Noticeboard

Noticeboard - 24 October 2024

This week's Noticeboard contains a message from Dr Sue Harrison; the latest Oracle Transition for Schools updates; an opportunity to join the DBV programme; a request to feedback on the Education Board Terms of Reference and more.

This week's noticeboard includes: 

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

Dear colleagues

It’s been a year since central government intervention at Birmingham City Council and the arrival of the Commissioners. On Tuesday, a letter was issued by the Commissioners to the council and you can read a copy of the letter by following this link.

Social Workers are the ‘shining stars’ according to Birmingham Children’s Trust Chief Executive, James Thomas, following the publication (on October 24) of findings from the latest Focused Visit by Ofsted inspectors to look at children’s services in Birmingham. The spotlight was on children in care services. You can read all about this good news here on the Trust website, and here is a direct link to the full Ofsted letter. Congratulations to James and his team for this well deserved positive feedback which really evidences a child centred approach. It is an uplifting read and I was especially pleased to hear how proud our social workers are of their children and that they know them really well.

Last week I was able to confirm the actions that schools will need to take in relation to the Schools Finance, HR and Payroll programme. Thank you to those schools who have already taken the appropriate action, but as a reminder, please do:

We’re here to support you and will continue to provide regular updates through the Oracle transition for schools, updates, questions and answers. As always Chris Etheridge is on hand to for any queries and can be reached at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk.

I’m delighted that our first Birmingham Education Board will take place on Wednesday, 27 November. In last week’s School Noticeboard, we shared the draft Terms of Reference for the board and requested your feedback through your appropriate board representatives. These representatives include the chairs of your respective age and phase Fora, such as Early Years, Special, Primary, Secondary, Post-16 Executive Board, and Alternative Provision Network meetings.

Your feedback is crucial to ensure these meetings are productive, organised, and aligned with the intended outcomes. Please do take the opportunity to provide your thoughts.

A reminder about the Wraparound Childcare Funding Application process which closes on 31 October 2024. The application form can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/bt3QxfbNur together with supporting guidance and an income and expenditure form which will need to be completed. For any queries regarding the process please, contact Kevin Caulfield, Childcare Sufficiency and Early Education Entitlement Strategy Manager at kevin.caulfield@birmingham.gov.uk. He will be pleased to assist.

Although it’s not something we want to think about just yet, we do need to prepare for the winter months ahead. I’ve recently written to schools confirming the council’s recommended arrangements for closing our maintained schools in the event of severe weather. These guidelines are designed to support schools in managing the challenging and often unpredictable circumstances that severe weather can bring, ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone. A copy for reference can be found here:  Severe weather letter to schools.

As we approach the October half term, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible dedication and hard work that each of you, along with your staff, have put into this term. Your commitment to fostering a nurturing and stimulating environment for our children and young people is truly commendable.

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable half term break!

Sue

Oracle Transition for Schools - Latest Updates 

The latest updates can be found here: Oracle transition for schools, updates, questions and answers.

Archived Q&A can be found here: Archived Oracle Transition Q&A.

For any queries or further information please contact the team at oracleschoolsrelationship@birmingham.gov.uk

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Secondary School Performance Data in England 2024 – Delay in Publication

The Department for Education has announced a delay in the publication of the Secondary school performance data in England: 2024

This publication is delayed due to quality issues in data submitted by an awarding organisation which were identified in the “Check Your Performance Measures Data” exercise. A new publication date will be announced as soon as possible in line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics.

These statistics will be released between November and December 2024.

Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme

Thank you to Headteachers who have already come forward expressing an interest to be part of this exciting opportunity to shape, design and improve how we identify and address the needs of our SEND Children and Young People in Birmingham and jointly develop the sustainable funding models needed to support these new ways of working.

We are seeking more secondary mainstream representation to join Workstream 2 Steering Group for the Birmingham Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme.

Workstream 2 is being led by Dr Pauline Bromfield, Head of Service as we review the top up funding arrangements, including SSPPs, to ensure that there is clarity for schools and settings about how much money they will receive for each pupil and how the decision regarding funding has been made.

As a member of the group, you will be bringing your expertise and ideas into the Design-Develop-Deliver stages of the work and be a part of realising Birmingham’s ambition to continually improve the lives and outcomes of our SEND Children, Young People and Families in Birmingham. You will also be acting as an advocate within the school’s community for the programme and communicating, influencing and feeding back from within your own networks to ensure the success of the workstream. 

If you would like to join the DBV programme, please express your interest by emailing Helen Ellis, Director of SEND and Inclusion – Helen.Ellis@Birmingham.gov.uk at your earliest convenience.

We very much look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

BVS Conference 28th November 2024 – last few spaces available

The last few spaces are remaining at the Birmingham Virtual School Conference taking place on 28th November 2024 for any Designated Teachers or any staff supporting children known to a Social Worker.  Please find details below and the link for signing up:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bvs-designated-teacher-conference-2024-tickets-1019384164477

Birmingham Virtual School are delighted to invite you to our Conference for the academic year 2024-2025. This whole day event will begin with our fabulous keynote speaker Betsy De Thierry. There will then be opportunities to participate in motivational workshops with other Designated Teachers and staff supporting children known to a Social Worker, to discuss embedding best practice and sharing good ideas so you are able to best support the vulnerable children in your provision. We will also be celebrating educational settings that are on their TIAAS journey with the annual awards being given out.

The day will be suitable for all DTs (those new to the role and more experienced ones) as well as any staff that are supporting children known to a social worker.

Workshops will cover:

  • Emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA)
  • Making the curriculum trauma-informed
  • Developing relational practice
  • SEMH assessment tools and SDQs
  • Children known to a SW including CIN / CP and PLAC
  • Building cultural capital to expand CIC / Vulnerable children’s experiences and horizons
  • Supporting Wider Achievements and Personal Development (Arts and Sports opportunities)
  • Supporting CIAG and post 16 transitions

Registration is from 9.00a.m. with refreshments available and lunch will also be provided with the Conference finishing at 3.30p.m.

BVS are pleased to be able to offer this exciting day at no cost. However as we expect spaces to be in demand there will be a cancellation fee of £50 if places are not cancelled by 14th November 2024 or for any school signed up that does not attend on the day.

Sign up today to guarantee a place, sales will end when all spaces have been allocated or by Thursday 14th November 2024.

REMINDER - Applications for Growth Funding or Falling Pupils Funding (2024/25)

Birmingham City Council retains funding to support primary and secondary schools (including academies and free schools) with significant in-year growth in pupil numbers (Growth Fund) or falling rolls (Falling Pupils Fund).

The criteria for Growth and Falling Pupil funding for 2024/25 was approved at Schools Forum in December 2023. Reports can be found here, see item 8:  https://birmingham.cmis.uk.com/birmingham/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/13576/Committee/423/SelectedTab/Documents/Default.aspx

The application round is now open for schools to submit business cases for funding. The deadline is 31st October 2024. Please use census figures as submitted for October 2024 census in your application.

Please submit your applications by the completing the online form

Notes:

  • Funding is limited and will be allocated on an eligibility basis.
  • From September 2024, payments for both Growth Funding and Falling Rolls will be pro-rated and included in the monthly instalments, in line with BCC receiving funding from the DfE.
  • There will be no route of appeal if your application is declined.
  • Schools who have been commissioned by the LA to create additional places during 2024/25 will automatically have their places funded and therefore do not need to apply.

Please contact the team if you have any queries: ediplaceplanning@birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham Education Board Terms of Reference – Feedback Required

As you may know from our communications and workshops during the spring and summer terms, Birmingham will be introducing an Education Board, with the first meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 27 November 2024. We are sharing the draft terms of reference with you for your consideration and ask that any feedback be shared through your respective age and phase Fora, such as Early Years, Special, Primary, Secondary, Post-16 Executive Board, and Alternative Provision Network meetings. Each education setting will be represented on the board by the chair of these groups.

The first agenda item for the November meeting will be the approval of the terms of reference. Your feedback will be conveyed through your Fora/Board representative directly at the meeting. Moving forward, agenda items and minutes from the board will be communicated and circulated to your local networks, consortia, Fora, and Boards in a timely manner, allowing you to raise and provide feedback on these items.

We are also suggesting a proforma that local groups of heads/setting leaders or individual schools can complete to raise or respond to an agenda item. This will help the chairs effectively understand and represent your views at the board. Please discuss any feedback on this at your next Fora meeting.

All documents can be found at the following links, and we thank you for your engagement in this process.

Young People’s Services – Schools Engagement Activity

Schools Survey

We are keen to understand the priorities of young people in Birmingham and how best to support them in our community.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could distribute a short 5-minute survey to your students aged 11 to 18. Their direct feedback will be instrumental in identifying the issues that matter most to them.

The more responses we receive, the better we can understand the needs of young people, making a significant impact as we look to the future. You can choose the most convenient method for your school to complete the survey. Here are some suggestions:

Headteachers Roundtable

Additionally, we value the insights of leading voices such as headteachers, tutors, and governors. We would like to set up reference groups to gather your input on what you see as priorities for the wider young people’s offer. If you are interested in participating, please respond to express your interest. This will help us gauge numbers and schedule sessions.

Express your interest here: https://forms.office.com/e/FsM21aV4N0

Thank you for your time and support in this initiative. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people in Birmingham.

Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn – Immunisations and Vaccinations

Wednesday, 6 November 2024 – 16:00

As part of the Birmingham Healthy Schools Approach, we are launching a series of ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinars – despite the name these will not always be at lunchtime, many will be after school. We understand that schools are very busy so most of the webinars will be 20 minutes, with an opportunity to ask any questions at the end. Unless otherwise mentioned the webinars will be aimed at school staff, not parents or pupils.

The next webinar in our series is on Wednesday 6th November @ 4pm and is about Immunisations and Vaccinations. All staff with an interest in the health and well-being of themselves, other staff and students are invited. 

The session will:

  • discuss what vaccines are and how they work
  • provide a brief guide to the UK routine immunisation schedules
  • discuss how education settings can support with protecting staff and students against vaccine-preventable disease
  • signpost to helpful vaccination/immunisation resources for education settings

This session will be delivered by Helen Bissett, Senior Officer in the Health Protection team at Birmingham City Council. Helen leads on the immunisations work area within the team and is particularly interested in understanding community attitudes towards immunisations.

To register for this webinar, please follow this link: Immunisations/vaccinations

Please share with any school staff who may be interested in attending.

Other upcoming Lunch & Learns:

14th November, 4pm - Road Safety Week: Road Safety Week

You can view recordings of past Lunch and Learn sessions via this link: Healthy Schools Lunch & Learn Playlist

For any queries please contact the team at healthyschools@birmingham.gov.uk.

Libraries Consultation 

Following the feedback from the final phase of the Libraries consultation, we have revised the Option 4 (recommended) proposal and encourage comments from those who live, work or study in Birmingham.

The revised Option 4 model will be presented to Cabinet for their decision in January 2025.  We invite you to share your thoughts and comments on the revised Option 4 model and the feedback will be included in the Cabinet paper.

To find out more details on the revised option 4 proposals and to share your comments please click on the following link https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/bcc/revised-option-4-proposal/

This comments period will close on the 3rd of November at 23:59.

Paper copies of the Be Heard comments survey are available at all Birmingham City Council Library including requests for community languages or other formats.

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

Education Infrastructure - Autumn Term Bulletin 2024

Autumn term’s Education Infrastructure bulletin is available on the Birmingham Education Support Services website : https://www.birminghameducationsupportservices.co.uk/Article/164816

The bulletin covers the following topics:

  • Landlord Approval
  • Duty Holder and Asbestos Management Plan Training
  • Air Quality monitor
  • Education Infrastructure Traded Service – New Launch!
  • Early 2025 - Annual Statutory Compliance Return & Dual Funding.

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

Thank you for your support.

Stories Behind the Poppy: D-Day80 – Thursday, 7 November 2024

Join this heartfelt remembrance event commemorating D-Day80, bringing together schools from the UK and Canada. Dive into the captivating stories of the brave Canadian and British armed forces and uncover the pivotal moments that followed in 1944.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with history and honour the heroes of D-Day. Read more and register here: https://www.big-ideas.org/stories-behind-the-poppy-d-day-80/

This event is proudly funded by the Maple Leaf Trust.

Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus Makaton Workshops

FAO: Headteacher and SENCO

If schools would like information regarding Makaton Training, please get in touch with Birmingham Community Healthcare Plus who are running several workshops throughout the year.

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). Signs and symbols in Stages 1 – 4 and Additional will be taught. Current best practice around sign and symbol use. Participant manuals provided

Places available on the following workshops:

  • Level 1 - 19th November 2024 and 4th February 2025 (£86.00)
  • Level 2 - 26th November 2024 and 11th February 2025 (£162.00)

Level 4

Level 4 completes the Core Vocabulary and develops your understanding and skills in using Makaton to support people with a wide range of communication difficulties. You will revise the signs and symbols you learned in your Level 1, 2 and 3 workshops and learn the signs and symbols for Stages 7 and 8 of the Core Vocabulary.

  • 26th November 2024 (£102.00)

Please email Gareth Humpage at g.humpage@nhs.net to request further information and/or a booking form.

Free Webinar: KS1 Assessment and What it Means for School Leaders

Monday, 25 November 2024 - 16:00-16:45

Join Services for Education for this free online update from the Moderation Team to make sure that schools are up to date with the latest recommendations from the STA and LA for the KS1 Assessments.

This 30 minutes session will focus on recent changes and how these might impact the Assessment Schedule, with a short 15 minutes Q&A session at the end. During the webinar, schools will deepen their understanding of:

  • National and Local Expectations
  • Available Resources
  • An understanding of the support available
  • A reflection upon potential strategies to ensure best practice

Book your free place by following this link

This entry was posted by Dawn Evans on 21/10/2024.

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