15th July 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. This is our last briefing for this academic year. We wish you a restful summer when it comes.

Reminders:
All primaries should complete the School Food Matters Survey for Headteachers	By 19^th July
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

For Action All Schools:
Critical Incident Policy As we come to the end of the academic year, many schools might reflect on the incidents they were involved in that come under the heading of critical incidents. Over the last year in Hillingdon, we have had a high number of critical incidents. These have included the sudden death of a member of staff, the deaths of children and young people from illness, from taking their own life, as victims of knife crime and from accidents. It has also included bomb threats made to a school and other threats that required schools to take action and enact their critical incident policy and lockdown plans. We shared with schools and settings an updated critical incident policy in February this year. The policy and key contacts can be found here: Notification of Critical Incident & Contacts - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk). We will be reviewing and updating our policy again during the summer to ensure it meets your school's needs. All schools and settings are expected to have a critical incident policy and to undertake critical incident training. This is currently managed by the Education Psychology Service. We would ask all schools, academies and settings to ensure they have an up-to-date critical incident policy in place in the new academic year. If you have any questions about the critical incident protocols, please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk.
School Organisation Plan Please see the School Organisation Plan linked below. The report was approved by Cabinet in April and provides an overview of the current education landscape in Hillingdon, as well as a more detailed breakdown of the current projections for pupil roll in the 16 pupil planning areas (14 for Primary and 2 for Secondary) across the borough. This is the first time in a number of years we have produced such a comprehensive document which we hope you will find informative and helpful. If you have any comments, feedback, or queries, please contact Nav Minhas or James Rogers in our School Place Planning Team via schoolplaceplanning@hillingdon.gov.uk Please see School Organisation Plan - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)
Hillingdon Youth Offer Summer 2024 What's on for children and young people in Hillingdon this summer? This year there are a variety of activities available to children and young people, please see links below for details. Hillingdon Youth Offer Summer 2024 (PDF) [156KB] FAMILY LEARNING Summer 2024 (PDF) [12MB]
*Please share with staff / parents / carers* Learn Hillingdon Adult Community Education Hillingdon Council's Learn Hillingdon Adult and Community Education prospectus for 2024/25 will be available shortly with hundreds of part-time day and evening courses to help residents aged 19 and above gain new skills, get prepared for work or get promoted or gain a qualification. We have a full range of fun, creative and social sessions including art, sewing and fashion, flower arranging and languages. As well as courses where participants can learn new skills and improve their health and wellbeing, such as cookery sessions, exercise classes, courses to support mental health and others to help you live more sustainably. If you would like a career in caring for others, there are courses to provide you with the knowledge and skills to progress towards careers in a range of professions, including community mental health services, residential care, home-based care and healthcare support services. If you'd like to support children with their early development, Learn Hillingdon can help you on your career path as an early years' practitioner in nurseries or pre-schools, or a support role in primary and secondary schools, including learning support assistants, teaching assistants or learning mentors. We also have courses for Digital Skills, ESOL and English and Maths. Learn Hillingdon - Hillingdon Council - please keep an eye on our website for more information. If you would like to book a Skills Assessment, please click HERE

For Action All Schools:

Critical Incident Policy

As we come to the end of the academic year, many schools might reflect on the incidents they were involved in that come under the heading of critical incidents.

Over the last year in Hillingdon, we have had a high number of critical incidents. These have included the sudden death of a member of staff, the deaths of children and young people from illness, from taking their own life, as victims of knife crime and from accidents. It has also included bomb threats made to a school and other threats that required schools to take action and enact their critical incident policy and lockdown plans. We shared with schools and settings an updated critical incident policy in February this year. The policy and key contacts can be found here: Notification of Critical Incident & Contacts - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk).

We will be reviewing and updating our policy again during the summer to ensure it meets your school's needs.

All schools and settings are expected to have a critical incident policy and to undertake critical incident training. This is currently managed by the Education Psychology Service. We would ask all schools, academies and settings to ensure they have an up-to-date critical incident policy in place in the new academic year.

If you have any questions about the critical incident protocols, please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk.

School Organisation Plan

Please see the School Organisation Plan linked below. The report was approved by Cabinet in April and provides an overview of the current education landscape in Hillingdon, as well as a more detailed breakdown of the current projections for pupil roll in the 16 pupil planning areas (14 for Primary and 2 for Secondary) across the borough.

This is the first time in a number of years we have produced such a comprehensive document which we hope you will find informative and helpful. If you have any comments, feedback, or queries, please contact Nav Minhas or James Rogers in our School Place Planning Team via schoolplaceplanning@hillingdon.gov.uk

Please see School Organisation Plan - Leap (hillingdon.gov.uk)

Hillingdon Youth Offer Summer 2024

What's on for children and young people in Hillingdon this summer? This year there are a variety of activities available to children and young people, please see links below for details.

Hillingdon Youth Offer Summer 2024 (PDF) [156KB]

FAMILY LEARNING Summer 2024 (PDF) [12MB]

Please share with staff / parents / carers

Learn Hillingdon Adult Community Education

Hillingdon Council's Learn Hillingdon Adult and Community Education prospectus for 2024/25 will be available shortly with hundreds of part-time day and evening courses to help residents aged 19 and above gain new skills, get prepared for work or get promoted or gain a qualification.

We have a full range of fun, creative and social sessions including art, sewing and fashion, flower arranging and languages. As well as courses where participants can learn new skills and improve their health and wellbeing, such as cookery sessions, exercise classes, courses to support mental health and others to help you live more sustainably.

If you would like a career in caring for others, there are courses to provide you with the knowledge and skills to progress towards careers in a range of professions, including community mental health services, residential care, home-based care and healthcare support services.

If you'd like to support children with their early development, Learn Hillingdon can help you on your career path as an early years' practitioner in nurseries or pre-schools, or a support role in primary and secondary schools, including learning support assistants, teaching assistants or learning mentors.

We also have courses for Digital Skills, ESOL and English and Maths.

Learn Hillingdon - Hillingdon Council - please keep an eye on our website for more information.

If you would like to book a Skills Assessment, please click HERE

For Action Primary Schools:
Please share with parents / carers Summer Reading Challenge The Summer Reading Challenge has launched in Hillingdon Libraries. Children aged 4 to 11 years can join for free. Plus, there's a full programme of events over the summer. Visit your local library to find out more and become a Marvellous Maker this summer. School Newsletter July 24 (PDF) [227KB]
Please share with parents / carers Summer Holiday Oral Health Pack and Information To increase awareness of keeping teeth healthy, I am pleased to attach below the summer oral health activity resource pack for children & young people for the holiday break. Please feel free to share with your parents/carers/children & young people in your settings. I have also included our poster with help finding an NHS Dentist and our oral health website, which contains lots of useful information about keeping teeth healthy. Please feel free to share this also. Many thanks for your support with improving oral health in Hillingdon. Sally McGregor, Oral Health Promoter, Hillingdon Community Dental Service Summer Oral Health Pack 2024 (PDF) [1MB] Finding an NHS Dentist & OHP Website (PDF) [509KB]

For Action Primary Schools:

Please share with parents / carers

Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge has launched in Hillingdon Libraries. Children aged 4 to 11 years can join for free. Plus, there's a full programme of events over the summer. Visit your local library to find out more and become a Marvellous Maker this summer.

School Newsletter July 24 (PDF) [227KB]

Please share with parents / carers

Summer Holiday Oral Health Pack and Information

To increase awareness of keeping teeth healthy, I am pleased to attach below the summer oral health activity resource pack for children & young people for the holiday break. Please feel free to share with your parents/carers/children & young people in your settings.

I have also included our poster with help finding an NHS Dentist and our oral health website, which contains lots of useful information about keeping teeth healthy. Please feel free to share this also.

Many thanks for your support with improving oral health in Hillingdon.

Sally McGregor, Oral Health Promoter, Hillingdon Community Dental Service

Summer Oral Health Pack 2024 (PDF) [1MB]

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

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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