19th December 2023

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to thank you for all your hard work this term. As the holiday approaches, we wish you all a peaceful Christmas with family and friends.

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

CNWL Therapy Update

In response to the rising number of EHCPs and the increased need to provide therapies for children and young people, we have been working closely with CNWL (our provider) to ensure that all children and young people will have their needs met as outlined in their EHCPs. As a result of the increase in demand, and the current challenge to recruit therapists across the country, some schools will not have received any therapy for children last term. Next term, different schools will not be receiving any therapy for children and young people, and CNWL have already contacted these schools and families directly to explain the situation. We have confirmed with CNWL that no school will be without any therapy for longer than 1 term, and that all children will receive the full number of contacts as outlined in their EHCPs throughout the academic year.

To date, even with the additional demand, CNWL have managed to make sure that all children have received all therapy contacts for Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Physiotherapy, during the academic year and this will continue for 2023 / 24 academic year. This strategy has had some impact on the ability of CNWL to deliver some preventative work, but we are working with the ICB and CNWL to find solutions to this challenge and will be working very closely together in the New Year to find more creative and permanent solutions.

We appreciate the support that schools have shown during this time and welcome any creative ideas that you may have to support the delivery of therapies to children and young people, and any suggested new ways of working. If you have any suggestions, please send them to our lead commissioner for SEND & Inclusion, Gary Binstead at gbinstead@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Attendance Hubs for Schools: Application Re-launch

The DFE has reopened the application process for schools to express an interest in joining an attendance hub.  As you may recall, attendance hubs are led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice from around the country. These schools share, in-depth, their successful strategies and resources for improving attendance. In return, supported schools are expected to revisit and revise their approach to managing attendance, and join half-termly virtual hub meetings to share practice, and discuss progress, and challenges.

If you would are interested in joining a hub, please visit this website link Attendance hubs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for further information and complete the following application form https://forms.office.com/e/w0Ycm4kdkM.

The deadline for schools to express an interest in joining a hub is 15/01/24.

D-Day Veteren Interview

For the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, The Battle of Britain Bunker will be hosting a weekend of activities, talks and specialized tours. As the site which coordinated every Allied aircraft during D-Day, it is important that we commemorate it with a range of projects that encourages engagement from all our audiences - particularly our school visitors!

We have an exciting opportunity for schools to get involved in interviewing a D-Day veteran. Recently, we spoke to 104-year-old Percy Chafer from London. Percy served in North Africa and in D-Day and has agreed to let children interview him about his experiences in the Second World War. The idea would be that schools that would like to get involved can ask the children to come up with questions, and we'll select them to be involved in the final interview which will be filmed and then sent to the participant schools. Percy is one of very few D-Day veterans left so this is a wonderful opportunity for children to create their very own oral histories and interact with a person who was alive and active in one of the most pivotal events of the 20^th century.

If you would like to get involved, please email hlgood@hillingdon.gov.uk. We would ideally have the questions ready by the end of January with the filming finished by end of February/March. Percy is in good health, but his age is something we need to consider when planning this project.

Cut Your Carbon

January 2024 is Buy Nothing New Month. This award-winning national campaign delivered by Keep Britain Tidy is challenging schools to buy nothing new for school plays, non-uniform days, and other events. It's an opportunity to get creative, to think about second-hand shopping and uniform swapping, and for families and schools alike to save money while protecting the planet.

All schools that sign up to Buy Nothing New Month will be provided with a free digital resource pack to help you promote the campaign to your faculty, pupils, and their families. This pack will contain an assembly plan, social media content, and template communications to help spread the word about your involvement in Buy Nothing New Month.

For further information or questions, you can email recycling@hillingdon.gov.uk

Winter Wellness Directory 2024

Please share this updated directory with your parents / carers.

Winter-Wellness-Directory-2024

NHS Oral Health Information - Please share with your parents / carers

To increase awareness of keeping teeth healthy, attached below is the latest oral health activity resource pack for children & young people for the Christmas holiday break.  Also attached are a poster and two flyers with dates for the next oral health training session for Health & Care professionals and Parent/Carer sessions.  Please feel free to share all documents with your teams etc.

Please also see this link to the Whittington Health NHS Trust Oral Health Website, which is packed full of information for parents/carers, children, and professionals: https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/oralhealth.

Thank you for your continued support with oral health and please don't hesitate to contact Sally McGregor, Oral Health Promoter, Hillingdon Community Dental Service at sallymcgregor1@nhs.net if you would like any further information about support with any oral health sessions that you may like in your setting.

Finding an NHS Dentist & OHP Website (PDF) [509KB]

Health & Care professionals 0 to 5 years Oral Health Training Dates 2024 (PDF) [184KB]

Oral Health Activity Pack Dec 2023 (PDF) [1MB]

Parent & Carer Oral Health Session 2024 (PDF) [145KB]

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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