7th May 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.

Reminders:
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:
SEND & Inclusion Conference for Parents / Carers We will be hosting this drop in event on 24^th June at the Civic Centre. The aim is to provide parents / carers with information on what services do and how they can support their child or family, along with short workshop sessions. All SENCos have been sent details and were asked to share with parents / carers of children on the SEND register. Those wanting to attend must register due to security arrangements at the Civic Centre.
Meet the SEND Team The SEND Team welcomes Headteachers and SENCos for an opportunity to meet our SEND Officers, Senior SEND Officers and SEND Team Managers who you regularly liaise with. This is a chance to meet face-to-face and an opportunity to discuss any cases. Meeting dates and times can be found here: Meet the SEND Team Leaflet 2024 (PDF) [221KB].
Important Information from DfE - Phonics 2024 Year 2 Retakes We have received the email linked below from the DfE regarding cohort sizes for Year 2 Phonics as well as an Excel spreadsheet detailing each schools' expected number of pupils. Important Information From DfE - Phonics 2024 Year 2 Retakes (PDF) [663KB] LA 312 (Excel doc) [18KB] The DfE take this information from the Spring School Census. Last year most schools complained of discrepancies, hopefully they will not be repeated this year. We will load the spreadsheet into Nexus/Broadcast and use it as a validation tool during our processing of your Phonics assessments. We will be using Perspective Lite and Broadcast for our processing of your data. Marc Sherman,Business Intelligence Team
Expanded Early Years Entitlements and Wraparound Childcare Following the Head Teachers' Termly meeting last term, we would like to offer information sessions on: - Expanded Entitlements for children to receive funded early years provision, and - Wraparound childcare from 8am-6pm. Thank you to everyone who completed and returned the wraparound schools survey. This has been helpful to understand where more places may be required and how we can support providers. To provide further information about these initiatives, we would like to invite you to attend an information session via MS Teams on: 14th May, 10.30 am - 12pm Join the meeting or 16th May, 2pm -3.30 pm Join the meeting The invitation is open to anyone who is interested / involved in offering or delivering nursery provision or before / after school childcare. Before and after school childcare: Everything you need to know about wraparound care - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk) Lisa Swales, Child and Family Development Service
How to Stay Safe from Infections Carried by Animals when Visiting a Farm A new post has been published on the UK Health Security Agency blog. Visiting a farm is an enjoyable and educational experience for all, but it carries a risk of infection from animals or the environment. Farm animals may carry bugs that can be passed from animals to humans and cause illness, with symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, nausea and body aches. In vulnerable groups, such as young children, pregnant women and elderly or immunocompromised people these infections can be particularly serious. Read the new post: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/05/02/how-to-stay-safe-from-infections-carried-by-animals-when-visiting-a-farm/ Public Health Team
NASEN Membership to NASEN is free and they have an extensive range of free resources and CPD to support with SEND in mainstream schools. This handbook has been developed as a resource for teachers to use over time as they embed inclusive practice in their classrooms: it is not intended that it is read cover-to-cover. It has been written for both primary, secondary and specialist colleagues: teaching assistants, teachers, senior leaders and headteachers. The handbook includes whole-school and whole-class approaches as well as subject-specific and condition-specific guidance. Teacher Handbook: SEND \| Whole School SEND
Talk Consent www.talkconsent.org provides effective, age-appropriate and engaging consent education to schools to help tackle sexual violence and harmful attitudes like misogyny. They deliver workshops and assemblies to primary schools and secondary schools, at low cost and in whichever way works best for the school. Alongside student workshops they can deliver talks to parents and teachers too. Over the past three years they have been booked by over 300 schools across the UK, delivering effective education to over 100,000 students. Get in touch through the website (www.talkconsent.org) or email dan@talkconsent.org Talk Consent Introduction (PDF) [3MB]

Updates/Information:

SEND & Inclusion Conference for Parents / Carers

We will be hosting this drop in event on 24^th June at the Civic Centre. The aim is to provide parents / carers with information on what services do and how they can support their child or family, along with short workshop sessions.

All SENCos have been sent details and were asked to share with parents / carers of children on the SEND register. Those wanting to attend must register due to security arrangements at the Civic Centre.

Meet the SEND Team

The SEND Team welcomes Headteachers and SENCos for an opportunity to meet our SEND Officers, Senior SEND Officers and SEND Team Managers who you regularly liaise with. This is a chance to meet face-to-face and an opportunity to discuss any cases. Meeting dates and times can be found here: Meet the SEND Team Leaflet 2024 (PDF) [221KB].

Important Information from DfE - Phonics 2024 Year 2 Retakes

We have received the email linked below from the DfE regarding cohort sizes for Year 2 Phonics as well as an Excel spreadsheet detailing each schools' expected number of pupils.

Important Information From DfE - Phonics 2024 Year 2 Retakes (PDF) [663KB]

LA 312 (Excel doc) [18KB]

The DfE take this information from the Spring School Census. Last year most schools complained of discrepancies, hopefully they will not be repeated this year. We will load the spreadsheet into Nexus/Broadcast and use it as a validation tool during our processing of your Phonics assessments. We will be using Perspective Lite and Broadcast for our processing of your data.

Marc Sherman,Business Intelligence Team

Expanded Early Years Entitlements and Wraparound Childcare

Following the Head Teachers' Termly meeting last term, we would like to offer information sessions on:

- Expanded Entitlements for children to receive funded early years provision, and

- Wraparound childcare from 8am-6pm.

Thank you to everyone who completed and returned the wraparound schools survey. This has been helpful to understand where more places may be required and how we can support providers.

To provide further information about these initiatives, we would like to invite you to attend an information session via MS Teams on:

14th May, 10.30 am - 12pm Join the meeting

16th May, 2pm -3.30 pm Join the meeting

The invitation is open to anyone who is interested / involved in offering or delivering nursery provision or before / after school childcare.

Before and after school childcare: Everything you need to know about wraparound care - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

Lisa Swales, Child and Family Development Service

How to Stay Safe from Infections Carried by Animals when Visiting a Farm

A new post has been published on the UK Health Security Agency blog.

Visiting a farm is an enjoyable and educational experience for all, but it carries a risk of infection from animals or the environment. Farm animals may carry bugs that can be passed from animals to humans and cause illness, with symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, nausea and body aches. In vulnerable groups, such as young children, pregnant women and elderly or immunocompromised people these infections can be particularly serious.

Read the new post: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/05/02/how-to-stay-safe-from-infections-carried-by-animals-when-visiting-a-farm/

Public Health Team

NASEN

Membership to NASEN is free and they have an extensive range of free resources and CPD to support with SEND in mainstream schools.

This handbook has been developed as a resource for teachers to use over time as they embed inclusive practice in their classrooms: it is not intended that it is read cover-to-cover. It has been written for both primary, secondary and specialist colleagues: teaching assistants, teachers, senior leaders and headteachers. The handbook includes whole-school and whole-class approaches as well as subject-specific and condition-specific guidance.

Teacher Handbook: SEND | Whole School SEND

Talk Consent

www.talkconsent.org provides effective, age-appropriate and engaging consent education to schools to help tackle sexual violence and harmful attitudes like misogyny. They deliver workshops and assemblies to primary schools and secondary schools, at low cost and in whichever way works best for the school. Alongside student workshops they can deliver talks to parents and teachers too. Over the past three years they have been booked by over 300 schools across the UK, delivering effective education to over 100,000 students.

Get in touch through the website (www.talkconsent.org) or email dan@talkconsent.org

Talk Consent Introduction (PDF) [3MB]

For Action:
Secondary Schools Survey We would appreciate if you could help us with a survey around whether your school provides functional skills learning/qualifications. Please click here to respond. Mike Pearson, Post 16 Partnerships Co-ordinator
Healthwatch Hillingdon Healthwatch Hillingdon are a local charity, commissioned by the Council to act as the people's champion for health and care services in the borough. They are currently leading a project on behalf of Hillingdon's health and social care partners, which is focussed on understanding the views and experiences of children, young people, and families with regards to accessing and using mental health and emotional wellbeing services in the borough. They have recently launched a survey for young people, and are keen to promote this widely across all education settings, and provide opportunities for collaboration with schools to enable as many children and young people's voices to be heard and championed to improve services in the borough, which could be through some bespoke workshops and focus groups. Additionally they also want to hear from schools about the challenges they face when accessing mental health and emotional wellbeing support for the children and young people they work with. Here's the link to the survey which we ask for you to share with your staff and student / parents / carers: Children and Young People's mental health survey \| Healthwatch Hillingdon
Simply Letters and Sounds DfE Validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics Programme Raj Metha, the consultant commissioned to run our Reading Champions Programme, has kindly offered to host this session to all primary schools free of charge on 20^th May. Please see full information in the link below with sign up details. GES SLS Seminar Info (PDF) [113KB]
MathsHubs Hillingdon Good Practice Network - Primary Maths: Hillingdon GPN Flyer (PDF) [293KB] Curious about Core Maths for Secondaries: Curious About Core Maths Flyer (PDF) [148KB] If you have any queries about these events, please contact admin@lcwmathshub.co.uk
*Please share with Sixth Form students* Royal Collection Trust Schools Week The Royal Collection Trust are hosting a 'Schools Week' w/c 30th September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, and as part of that week they would like to hold a study afternoon purely for 'A' Level/ BTEC students or equivalent. This would involve not only a tour around part of the Palace, but also talks from relevant experts and curators from the Royal Household. The subject matter has not yet been decided but could be based around 'Travel and Tourism', or 'Art History'. They would be grateful if you had any feedback/ ideas about this, and whether your students would be interested in attending such an event. Please email Sophie at sophie.jones@rct.uk or visit www.rct.uk

For Action:

Secondary Schools Survey

We would appreciate if you could help us with a survey around whether your school provides functional skills learning/qualifications.

Please click here to respond.

Mike Pearson, Post 16 Partnerships Co-ordinator

Healthwatch Hillingdon

Healthwatch Hillingdon are a local charity, commissioned by the Council to act as the people's champion for health and care services in the borough.

They are currently leading a project on behalf of Hillingdon's health and social care partners, which is focussed on understanding the views and experiences of children, young people, and families with regards to accessing and using mental health and emotional wellbeing services in the borough. They have recently launched a survey for young people, and are keen to promote this widely across all education settings, and provide opportunities for collaboration with schools to enable as many children and young people's voices to be heard and championed to improve services in the borough, which could be through some bespoke workshops and focus groups.

Additionally they also want to hear from schools about the challenges they face when accessing mental health and emotional wellbeing support for the children and young people they work with.

Here's the link to the survey which we ask for you to share with your staff and student / parents / carers: Children and Young People's mental health survey | Healthwatch Hillingdon

Simply Letters and Sounds DfE Validated Systematic Synthetic Phonics Programme

Raj Metha, the consultant commissioned to run our Reading Champions Programme, has kindly offered to host this session to all primary schools free of charge on 20^th May. Please see full information in the link below with sign up details.

GES SLS Seminar Info (PDF) [113KB]

MathsHubs

Hillingdon Good Practice Network - Primary Maths: Hillingdon GPN Flyer (PDF) [293KB]

Curious about Core Maths for Secondaries: Curious About Core Maths Flyer (PDF) [148KB]

If you have any queries about these events, please contact admin@lcwmathshub.co.uk

Please share with Sixth Form students

Royal Collection Trust Schools Week

The Royal Collection Trust are hosting a 'Schools Week' w/c 30th September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, and as part of that week they would like to hold a study afternoon purely for 'A' Level/ BTEC students or equivalent. This would involve not only a tour around part of the Palace, but also talks from relevant experts and curators from the Royal Household.

The subject matter has not yet been decided but could be based around 'Travel and Tourism', or 'Art History'. They would be grateful if you had any feedback/ ideas about this, and whether your students would be interested in attending such an event.

Please email Sophie at sophie.jones@rct.uk or visit www.rct.uk

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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