21st November 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Please forward this message and accompanying files to staff responsible for submitting your workforce census: 

School Workforce Census - Error 7240Q and General Error Processing 

90% of the schools that have submitted their School Workforce Census have encountered Error 7240Q.  This is a simple error; the error message is: 

"Please note that this return contains no vacancy records. Please ensure that is correct, in which case a note of confirmation must be provided in COLLECT. Please check the 'School Workforce Census: Minimum notepad entries' guidance document for the accepted wording." 

We, and the DfE, cannot approve your submissions until this error has been resolved.  There are two approaches to resolving this error.  Either enter the number of vacancies Arbor or SIMS and resubmit your return to COLLECT or add a Return Level Note.  To be acceptable to the DfE this Return Level Note should be "We confirm there are no teacher vacancies in this school".  If you do not use this exact wording the error will not be auto-OKed by the DfE. 

Error Corrections - Please encourage the relevant staff to review the Errors section of the Collect_guide_for_schools.pdf document starting at page 16.  Currently errors are not being addressed.  None of the maintained schools census returns, that have been submitted, have been approved or authorised because of outstanding errors.  We do not have visibility of the non-maintained schools returns so do not know their status. 

The Data Team 

2022 Workforce Guide v1-0 (PDF) [843KB]

School-Workforce-Census-Errors-and-Solutions-2021 (PDF) [452KB]

2022 Workforce Validation Rules_v1.1 (Excel doc) [61KB]

Collect_guide_for_schools (PDF) [2MB]

School Admission Appeals Panel 

As the admission authority for community schools within Hillingdon, we are currently contacting Headteachers and Governors in the Borough in an attempt to recruit new members for our School Admission Appeals Panel. 

Each year, as school places are confirmed, a number of appeals are received from parents/guardians who wish to appeal against a decision not to admit a child to their preferred school; these appeals are subsequently considered and determined at a School Admission Appeals Hearing held at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge. 

To hold a School Admission Appeals Hearing, we require 3 members to sit on our Appeals Panel. Each Panel must comprise at least one member from each of the following categories: 

• Lay members - those without personal experience in the management of or provision of education in any school (a lay member can also be someone who is, or has been, a school governor or someone who has worked or works in a school as a volunteer) 

• Experienced members - those with experience in education; this includes teachers / teaching assistants, ex-teachers / ex-teaching assistants, individuals acquainted with educational conditions, or parents of a registered pupil at a different school. 

We are asking if you could kindly circulate the attached application form to any staff member fitting the above criteria who may express an interest; for further information they can email educationappeals@hillingdon.gov.uk or phone Democratic Services on 01895 250636. 

Full initial training will be provided with refresher training at regular intervals (currently every two years) to ensure everyone is kept up to date with changes to admissions law and the codes. 

Members can choose to serve on a panel as few or as many times as they wish throughout the year. We maintain a database of trained members and will make contact when organising an appeal to check availability. 

Some of our panel members undertake extra training in order to sit on panels for Exclusion Independent Review Panels (IRP), which are rare in the London Borough of Hillingdon. If you would like to be trained and considered for an IRP panel, let us know by completing the application form.  

Democratic Services  

Appeal Panel Application Form (PDF) [129KB]

 Risk Reduction Through Search and Confiscation Training for Schools 

There are limited spaces available on the FREE Risk Reduction Through Search and Confiscation Training for Schools. The training will be delivered on 24th February 2023 at the Civic Centre. This will be an opportunity to: 

• Identify the existing locally appropriate risk mitigation strategies. 

• Observe scanning and searching demonstrations using tools; to practice these and demonstrate an appropriate level of competence with each. 

• Be able to outline 'Reasonable Grounds'.  

• Identify both the positive and negative impacts of a search in schools and identified local strategies to address potential issues. 

• Be aware of the desktop process for the development of locally applicable procedures and protocols. 

Please email Dale Hughes, Post 16 Partnership Coordinator/Education Officer on Dhughes@hillingdon.gov.uk to allocate your place by 2nd December or for further information. 

Post 16 Digital Prospectus Feedback - please share with students / parents / carers 

To think about the year 2 launch and to ensure that we are meeting the expectations of the Post 16 digital prospectus, we are looking to capture experiences students/parents/carers are having when using it. 

Please share this short questionnaire which will take around 5 minutes to complete: Post 16 Digital Prospectus Feedback  

Early Years and School's SENCO Forum - please share with colleagues 

The Early Years and School's SENCO Forums will be taking place on Wednesday 23rd November 2022 in the Middlesex Suite, Civic Centre. Please see agenda and registration links below. 

EY SENCO Forum 9.30 am - 11.30 am - SIGN UP HERE  

9.30 - 9.40 am: Introduction    

9.40 - 9.50 am: SEND and Inclusion Updates 

9.50-10.20 am: Identification of SEND   

10.20-10.40 am: SEND Reviews - Celebration    

10.40 -11.00 am - SEND - Interventions  

11.00-11.05 am: Break   

11.05-11.25 am: Case Study    

11.25-11.30 am: Close & Mentimeter    

Schools SENCO Forum 1 - 3 pm - SIGN UP HERE  

1.00 - 1.05 pm : Introduction    

1.05 - 1.35 pm: SEND & Inclusion updates  

1.35 - 1.55 pm: ASD in Girls - Dr Emma Harris and Dr Helena Varnaseri (Clinical Psychologists)   

1.55 - 2.00 pm: Break - Mentimeter 

2.00 - 2.15 pm: SEND - Challenges with Inclusion   

2.15 - 2.35 pm: Networking (sharing good practice)  

2.35 - 2.55 pm: CAMHS Referral Process - Enok Aboagye 

2.55-3.00 pm: Close & Mentimeter   

Previously shared L&D Training for Schools:   

An Introduction to Social and Emotional Health (SEMH) - 12th January 2023 4 - 6 pm 

Changing Behaviour UK are offering this Webinar which is designed to help staff and teachers to better understand and support children and young people who present with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  Please book here 

This course is free to schools purchasing the L&D SLA.  For schools not purchasing the L&D SLA and all others there is a fee of £65 per person. 

Please book your places for any courses via Learning Zone or email learninganddevelopment@hillingdon.gov.uk with any query.