3rd June 2024

Dear Colleagues,

We hope you had a restful half term break.

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

Reminders:
Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings	Ongoing
Notification of Critical Incident & contacts can be found here	Ongoing
Education Services contacts can be found here	Ongoing
The SEND & Inclusion Training Brochure can be viewed here	Ongoing
The HLP Brochure can be viewed at Hillingdon Learning Partnership	Ongoing

Updates/Information:
Head Teachers' Termly - Summer 2024 This meeting is being held on 18^th June at 10 am - 12 pm via MS Teams. Please see agenda below with link to join. If you are unable to attend, please share the agenda with your deputy who should attend for you. Head Teachers' Termly Agenda - Summer 2024 (PDF) [147KB]
General Election Guidance for Schools and Multi-Academy Trusts In light of the announcement of the general election on 4^th July 2024, please be aware of the Pre-election guidance for schools and multi-academy trusts. This provides guidance for headteachers, chief executives and teachers during the pre-election period for local elections and general elections.
Outsourcing and TUPE Pension Considerations Please see update from the Pensions Team for your information: Pensions Info for Outsourcing (PDF) [139KB]
Working Together to Improve School Attendance The School Attendance Team recently sent a questionnaire to all Headteachers and Chair of Governors regarding the new responsibilities of schools and the Local Authority within the framework of the statutory guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance, 2024. Your responses told us that 57% of our schools feel satisfied that they are prepared for the new guidance. You also told us that 93% of schools would welcome training sessions to understand the implications of the new guidance and would collaborate with other schools in Hillingdon to share good practice where there are common barriers to attendance. Targeted Support Meetings are key to agreeing the most appropriate plan for persistent and severe absent pupils. To ensure that we understand the requirements of our schools and comply with the new guidance, the School Attendance Team will be inviting Headteachers who responded to the questionnaire to be part of a steering group to develop the terms of reference for the Targeted Support Meetings. Please note that the DfE have organised a series of useful webinars relating to the guidance for schools to sign up to free of charge. The next webinar is being held on 4^th June 2024 is about Penalty Notices: Click here to sign up Over the next few weeks, the School Attendance Team will be updating you with relevant information and training dates. Please note the provisional date for our Attendance Support Forum is Tuesday 25^th June from 1 pm - 3.30 pm. If any schools would be willing to host this forum, please contact kwalsh-saunders@hillingdon.gov.uk.
AXIS Monthly Bulletin Please see this month's update from the AXIS Service here.
Summer 2024 School Census The DfE published, via Slack, the following message to all LA's. There are reference data issues identified issues with AP reporting. As of 5 pm on 21^st May the issues were resolved, and all submitted census returns underwent re-validation. We have checked all the maintained schools returns and you will see the following Note in your return level notes. There are no instances of these errors now being reported. All non-maintained schools should perform their own checks, as we do not have access to their census return data. Thank you. Marc Sherman, Business Intelligence Team

Updates/Information:

Head Teachers' Termly - Summer 2024

This meeting is being held on 18^th June at 10 am - 12 pm via MS Teams. Please see agenda below with link to join. If you are unable to attend, please share the agenda with your deputy who should attend for you.

Head Teachers' Termly Agenda - Summer 2024 (PDF) [147KB]

General Election Guidance for Schools and Multi-Academy Trusts

In light of the announcement of the general election on 4^th July 2024, please be aware of the Pre-election guidance for schools and multi-academy trusts. This provides guidance for headteachers, chief executives and teachers during the pre-election period for local elections and general elections.

Outsourcing and TUPE Pension Considerations

Please see update from the Pensions Team for your information: Pensions Info for Outsourcing (PDF) [139KB]

Working Together to Improve School Attendance

The School Attendance Team recently sent a questionnaire to all Headteachers and Chair of Governors regarding the new responsibilities of schools and the Local Authority within the framework of the statutory guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance, 2024.

Your responses told us that 57% of our schools feel satisfied that they are prepared for the new guidance. You also told us that 93% of schools would welcome training sessions to understand the implications of the new guidance and would collaborate with other schools in Hillingdon to share good practice where there are common barriers to attendance.

Targeted Support Meetings are key to agreeing the most appropriate plan for persistent and severe absent pupils. To ensure that we understand the requirements of our schools and comply with the new guidance, the School Attendance Team will be inviting Headteachers who responded to the questionnaire to be part of a steering group to develop the terms of reference for the Targeted Support Meetings.

Please note that the DfE have organised a series of useful webinars relating to the guidance for schools to sign up to free of charge. The next webinar is being held on 4^th June 2024 is about Penalty Notices: Click here to sign up

Over the next few weeks, the School Attendance Team will be updating you with relevant information and training dates. Please note the provisional date for our Attendance Support Forum is Tuesday 25^th June from 1 pm - 3.30 pm. If any schools would be willing to host this forum, please contact kwalsh-saunders@hillingdon.gov.uk.

AXIS Monthly Bulletin

Please see this month's update from the AXIS Service here.

Summer 2024 School Census

The DfE published, via Slack, the following message to all LA's. There are reference data issues identified issues with AP reporting. As of 5 pm on 21^st May the issues were resolved, and all submitted census returns underwent re-validation. We have checked all the maintained schools returns and you will see the following Note in your return level notes.

There are no instances of these errors now being reported. All non-maintained schools should perform their own checks, as we do not have access to their census return data.

Thank you.

Marc Sherman, Business Intelligence Team

For Action:
Panels for Governors/Trustees & Leadership Pay Training delivered by The Schools HR Co-operative on 12th June 2024 at 5 - 7 pm Governors/Trustees and Headteachers are invited to attend this session delivered by Bob Charlton from The Schools HR Co-operative (this is a repeat of the session held in March). It will cover: Understanding the expectations of being on a panel How a panel is constituted The different people/roles involved in the process The authority the panel has and other procedural matters How to deal with difficult participants The role of the Panel Chairperson Implications of panel decision making and how to come to a decision. In addition, the session will include a briefing on Leadership Pay to support governors/trustees with implementing leadership pay following pay awards and performance reviews etc. Attendance at a session is complimentary for schools that purchase The Schools HR Co-operative's core HR Advice & Guidance SLA. For schools that do not purchase the Schools HR SLA there will be a charge of £30.00 + VAT per delegate to attend. To book, please email the delegate's name, role, school, email address and requested session to coursebookings@schoolshr.net. Delegates will be sent the Microsoft Teams link following receipt of the booking request.
NASEN PfAEY Relaunch This is an exciting opportunity for Hillingdon Schools and Colleges. The NASEN PfAEY project is being relaunched as a Professional Development Group. We are the first local authority to be offered this opportunity. Headteachers and SENDCos are invited to participate and will learn how to use the Preparation for Adulthood from the Earliest Years Guide. They will then be supported to drive school improvement through an Inclusion-specific whole school project over two terms. Inclusion is important to get right for all children. The increased number of children with more complex needs presents challenges to mainstream schools. The Preparation for Adulthood from the Earliest Years Review Guide from Whole School SEND is a tool that school leaders can use to identify SEND strategic objectives and develop an effective development plan. Please register your interest in the link here: Hillingdon Professional Development Group (PDF) [380KB] Closing date is 4^th July.
Talk PANTS Are you familiar with Pantosaurus? Pantosaurus has helped 1.5 million parents Talk PANTS and help keep their children safe from sexual abuse. Developed in consultation with children, parents, carers and teachers, Talk PANTS is here to help children understand their body belongs to them, and they should tell a safe adult they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried. The NSPCC are offering sessions to professionals as part of Pan London's Talk PANTS campaign 2024. There is no need to register to attend, but simply log in on the dates listed here: Professionals Pan London Talk PANTS Workshops (PDF) [149KB] In addition to the dates for professionals, there are parents/carer workshops that will explain Talk PANTS and support for Talking PANTS at home. There are also Out of School settings workshops for parents of children who attend after school clubs/activities. Please see this letter which can be shared with parents: TALK PANTS letter (PDF) [188KB] Any questions or queries should to be directed to the NSPCC.
'I Love My Loud Voice' YW&Gs Toolkits Advance is launching a series of free downloadable toolkits designed for educators and parents/carers to help girls and young women (aged 12 - 25) spot the 'red flags' in abusive relationships and how to source help. The practical, interactive toolkits are for: Teachers of young people aged 12 - 18 Teachers and welfare specialists of students aged 18 - 24 Parents/carers The Toolkits are based around a short film 'I Love My Loud Voice' telling the stories of five individuals aged 15 to 21, based on the real-life experiences of domestic abuse survivors supported by Advance. The film explores their understanding of healthy relationships, their journey to accessing support, and impact on their lives. You can download the toolkits for free here: https://www.advancecharity.org.uk/i-love-my-loud-voice-toolkits/,
The Mayors Picnic in the Park This free entertainment event for all residents is being held on Saturday 29^th June at Barra Hall Park. Please share the link below with your staff / parents / carers and display the poster around your setting. The Mayor's Picnic in the Park - Discover Hillingdon POSTER Picnic_in_the_Park_A3_poster (PDF) [873KB]

For Action:

Panels for Governors/Trustees & Leadership Pay Training delivered by The Schools HR Co-operative on 12th June 2024 at 5 - 7 pm

Governors/Trustees and Headteachers are invited to attend this session delivered by Bob Charlton from The Schools HR Co-operative (this is a repeat of the session held in March). It will cover:

Understanding the expectations of being on a panel
How a panel is constituted
The different people/roles involved in the process
The authority the panel has and other procedural matters
How to deal with difficult participants
The role of the Panel Chairperson
Implications of panel decision making and how to come to a decision.
In addition, the session will include a briefing on Leadership Pay to support governors/trustees with implementing leadership pay following pay awards and performance reviews etc.

Attendance at a session is complimentary for schools that purchase The Schools HR Co-operative's core HR Advice & Guidance SLA. For schools that do not purchase the Schools HR SLA there will be a charge of £30.00 + VAT per delegate to attend.

To book, please email the delegate's name, role, school, email address and requested session to coursebookings@schoolshr.net. Delegates will be sent the Microsoft Teams link following receipt of the booking request.

NASEN PfAEY Relaunch

This is an exciting opportunity for Hillingdon Schools and Colleges. The NASEN PfAEY project is being relaunched as a Professional Development Group. We are the first local authority to be offered this opportunity.

Headteachers and SENDCos are invited to participate and will learn how to use the Preparation for Adulthood from the Earliest Years Guide. They will then be supported to drive school improvement through an Inclusion-specific whole school project over two terms.

Inclusion is important to get right for all children. The increased number of children with more complex needs presents challenges to mainstream schools. The Preparation for Adulthood from the Earliest Years Review Guide from Whole School SEND is a tool that school leaders can use to identify SEND strategic objectives and develop an effective development plan.

Please register your interest in the link here: Hillingdon Professional Development Group (PDF) [380KB]

Closing date is 4^th July.

Talk PANTS

Are you familiar with Pantosaurus? Pantosaurus has helped 1.5 million parents Talk PANTS and help keep their children safe from sexual abuse. Developed in consultation with children, parents, carers and teachers, Talk PANTS is here to help children understand their body belongs to them, and they should tell a safe adult they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried.

The NSPCC are offering sessions to professionals as part of Pan London's Talk PANTS campaign 2024. There is no need to register to attend, but simply log in on the dates listed here: Professionals Pan London Talk PANTS Workshops (PDF) [149KB]

In addition to the dates for professionals, there are parents/carer workshops that will explain Talk PANTS and support for Talking PANTS at home. There are also Out of School settings workshops for parents of children who attend after school clubs/activities.

Please see this letter which can be shared with parents: TALK PANTS letter (PDF) [188KB]

Any questions or queries should to be directed to the NSPCC.

'I Love My Loud Voice' YW&Gs Toolkits

Advance is launching a series of free downloadable toolkits designed for educators and parents/carers to help girls and young women (aged 12 - 25) spot the 'red flags' in abusive relationships and how to source help. The practical, interactive toolkits are for:

Teachers of young people aged 12 - 18
Teachers and welfare specialists of students aged 18 - 24
Parents/carers

The Toolkits are based around a short film 'I Love My Loud Voice' telling the stories of five individuals aged 15 to 21, based on the real-life experiences of domestic abuse survivors supported by Advance. The film explores their understanding of healthy relationships, their journey to accessing support, and impact on their lives.

You can download the toolkits for free here: https://www.advancecharity.org.uk/i-love-my-loud-voice-toolkits/,

The Mayors Picnic in the Park

This free entertainment event for all residents is being held on Saturday 29^th June at Barra Hall Park. Please share the link below with your staff / parents / carers and display the poster around your setting.

The Mayor's Picnic in the Park - Discover Hillingdon

POSTER Picnic_in_the_Park_A3_poster (PDF) [873KB]

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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