25th March 2024

Dear Colleagues,

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

We wish you a restful end of term break when it comes.

Reminders:
All School Governors are invited to the Governors Networking Event on 18th June 2024 at 6 - 7.30pm at the Civic Centre. Please click here to register	By 31^st May
Schools can sign up here to attend the Hillingdon Virtual School Conference on 3^rd July	By 14^th June
Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings	Ongoing
The SEND & Inclusion Training Brochure can be viewed here	Ongoing
The HLP Brochure can be viewed at Hillingdon Learning Partnership	Ongoing

Updates/Information:
Term Dates 2025/26 Terms dates for academic year 2025/26 have been updated here: School Term Dates - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk) Summer term will finish on Tuesday 21^st July 2026.
New Governance Guidance The Governance Handbook 2019 has been replaced by two new governance guides, one for academy trusts and another for maintained schools. These guides, developed in collaboration with sector stakeholders, provide clearer more concise guidance, bringing together essential information on the board's roles and legal responsibilities. Importantly the guides do not introduce new policy. The academy trust guidance aligns closely to the high quality trust descriptors and trustees' strategic responsibilities in delivering against these.
SEND Governor Training We recently held a session for our governors on how the LA supports with SEND and the role of the SEND Governor. You can find a recording of this session here along with the presentation slides: SEND Training for Governors - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)
Ukraine Team Update A vital initiative of the Ukrainian Team has been launched to provide essential support and guidance to displaced Ukrainian children who have encountered significant challenges in their lives. The primary goal is to ensure that these children receive the care and education they need to thrive. To achieve this, the team offer a comprehensive range of services prioritizing children's well-being: Assistance in securing school places and facilitating access to education for all age groups. Support in creating a safe and nurturing environment for displaced Ukrainian children. Assessment of current and further needs of children, considering factors such as language proficiency, possible trauma, consequences of disrupted education, and any specific needs or disabilities. Provision of mentoring, signposting and building a liaison in interactions between children, their families, educational providers, and local authorities. Identification of any areas of concern and mitigation of risks to prevent poor outcomes for children, young people, and their families. Comprehensive support and guidance for families to ensure a healthy contextual environment for the children. Access to necessary psychological support services. Tutoring and interpreting services to assist with educational needs. Organising festive events, social gatherings, sessions and workshops to accommodate the needs of the displaced Ukrainian families. As part of the project, they have been successfully implementing Tree of Life and Life Skills Sessions. These sessions employ a combination of different techniques and therapeutic approaches to promote positive relationships, motivation, mental well-being, confidence, strength, growth, and resilience. Additionally, Year 10 and Year 11 students have been presented with the Post-16 Prospectus to facilitate the process of choosing an appropriate educational pathway. Colleagues from St. Mary's Ukrainian School provide additional tutoring for students preparing to sit their GCSEs. We are committed to providing holistic support to Ukrainian children and their families in Hillingdon, ensuring they have the resources and guidance they need to succeed academically and thrive in their new environment. If you would like further information, please contact Iuliia Tsekhotska-Koc, Ukraine Programme Manager at itsekhotska-koc@hillingdon.gov.uk.
Parenting Apart Programme "Arguing and conflict can be part of a normal relationship. However, frequent, intense and poorly resolved parental conflict can negatively impact a child's mental health, early emotional and social development, educational attainment and employability." Our Parenting Apart Programme (PAP) supports parents who are going through conflict, divorce or separation, where relationships have broken down. It also supports the emotional wellbeing of children during this difficult time. The PAP offers a supportive environment for both parents, so they can work towards an agreed co-parenting relationship. For more information about the programme, please click on the link Parenting Apart Programme - Hillingdon Council, Safeguarding Children Partnership.

Updates/Information:

Term Dates 2025/26

Terms dates for academic year 2025/26 have been updated here: School Term Dates - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)

Summer term will finish on Tuesday 21^st July 2026.

New Governance Guidance

The Governance Handbook 2019 has been replaced by two new governance guides, one for academy trusts and another for maintained schools.

These guides, developed in collaboration with sector stakeholders, provide clearer more concise guidance, bringing together essential information on the board's roles and legal responsibilities. Importantly the guides do not introduce new policy. The academy trust guidance aligns closely to the high quality trust descriptors and trustees' strategic responsibilities in delivering against these.

SEND Governor Training

We recently held a session for our governors on how the LA supports with SEND and the role of the SEND Governor. You can find a recording of this session here along with the presentation slides: SEND Training for Governors - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)

Ukraine Team Update

A vital initiative of the Ukrainian Team has been launched to provide essential support and guidance to displaced Ukrainian children who have encountered significant challenges in their lives. The primary goal is to ensure that these children receive the care and education they need to thrive. To achieve this, the team offer a comprehensive range of services prioritizing children's well-being:

Assistance in securing school places and facilitating access to education for all age groups.
Support in creating a safe and nurturing environment for displaced Ukrainian children.
Assessment of current and further needs of children, considering factors such as language proficiency, possible trauma, consequences of disrupted education, and any specific needs or disabilities.
Provision of mentoring, signposting and building a liaison in interactions between children, their families, educational providers, and local authorities.
Identification of any areas of concern and mitigation of risks to prevent poor outcomes for children, young people, and their families.
Comprehensive support and guidance for families to ensure a healthy contextual environment for the children.
Access to necessary psychological support services.
Tutoring and interpreting services to assist with educational needs.
Organising festive events, social gatherings, sessions and workshops to accommodate the needs of the displaced Ukrainian families.

As part of the project, they have been successfully implementing Tree of Life and Life Skills Sessions. These sessions employ a combination of different techniques and therapeutic approaches to promote positive relationships, motivation, mental well-being, confidence, strength, growth, and resilience. Additionally, Year 10 and Year 11 students have been presented with the Post-16 Prospectus to facilitate the process of choosing an appropriate educational pathway. Colleagues from St. Mary's Ukrainian School provide additional tutoring for students preparing to sit their GCSEs.

We are committed to providing holistic support to Ukrainian children and their families in Hillingdon, ensuring they have the resources and guidance they need to succeed academically and thrive in their new environment.

If you would like further information, please contact Iuliia Tsekhotska-Koc, Ukraine Programme Manager at itsekhotska-koc@hillingdon.gov.uk.

Parenting Apart Programme

"Arguing and conflict can be part of a normal relationship. However, frequent, intense and poorly resolved parental conflict can negatively impact a child's mental health, early emotional and social development, educational attainment and employability."

Our Parenting Apart Programme (PAP) supports parents who are going through conflict, divorce or separation, where relationships have broken down. It also supports the emotional wellbeing of children during this difficult time. The PAP offers a supportive environment for both parents, so they can work towards an agreed co-parenting relationship.

For more information about the programme, please click on the link Parenting Apart Programme - Hillingdon Council, Safeguarding Children Partnership.

For Action:
Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) PSQM, led by the University of Hertfordshire, is a one-year, evidence-informed, professional development and school improvement programme that equips primary science subject leaders with the knowledge and expert support they need to transform the quality and profile of science education in their schools. Over 4,000 schools across the UK have already achieved a PSQM in recognition of the impact of effective science leadership on the quality of their science curriculum, teaching and learning. A Covid-impacted EEF trial of PSQM in 2019/20 reported that over 90% of surveyed teachers in PSQM schools perceived that science teaching had improved because of participating in PSQM. EEF is now funding a new trial of PSQM to evaluate its impact on children's attainment and attitudes in science. It will be the EEF's largest ever trial of a primary education intervention and is being offered to those who join the trial without paying the usual fee. The boroughs in London that the PSQM trial is focussing on are Hammersmith & Fulham, Sutton, Merton, Hillingdon and Waltham Forest. In a trial of this nature there are always two groups involved: an 'intervention group' who receive the CPD or resources or whatever is being trialled; and a 'control group' who don't. The trial compares the difference in outcomes between the two groups to establish the impact of whatever is being trialled. Schools that choose to participate in this trial will be randomly allocated to either the 'intervention group' or the 'control group'. Whether you are allocated to the 'intervention group' or the 'control group', you will get to do PSQM at no cost to the school, but the 'control group' schools will have to wait until the 2025/26 academic year to begin. As a randomised control trial, schools in the intervention group will receive the PSQM programme in 2024/25 and be given a £500 thank-you payment on completion. Schools in the control group will receive a £1,000 thank-you payment for waiting a year which would cover the costs of doing PSQM in 2025/26, should they wish to do it. Schools wishing to find out more can read the attached information and register their interest in participating in the PSQM trial on https://www.herts.ac.uk/for-business/skills/psqm/psqm-eef-trial-2024, where they can also sign up to take part in a short webinar to find out more. If you think that there is any other information about the trial that your schools would find helpful, please email Benet Hiscock at benet@primary-stem.co.uk. Please note that schools wishing to participate in the trial cannot have done PSQM at any point in the past.
*Please share with staff and parents:* Supporting Emotional Health and Wellbeing at Learn Hillingdon It is now estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem every year and 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. Everyone is so busy, and the cost-of-living crisis has increased pressures on individuals and families still further. At Learn Hillingdon we offer a range of short courses to help individuals find coping strategies to support their own mental health including recognition of symptoms and then ways to ease these symptoms. In a group environment where you don't feel so alone and then work with you to support in place. We can also offer a range of therapeutic activity classes to help find ways to relax. Please see details here: Supporting Emotional Health and Wellbeing - at Learn Hillingdon (PDF) [219KB]

For Action:

Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM)

PSQM, led by the University of Hertfordshire, is a one-year, evidence-informed, professional development and school improvement programme that equips primary science subject leaders with the knowledge and expert support they need to transform the quality and profile of science education in their schools. Over 4,000 schools across the UK have already achieved a PSQM in recognition of the impact of effective science leadership on the quality of their science curriculum, teaching and learning. A Covid-impacted EEF trial of PSQM in 2019/20 reported that over 90% of surveyed teachers in PSQM schools perceived that science teaching had improved because of participating in PSQM.

EEF is now funding a new trial of PSQM to evaluate its impact on children's attainment and attitudes in science. It will be the EEF's largest ever trial of a primary education intervention and is being offered to those who join the trial without paying the usual fee. The boroughs in London that the PSQM trial is focussing on are Hammersmith & Fulham, Sutton, Merton, Hillingdon and Waltham Forest.

In a trial of this nature there are always two groups involved: an 'intervention group' who receive the CPD or resources or whatever is being trialled; and a 'control group' who don't. The trial compares the difference in outcomes between the two groups to establish the impact of whatever is being trialled. Schools that choose to participate in this trial will be randomly allocated to either the 'intervention group' or the 'control group'. Whether you are allocated to the 'intervention group' or the 'control group', you will get to do PSQM at no cost to the school, but the 'control group' schools will have to wait until the 2025/26 academic year to begin.

As a randomised control trial, schools in the intervention group will receive the PSQM programme in 2024/25 and be given a £500 thank-you payment on completion. Schools in the control group will receive a £1,000 thank-you payment for waiting a year which would cover the costs of doing PSQM in 2025/26, should they wish to do it.

Schools wishing to find out more can read the attached information and register their interest in participating in the PSQM trial on https://www.herts.ac.uk/for-business/skills/psqm/psqm-eef-trial-2024, where they can also sign up to take part in a short webinar to find out more.

If you think that there is any other information about the trial that your schools would find helpful, please email Benet Hiscock at benet@primary-stem.co.uk. Please note that schools wishing to participate in the trial cannot have done PSQM at any point in the past.

Please share with staff and parents:

Supporting Emotional Health and Wellbeing at Learn Hillingdon

It is now estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem every year and 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. Everyone is so busy, and the cost-of-living crisis has increased pressures on individuals and families still further.

At Learn Hillingdon we offer a range of short courses to help individuals find coping strategies to support their own mental health including recognition of symptoms and then ways to ease these symptoms. In a group environment where you don't feel so alone and then work with you to support in place. We can also offer a range of therapeutic activity classes to help find ways to relax.

Please see details here: Supporting Emotional Health and Wellbeing - at Learn Hillingdon (PDF) [219KB]

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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