14th May 2023

Dear Colleagues,

Please find our weekly briefing below and share with colleagues who can respond on behalf of your school or setting.  Many thanks.

 Please share with your Chair of Governors or Trustees

Governor Training Session: Governors & School Data

The LA Schools' Governance Service have organised a training session for all governors led by Jason Hughes, lead inspector and LA Primary Education Adviser.

The session will cover how Governors should use data to both challenge and support school leaders.

• Date: Tuesday 27^th June 2023
• Time: 6 pm - 7 pm  Via MS Teams

Please click here to sign up  by Friday 16^th June. MS Teams link to join the session will be sent by email nearer the time.

A link to the recording of this session will be available on LEAP after.

School Twinning with Mantes La Jolie, France

Miss Linda Seddoud is an English teacher in a middle school in Mantes la Jolie and a trainer for Versailles Academy. She would like to implement a new model in her school to enhance the teaching of the English language.  Initially she would like to partner with a school in Hillingdon and develop friendships between the students using video conferences, setting up of games/quizzes etc online and "penfriends" for her students. Ultimately, she would also like to arrange a visit to Hillingdon and have an opportunity for the students to meet up their penfriends.

Miss Seddoud would like to contact a teacher in a school in Hillingdon who will be eager and motivated to get involved in this project. If this is something your school could be interested in, please contact Mditchburn@hillingdon.gov.uk for more information.

NASEEN - How Well Do You Prepare Your Learners For Adulthood?

It has been nearly nine years since the ideas around Preparing for Adulthood from the Early Years (PfAEY) emerged and the expectations on schools to prepare all young people for adult life through personal development have grown in that time.

Preparing for Adulthood is what all schools do for all young people - but that offer is not always drawn together and recognised. The refreshed 'Preparing for Adulthood from the Earliest Years' Review Guide was trialled with schools in Oxfordshire who found that taking part in the process resulted in:

•           A clear focus and drive for school improvement

•           More widely shared expertise and good practice

•           Better understanding of the rationale of PfAEY

•           A clear and strategic vision for embedding PfAEY

•           A named PfAEY governor.

Becky Jones is the Deputy Regional SEND Leader for South Central England and North West London. In a new blog, she shares her experiences of carrying out a PfAEY Review as part of the trial - the aspirations behind it, the process involved, and the advice she'd give to others considering the activity.

As part of the Universal SEND Services programme, they will be recruiting 80 nursery, primary, secondary and school sixth form settings to carry out a review in the Autumn term of 2023. Settings will receive training and support to carry out the review and will be encouraged to produce an analysis report and action plan. Participating schools may also have an opportunity to cascade PfAEY training and support to a partner school next year.

If you would like to be considered as a participant, please register your interest today so that you can be contacted about next steps in the process.

More information can be found on the School Improvement for SEND webpage.

Trauma Informed Schools with Dr Karen Treisman MBE

Hillingdon Virtual School are delighted to share that Dr Karen Treisman will be hosting a free two-day webinar for us on Trauma Informed Schools.

This webinar will provide an overview of what we mean by moving towards being a more trauma-informed school. This will give some of the main principles, ideas, and values. As well as some tangible tools and suggestions. For those who have attended previous sessions there will be some overlap and this will build on that existing knowledge. For those who are new this will give an introduction and flavour into trauma-informed schools to support you on your ongoing journey.

The sessions will also include the importance of understanding Behaviour as Communication and The Power of Language

Please do share this with colleagues who you feel would benefit from this training session.

• On: Tuesday 20^th and Wednesday 21^st June
• At: 9.30 am - 4.00 pm Via Zoom

If you wish to attend, please book your place here  no later than Friday 16^th June.