13th November 2023

Dear Colleagues,

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

Hillingdon School Term Dates Amendment

Amendments have been made to the following school term dates which has been recently approved by the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education:

• The October half term dates for academic year 2024/25 have been amended to week of Monday 28th October 2024 - Friday 1st November 2024 to align with neighbouring boroughs.   
• The Easter term dates for academic year 2025/26 has been amended to the weeks of Monday 30th March 2026 to Friday 10th April 2026 to align with neighbouring boroughs. 

Maintained schools must follow this framework and academies are encouraged to follow these for boroughwide consistency.

Please access the updated term dates via LEAP here.

Head Teachers' Termly - Autumn 2023

Thank you to those who attended this session. Please see the slides used and links shared during the meeting:

OAP Checklist (PDF) [221KB]

HTT SEND EHCP (PDF) [258KB]

HTT Funding Banding Review Updates 2023 (PDF) [159KB]

Support for Refugee and Asylum Seeking Children inc. Ukraine

AXIS

Further Guidance to Own Admission Authority Schools on Consultation & Determination for 2025/2026 Arrangements.

The School Placement and Admissions team have created further guidance for schools regarding consultation and determination for 2025/26 admissions arrangements.

Further guidance to own admission authority schools on consultation and determination for 2025 (PDF) [176KB]

Updated Fair Access Protocol 2023-24

Hillingdon's Fair Access Protocol has been updated, following a recent review and consultation with all Hillingdon schools, which is in line with our annual admission arrangements.

Please read the updated protocol and take into account revised processes. The updated protocol is now in place and can be found here on LEAP:

If anyone would like to attend any future Fair Access Panel meeting's that isn't already scheduled to attend or would like to attend another panel, please email Laura Baldry at lbaldry@hillingdon.gov.uk for an invite to future panel meetings.

Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Laura on the above email.

Thank you for your continued support with placements through these panels and normal In Year admissions.

Review of Hillingdon's Penalty Notice Code of Practice

The Attendance Support team has conducted the annual review of Hillingdon's Penalty Notice Code of Practice.

The draft version of this document is linked below and open to comments until 27^th November 2023.

If you or a member of your attendance team would like to share comments on the document before it is published, please email attendancesupport@hillingdon.gov.uk.

DRAFT Hillingdon's Penalty Notice Code of Practice 23-24 (PDF) [172KB]

Please ensure this information reaches your Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputies

Reminder - Hillingdon Education Safeguarding Self-evaluation Process and Section 157/175 Audit 2023-24

In conjunction with the Education Safeguarding Sub-group of the Hillingdon Safeguarding Children Partnership, we are launching a new safeguarding self-evaluation process for schools, academies, settings and colleges. The Education Safeguarding Sub-group consists of your representatives from each phase of education. The new self-evaluation process and the self-evaluation audit tool can be found on LEAP here 

Under the new process, you have options as to how you self-evaluate your safeguarding arrangements and the DSL Development Day held on Friday 13^th October was part of that process.

The requirement for each school, academy, setting or college to provide a safeguarding development plan by the end of the Autumn term is non-negotiable. This allows the Education Safeguarding Team and the Hillingdon Safeguarding Children Partnership to support robust safeguarding practice across all education providers in Hillingdon.

We thank you in advance for your engagement. Any questions or queries can be directed to MHawkins@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Adolescent Development Services

The Adolescent Development Services continues to offer support, advice and interventions for children, adolescents and young adults who live, learn, earn and are Looked After by the London Borough of Hillingdon. Please visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/targeted-programmes for the full offer.

Walking in Our Shoes

Described as "absolutely brilliant", "very thought provoking" and "impactful", Walking in Our Shoes is a training session where young care experienced individuals teach professionals to understand what it's like to be a young person in care. Whilst facilitated by care experienced young people, the learning is relevant for all practitioners working with children and young people.  

You can register to attend here.

Learn Hillingdon - Supporting your Team

Let's start with the facts on Children and Young People's Mental Health. In the last three years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health problem has increased by 50%. Suggesting that now 5 children in a classroom of 30 are likely to have a mental health problem. (Good Childhood Report 2022), 50% of all mental health problems start by the age of 14. 39.2% of 6-16-year-olds have experienced deterioration in mental health since 2017

So how can Learn Hillingdon ACE support schools?

Well in 3 ways, we can offer qualifications to upskill your support team to recognised and have more awareness of mental health needs, we can run classes for your parents to help them support their children and young people's mental health and we can also offer your staff some wellbeing courses, to ensure they look after their own mental health.

• Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences Level 2 Certificate (evening qualification course)
• Understanding Domestic Abuse Level 2 Certificate (evening qualification course)
• Understanding Children and Young People's Mental Health Level 2 Certificate (evening qualification course)
• How to Emotionally Support Your child (for parents and carers - 5 weeks daytime)
• Intro to Mindfulness and Meditation (for staff - 4 weeks online, your choice of evening or daytime course)

Please contact our Programme Area Leaders for more details:

cross@hillingdon.gov.uk  - for family learning courses

loleary@hillingdon.gov.uk - for mental health qualification and support courses

First Aid Training

Ensure your staff are adequately trained in first aid. Book places on our courses running at the Civic Centre, or book a course to be run at your school for all your staff.

For dates, booking a place and more information please visit here on the Council's main website.

To enquire about running a course at your school please contact firstaidtraining@hillingdon.gov.uk

First Aid Training HP Ad (PDF) [451KB]

Students In Schools Volunteer Programme

Brunel University have an exciting opportunity for primary and secondary school students to be provided with additional support and attention from volunteer students from Brunel.  The programme provides two options:

• Mainstream subject support - Support with subjects like; Art, Drama, English, Geography, History, Languages, Maths, Music, Science and Sport.
• 1 to 1 Native Language Support - For young people that have EAL, support can be provided by one of the volunteers to help young people in the classroom improve their understanding and spoken English, as well as helping settle the young person into a new and different culture.

If you are interested please contact brunelvolunteers@brunel.ac.uk

November Campaign - Cut Your Carbon

This month, a campaign run by Keep Britain Tidy is challenging schools to 'Cut Your Carbon'. You can read more about this campaign and sign up by visiting Cut Your Carbon - Eco Schools (eco-schools.org.uk).

After signing up, you'll receive an email with resources to help you deliver the campaign. Schools submitting their results are in for a chance to win a prize.

Other dates in November to look out for are 'Buy Nothing Day' on the 24th November, challenging us to question the things we're buying and reduce consumerism.   

On the 28th November, 'Giving Tuesday' encourages everyone to do good, share their skills and time by helping others, such as litter picking, donating goods or clothes; organizing a community event, such as students being encouraged to run a zero waste event at school, audit food waste to find out how much food is being wasted at your school and then take steps to reduce it.

For further information or support, please email recycling@hillingdon.gov.uk

Uniform Donation

St Helen's College Hillingdon has a surplus of donated good condition second hand grey trousers / shorts (around 75 pairs), white shirts (around 50) and a few pairs of black PE shorts, all in various sizes (will fit ages 3 to 11).  They would like to pass them on to another primary school in the Borough whose pupils could benefit from the donation.  If your school would like these and you are able to collect them from Uxbridge during office hours, please contact Nikki at pa@sthelenscollege.com.

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

Children's Services, London Borough of Hillingdon, 4E/07, Civic Centre, Uxbridge UB8 1UW