4th December 2023

Dear Colleagues,

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

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 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. 

Thank you to those schools who have already submitted their plans/audits.  For those who are still to do so, please send this to education@hillingdon.gov.uk.

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 for your engagement.

Signposting for Mental Health Support

We have created an interactive document to support with signposting for mental health for children and young people and this can be found at Mental Health Support for 11 + - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk). 

You will also see within this newly created area two sections for 11+ and 16+ which will contain referral forms for services.

Please share this reminder with appropriate staff

Support Available to Schools/ Academies Receiving Refugees and Those Awaiting an Asylum Decision, including from Ukraine and Afghanistan

Information about the support available is on LEAP here: Support for Refugee and Asylum Seeking Children inc. Ukraine - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk).

• Central government has provided some funding to support Ukrainian and Afghan children and families.
• There is no additional government funding available to support those waiting an asylum claim, outside of the per pupil funding and FSM/ Pupil Premium option.
• Schools can apply for FSM for families with no recourse to public funds. This will trigger pupil premium funding which can support those children with additional costs.
• An explanation of this can be found at Basic Needs Support - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk). Please remind all Business Managers that it is the school that needs to do this, not the LA.
• If you require additional support and resources for Ukrainian or Afghan children, please use the form here Basic Needs Support - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)
• Services available to support schools in their work can be found here Basic Needs Support - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk
• Resources to support children can be found here Family Support Services - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk), School Support Resources - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)

If you have any further questions, please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk

Universal Primary Free School Meals Evaluation (Lived Experience)

Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and partners Reconnect London have been commissioned by Impact on Urban Health to evaluate the GLA's universal primary FSM policy.

Hillingdon has been selected as one of six boroughs where direct research with pupils and families will take place. CPAG will be working with schools in the borough to gather insights from children, parents and carers and school staff about the impact of the policy across different areas such as family health and wellbeing, learning and household finances. The evaluation will focus on the lived experience of children and families who might be affected by it. CPAG will be reaching out to a small number of schools in Hillingdon about this evaluation, and have designed the research, with advice from Reconnect London, to ensure it causes minimal disruption to schools and does not increase the workload for staff. 

The evaluation will be carried out by a research practitioner, who will work in each school for 4-5 days over a two-week period, speaking to pupils in each KS2 year group and 3-4 members of staff, and asking parents and carers to fill in a survey.  

Following the evaluation, participating schools will receive a short report summarising the research carried out with pupils, parents and staff at your school. The report will provide a holistic overview of the lunchtime experience and offer at your school. It will highlight, in their own words, what pupils and parents find positive about the lunchtime experience at your school, alongside some suggested areas for development.  

Each school that participates will receive a voucher to the value of £100 as a thank you for taking part in this research.

Winter HAF Programme

Our HAF winter programme will be delivered from Tuesday 2nd to Friday 5th January 2024.  The programme is open to school-aged children (reception to year 11) who receive benefits-related free school meals.

Please share this link with your parents / carers: Winter HAF programme - Hillingdon Council

Please share with all pastoral leads

Targeted Programmes for Children and Adolescents

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.

Professional referrals can be made for children and adolescents who:

• are aged 8 to 24-years-old and either living, working or studying in Hillingdon, or in local authority care under Hillingdon, and are in need of targeted support
• are in the age range required to access the programme
• have the ability to participate in discussion-based and group work and/or one-to-one activities
• are willing and able to commit to the proposed intervention
• have the continuing commitment of the referrer to co-manage any issues of concern that arise during their programme participation , provide support and encourage attendance
• consent for their personal information and support/development needs to be shared with our Adolescent Development Services
• (if under 18 years of age) have their parent's or legal guardian's consent for their personal information to be shared with, and recorded by, our Targeted Programmes team
• agree that we may report anonymised data about their personal development and support needs to other teams within Hillingdon Council and to other relevant agencies.

Sing! 2024 Primary Singing Festival

Preparations are underway for the 2024 Festival, involving 16 primary schools, ending with 2 days of concerts at the Beck Theatre in Hayes at the end of March 2024. The final concerts will involve around 480 children over two days.

This is a 6-month programme that involves a number of CPD opportunities, support from the Hillingdon Music Services and in-school visits. It involves a lot of organisation therefore schools should respond to requests for information using the deadlines provided.  Please forward any outstanding requests to musicevents@hillingdon.gov.uk asap.

Team Teach Level 1 and Level 2 Courses

Team Teach Level 1 Agenda - 17^th January 2024 at St Mary's Catholic School

Team Teach Level 2 Agenda - 19^th & 20^th March 2024 at St Mary's Catholic School

To check availability and reserve your space, please email info@changing-behaviour.co.uk.

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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