Included in this week's noticeboard: 

• Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Strategic Director for Children and Families
• Oracle Finance, Payroll and HR System
• Holiday Activities Programme - Summer 2024
• SENCo Noticeboard – July 2024
• Religious Education in Birmingham Survey

Message from Dr Sue Harrison, Strategic Director for Children and Families

Dear colleagues

Thank you to those of you who attended the in-person meeting yesterday to hear the latest updates for non-chequebook and EPA schools on the Oracle Finance, Payroll and HR system. A link to a recording of the session will be made available to schools separately.  

Further online sessions for Chequebook Schools and Academies are taking place tomorrow, with links to these sessions below:

• Chequebook schools – Friday, 21 June at 11:00-11:30 - Please follow this link to join the session: Oracle webinar for cheque book schools
• Academies – Friday, 21 June at 11:45-12:15 - Please follow this link to join the session: Oracle webinar for Academies

Both of these sessions will be recorded and a link provided soon after.

The refreshed Update and Q&A document is now available. Please remember if you do have any queries you can email the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk, or access one of the fortnightly drop-in sessions.  

We received great news this week, that Birmingham Virtual School has achieved the Artsmark Gold Award, awarded by Arts Council England. The Artsmark award helps schools and settings deliver a high quality arts and cultural education to children and young people, and provides access to exceptional resources as well as networks of the country’s most treasured cultural organisations. It’s a great opportunity for our young people in care to have access to and experience the wonderful world of arts and culture, and potentially fulfil a rewarding career in the creative sector. I’m proud that our Virtual School joins the large number of Birmingham schools already achieving the Artsmark award and recognising the benefits of embedding arts, culture and creativity across the whole curriculum.

Birmingham’s Public Health team has recently provided an update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which I wanted to share with schools. The JSNA is an assessment of the current and future health and social care needs of the people of Birmingham, and is the responsibility of the council’s  Health and Wellbeing Board. Its purpose is to inform local organisations enabling them to plan services for the future, including informing the council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Birmingham’s JSNA consists of a JSNA Dashboard, a series of deep dive analyses and profiles, all of which can be found at this link Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) or accessed via the City Observatory. The data dashboards contain some very interesting facts, particularly around children and young people, and are well worth finding the time to explore.

On Friday evening I’m very much looking forward to attending the preview of this year’s Common Ground Arts Festival at the Midland Arts Centre (mac) to celebrate artist residencies across the Birmingham Special Schools’ Cooperative Trust. Presented by Common Ground Arts this inclusive festival provides a weekend of workshops and activities open to families with children and young people with special educational needs. Seven of our special schools have taken part in artist residencies, which have been captured in a 30 minute film:

• Longwill School for the Deaf – acting and filming with artists Bhulla Bengal and Sarah Jane
• Fox Hollies School – inclusive breakdancing with artists Break Mission
• Baskerville School – street art with artists Roots 0121
• Dame Ellen Pinsent School – eco art with artists Hipkiss and Graney
• The Pines School – sensory clay with artist Samantha Krankpod
• Hamilton School – music exploration with artists Bethany Kay and Jack Goodall
• Wilson Stuart School – Eid for everyone, multimedia with artists Sharonjit Sutton, Soya Ahmed and Janvi Shah

I’m sure the children had an amazing time working and filming with the artists, and what a tremendous project to be part of.

On Saturday morning I’ll be joining the School and Governor Support team at the Summer Briefing being held at Edgbaston Stadium.  I’m really looking forward to explaining the work we’re doing to co-produce a balanced education system, and Edwina Langley, Lead Attendance Officer, will present on the new statutory Working together to improve school attendance guidance and the changes governing boards will need to be aware of. I know it will be a great event and a fabulous opportunity to meet with many Chairs and Vice Chairs of Governors and Trustees.

Thank you as always for everything you do, and my very best wishes for an enjoyable weekend – whatever the weather!  

Sue

Oracle Finance, Payroll and HR System

A reminder that online sessions for Chequebook Schools and Academies are taking place tomorrow, Friday, 21 June, with links to these sessions below:

• Chequebook schools – Friday, 21 June at 11:00-11:30 - Please follow this link to join the session: Oracle webinar for cheque book schools
• Academies – Friday, 21 June at 11:45-12:15 - Please follow this link to join the session: Oracle webinar for Academies

Both of these sessions will be recorded and a link provided soon after.

The refreshed Update and Q&A document is now available. Please remember if you do have any queries you can email the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk, or access one of the fortnightly drop-in sessions.  

Holiday Activities Programme - Summer 2024 

Schools will have recently received information on this year’s Summer Holiday Activities programme together with supporting documentation (Bring it on Brum code by school, letter template for parents/carers and detailed mail merge guidance).

Children and young people who are aged between 4-16 and are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, are entitled to access Bring it on Brum! holiday clubs for FREE.

Holiday clubs will run from Wednesday, 24 July-Tuesday, 3 September (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

Parents/carers will need a Bring it on Brum! code to book holiday activities through the Bring it on Brum! website or directly with the holiday club. This code is the school’s 7-digit DfE number.

Holiday clubs can be booked at: www.bringitonbrum.co.uk from Monday, 1 July 2024.

If children and young people are not able to access face-to-face holiday clubs, at home activity packs are also available. Families will need their child’s Bring it on Brum! code to request a free activity pack. Packs are available one per eligible child and are available for primary or secondary age.

Families can register for a free summer activity pack from Monday, 1 July. More information on the activity packs and how to register can be found at: www.bringitonbrum.co.uk/activity-packs-and-food-boxes.

Should schools have any queries with distributing codes or the letter to parents of eligible children, please contact the team at SchoolCensus@birmingham.gov.uk

For all queries related to the Holiday Activities programme please contact Birminghamholidayactivities@streetgames.org

SENCo Noticeboard – July 2024

Due to the General Election taking place on 4 July 2024 and having received feedback from schools that some will be closed that day, we are proposing to send the link to the SENCo Noticeboard the following week, 11 July 2024.

Apologies for any inconvenience and if you have any queries in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact Achla Kaura at Achla.Kaura@birmingham.gov.uk

Religious Education in Birmingham Survey

FAO: School Headteachers

Can we please ask schools to take a few minutes to complete a short survey regarding Religious Education. The information you provide will help us to refine our RE support for schools. To complete the survey simply follow this link, and please note the deadline for responses – Friday, 28 June 2024.

In case of queries please contact the team at religiouseducation@birmingham.gov.uk