Child Protection (Centre-Based) Wednesday 22 May 2024: 9:00am to 12:15pm Book here and 18 June Book here
This centre- based course is designed for existing Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) and Deputy DSLs who have previously attended the two-day DSL training course and require update training in line with the requirement set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Safer Recruitment - Thursday 6th June 2024: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Delivered by accredited Safer Recruitment Consortium trainers, this course 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 - Monday 17th June 2024, Monday 24th June 2024, Monday 1 July 2024 and Monday 8 July 2024: 5:30pm to 7:00pm Book here

Safeguarding and Child Protection for Headteachers and Nominated Governors – Friday 5th July 2024: 9:00am to 4:00pm
This full-day course will equip Head Teachers/ Principals (who are not DSLs) and Governors with the information, knowledge and understanding to undertake their responsibilities in respect of safeguarding, including supporting staff members acting in the DSL/DDSL role and dealing with allegations against staff. Book here

Live Wellbeing Event featuring a Gladiator!

Join celebrity Jodie Ounsley and TV’s Max & Harvey in an interactive, online event marking Mental Health Awareness Week. Discover the positive impact movement can have on the wellbeing of both people and pets. Hosted by the Pet Education Partnership – a collaboration of 8 of the leading UK animal charities including Woodgreen, RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection.

Tuesday 14 May and repeated Thursday 16 May 1:45pm to 2:30pm. Online webinar. Free.

To secure a link for you and your class visit Eventbrite tickets now!