21st October 2024

Dear Colleagues,

We know this is a very busy time for everyone. It's easy to miss lots of the support offers available through this bulletin and to forget to share them with the leads in your school who might take up those offers. Can we ask you to please forward this email to the leads who might be interested in the content, so they can follow up the relevant offers.

Thank you in advance!

Reminders:
Primaries should complete the School Food Survey	by 25/10/24
All Schools can register for Educational Visits Coordinator Training HERE	by 25/10/24
Teachers who have recently joined Year 6 and those wanting a refresher, can register to attend the New to Year 6 Moderation Briefing Session HERE	on 07/11/24
Schools can sign up for 2 Day Training on Behaviour (PDF) [571KB]	on 11 & 19/11/24
Headteachers or deputies can attend the Head Teachers' Termly. Agenda with link to join will be shared soon	on 12/11/24
Governors can sign up to Safeguarding Training HERE	on 12/11/24
Headteachers & Chairs of Governors should complete this form: Schools Forum Survey	by 15/11/24
*Primary Academy Schools* - The STA requires you to nominate your moderation partner, please complete this form if you have not already	by 10/01/25
Secondaries should share the Hillingdon Post 16 Prospectus 2024/25 with students, parents / carers, staff and governors	Ongoing
Emergency closures of all schools must be reported to education@hillingdon.gov.uk	Ongoing
Notification of Critical Incident can be found here	Ongoing
Education Services contacts can be found here	Ongoing
Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings	Ongoing
HLP Course Booking	Ongoing

For Action All Schools:
'Achievement for All Young People' Launch - Each setting should sign up You are invited to sign your school, college or setting up to Hillingdon's 'Achievement for All Young People' Programme, launching at a one-day conference at Brunel University on Wednesday 20^th November 2024. This programme is designed to explore and address the key barriers that put some young people at risk of educational underachievement. We will be looking specifically at those eligible for Pupil Premium funding, including groups of young people our data tell us are not achieving their potential; disadvantaged white British, Black Caribbean heritage, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and those with SEND. We want to work together with you from a position of strength, recognising what schools and settings already do well for some of the young people listed here and to build on this by providing the time and space for teachers to explore evidenced based effective approaches and share their practice with each other. The programme will give you the space to identify your own areas of focus and the support of Brunel University, the EEF and the Hillingdon Learning Partnership to deliver and evaluate the impact of approaches you identify. We want to provide this opportunity to deliver school improvement by shining a light on our disadvantaged and sometimes marginalised groups, aligning it to your own priorities to keep it manageable, but using those on Pupil Premium as the vehicle to achieve those priorities. Those of you already registered for the EEF Strategic Partnership Board will help determine the direction of the programme over the next few years. We can only offer one place per school or setting at this launch event, so please register here or using the link in the flyer below before 1^st November. We look forward to seeing you there! /Achievement-for-All-Conference-Flyer-2024
DfE's Senior Mental Health Lead Training Grant The latest data for the take-up of the DfE's senior mental health lead training grant has now been published. The latest figures show take-up across the London region is 70%, and approximately 76% of state-funded schools and colleges nationally. In terms of the grant application deadline, eligible schools and colleges must reserve a £1,200 grant before 31st December 2024 (DfE application link here) for a course that starts before the end of the Spring term 2025. There are a range of training courses available for schools and colleges to choose from. Further information about the grant, including application deadlines, is in the conditions & guidance linked here - Senior mental health lead training - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The latest DfE flyer promoting the training offer is here: SMHL flyer - October_2024 (PDF) [215KB] Finally, a list of practical mental health and wellbeing resources for education settings we also shared last week: A resource hub is available to education settings to help them to embed and sustain their whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing, and has been updated with new, evidence-based resources for this academic year. A targeted mental wellbeing support toolkit is available to education settings to help them to develop and provide effective in-school/college targeted support. A resource page it available to teachers, parents and carers to support children and young people experiencing difficulties with mental wellbeing and regular school or college attendance.
Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter October 2024 This issue of the Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter covers a range of topics relevant to safeguarding adults and children. The purpose of the newsletter is to ensure that practitioners are kept informed and up to date with the work of the adult and child Safeguarding Boards, and to promote best practice. This and previous issues can also be accessed online.
*Please share with staff, parents / carers* Follow Hillingdon Council's New WhatsApp Channel Do you like to be the first to share the latest news with your family and friends? The council's new WhatsApp channel will make it even easier for you. The council will post useful council information, exciting events and safety updates - all you have to do is share. Scan the QR code below and pass it on!
The Great Cable Challenge During the month of October, organizations across the UK - from schools to community groups, families to football teams, offices to high-street retailers - are taking part in The Great Cable Challenge and helping to achieve the goal of recycling 1 million cables. It is not too late to get involved! You can download a free toolkit offered by Material Focus for more information. A friendly reminder that in Hillingdon, we have 15 collection points for small electricals (including cables) in all libraries. Please encourage pupils and school staff to bag up their old cables and other unwanted/broken small electricals and place them in the pink bins. You can learn more about how electricals are recycled here. You can contact the recycling team at recycling@hillingdon.gov.uk for any further advice or information.
*Please share with all staff* Join Team TCS Teachers in the 2025 TCS London Marathon Calling all Teachers! Join Team TCS Teachers in the 2025 TCS London Marathon. Perhaps you or a colleague have always wanted to take part in one of the most iconic marathons in the world. Maybe you have entered the ballot without success? Could a place in the TCS London Marathon inspire you and your school to get active? Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), title sponsor of the TCS London Marathon, is offering an exciting opportunity to educators based in the UK and Ireland to participate in the 2025 TCS London Marathon as part of Team TCS Teachers. Now is your chance to secure one of the limited complimentary places in the 2025 TCS London Marathon! Apply here now or contact Layla Hall on Layla.Hall@londonmarathonevents.co.uk for more information. Applicants must complete the form by 00:00 on 31st October 2024. What our previous Team Member had to say about being part of Team TCS Teachers: "I could not have been prouder to run in the Team Teachers shirt yesterday. I'm sure that I had as many people cheer 'Go Team Teachers!' as they did cheer my name! I feel this really demonstrates the respect the public hold for the profession and I am so grateful that TCS and London Marathon Events have chosen to acknowledge and celebrate this in the way you have. I know everyone in the group has commented on how they felt like a superstar for the day! Simone Wright, 2023

For Action All Schools:

'Achievement for All Young People' Launch - Each setting should sign up

You are invited to sign your school, college or setting up to Hillingdon's 'Achievement for All Young People' Programme, launching at a one-day conference at Brunel University on Wednesday 20^th November 2024.

This programme is designed to explore and address the key barriers that put some young people at risk of educational underachievement. We will be looking specifically at those eligible for Pupil Premium funding, including groups of young people our data tell us are not achieving their potential; disadvantaged white British, Black Caribbean heritage, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and those with SEND.

We want to work together with you from a position of strength, recognising what schools and settings already do well for some of the young people listed here and to build on this by providing the time and space for teachers to explore evidenced based effective approaches and share their practice with each other.

The programme will give you the space to identify your own areas of focus and the support of Brunel University, the EEF and the Hillingdon Learning Partnership to deliver and evaluate the impact of approaches you identify.

We want to provide this opportunity to deliver school improvement by shining a light on our disadvantaged and sometimes marginalised groups, aligning it to your own priorities to keep it manageable, but using those on Pupil Premium as the vehicle to achieve those priorities. Those of you already registered for the EEF Strategic Partnership Board will help determine the direction of the programme over the next few years.

We can only offer one place per school or setting at this launch event, so please register here or using the link in the flyer below before 1^st November. We look forward to seeing you there!

/Achievement-for-All-Conference-Flyer-2024

DfE's Senior Mental Health Lead Training Grant

The latest data for the take-up of the DfE's senior mental health lead training grant has now been published. The latest figures show take-up across the London region is 70%, and approximately 76% of state-funded schools and colleges nationally.

In terms of the grant application deadline, eligible schools and colleges must reserve a £1,200 grant before 31st December 2024 (DfE application link here) for a course that starts before the end of the Spring term 2025. There are a range of training courses available for schools and colleges to choose from.

Further information about the grant, including application deadlines, is in the conditions & guidance linked here - Senior mental health lead training - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The latest DfE flyer promoting the training offer is here: SMHL flyer - October_2024 (PDF) [215KB]

Finally, a list of practical mental health and wellbeing resources for education settings we also shared last week:

A resource hub is available to education settings to help them to embed and sustain their whole school/college approach to mental health and wellbeing, and has been updated with new, evidence-based resources for this academic year.
A targeted mental wellbeing support toolkit is available to education settings to help them to develop and provide effective in-school/college targeted support.
A resource page it available to teachers, parents and carers to support children and young people experiencing difficulties with mental wellbeing and regular school or college attendance.

Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter October 2024

This issue of the Safeguarding Partnership Newsletter covers a range of topics relevant to safeguarding adults and children.

The purpose of the newsletter is to ensure that practitioners are kept informed and up to date with the work of the adult and child Safeguarding Boards, and to promote best practice. This and previous issues can also be accessed online.

Please share with staff, parents / carers

Follow Hillingdon Council's New WhatsApp Channel

Do you like to be the first to share the latest news with your family and friends? The council's new WhatsApp channel will make it even easier for you.

The council will post useful council information, exciting events and safety updates - all you have to do is share.

Scan the QR code below and pass it on!

The Great Cable Challenge

During the month of October, organizations across the UK - from schools to community groups, families to football teams, offices to high-street retailers - are taking part in The Great Cable Challenge and helping to achieve the goal of recycling 1 million cables. It is not too late to get involved! You can download a free toolkit offered by Material Focus for more information.

A friendly reminder that in Hillingdon, we have 15 collection points for small electricals (including cables) in all libraries. Please encourage pupils and school staff to bag up their old cables and other unwanted/broken small electricals and place them in the pink bins. You can learn more about how electricals are recycled here.

You can contact the recycling team at recycling@hillingdon.gov.uk for any further advice or information.

Please share with all staff

Join Team TCS Teachers in the 2025 TCS London Marathon

Calling all Teachers! Join Team TCS Teachers in the 2025 TCS London Marathon.

Perhaps you or a colleague have always wanted to take part in one of the most iconic marathons in the world. Maybe you have entered the ballot without success? Could a place in the TCS London Marathon inspire you and your school to get active?

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), title sponsor of the TCS London Marathon, is offering an exciting opportunity to educators based in the UK and Ireland to participate in the 2025 TCS London Marathon as part of Team TCS Teachers. Now is your chance to secure one of the limited complimentary places in the 2025 TCS London Marathon!

Apply here now or contact Layla Hall on Layla.Hall@londonmarathonevents.co.uk for more information. Applicants must complete the form by 00:00 on 31st October 2024.

What our previous Team Member had to say about being part of Team TCS Teachers: "I could not have been prouder to run in the Team Teachers shirt yesterday. I'm sure that I had as many people cheer 'Go Team Teachers!' as they did cheer my name! I feel this really demonstrates the respect the public hold for the profession and I am so grateful that TCS and London Marathon Events have chosen to acknowledge and celebrate this in the way you have. I know everyone in the group has commented on how they felt like a superstar for the day! Simone Wright, 2023

For Action Primary Schools:
Establishing or Expanding School-based Nursery Provision To support the expansion of the entitlement to early years provision, the government intend to create places in 3,000 school-based nurseries. Schools who are interested in creating new or expanding current nursery provision, as part of this programme, can apply for up to £150,000 out of £15 million capital funding that is available nationally. If your schools would be interested in applying for this, please visit this website to find out how to do so. It would also be helpful if any school applying to be part of this programme, can also let us know that you engaging with this by completing this online form. Please note if your school has already contacted us about either extending your nursery to 30 hours or offering places for two-year-olds, you do not need to complete this form. If you have any queries, please email fis@hillingdon.gov.uk
Breakfast Clubs Early Adopter Scheme The government is committed to offering a free breakfast club in every primary school in England. We will be inviting schools to take part in an early adopter scheme. The scheme will seek to test and learn what works ahead of national rollout. Schools that wish to find out more about becoming an early adopter can sign up using the early adopter breakfast clubs expression of interest form to be notified as further information becomes available.

For Action Primary Schools:

Establishing or Expanding School-based Nursery Provision

To support the expansion of the entitlement to early years provision, the government intend to create places in 3,000 school-based nurseries. Schools who are interested in creating new or expanding current nursery provision, as part of this programme, can apply for up to £150,000 out of £15 million capital funding that is available nationally.

If your schools would be interested in applying for this, please visit this website to find out how to do so.

It would also be helpful if any school applying to be part of this programme, can also let us know that you engaging with this by completing this online form. Please note if your school has already contacted us about either extending your nursery to 30 hours or offering places for two-year-olds, you do not need to complete this form.

If you have any queries, please email fis@hillingdon.gov.uk

Breakfast Clubs Early Adopter Scheme

The government is committed to offering a free breakfast club in every primary school in England.

We will be inviting schools to take part in an early adopter scheme. The scheme will seek to test and learn what works ahead of national rollout.

Schools that wish to find out more about becoming an early adopter can sign up using the early adopter breakfast clubs expression of interest form to be notified as further information becomes available.

For Action Secondary Schools:
GES Simply Letters and Sounds KS3 Programme Information Session We know from school feedback that there are an increasing number of young people entering Year 7 with serious phonics and literacy gaps which limit their ability to access the mainstream curriculum. We have secured the support of Raj Mehta, a DfE approved phonics and literacy expert who is offering a package of CPD, coaching and resources to help address this area. GES Simply Letters and Sounds adapted for key stage 3 directly responds to Ofsted's recommendations mentioned in Telling the Story: the English education subject report, March 2024. The key objective of this programme is to help secondary teachers swiftly identify and address students' specific gaps in phonics knowledge and skills. This will help students to develop fluency in reading and comprehension. Furthermore, it helps teachers to adapt the learning to meet the specific needs of individual students. The aim is for students to become fluent, confident readers and writers as soon as possible so they can meet the challenges of the secondary curriculum. You are invited to attend an online information Q&A session with Raj on Wednesday 6^th November at 4 - 5 pm. Please register HERE to attend and a MS Teams link to join the session will be emailed to you. Please forward on to staff who would like to attend also. A full description of the programme and example of a resource can be found on LEAP here

For Action Secondary Schools:

GES Simply Letters and Sounds KS3 Programme Information Session

We know from school feedback that there are an increasing number of young people entering Year 7 with serious phonics and literacy gaps which limit their ability to access the mainstream curriculum. We have secured the support of Raj Mehta, a DfE approved phonics and literacy expert who is offering a package of CPD, coaching and resources to help address this area.

GES Simply Letters and Sounds adapted for key stage 3 directly responds to Ofsted's recommendations mentioned in Telling the Story: the English education subject report, March 2024. The key objective of this programme is to help secondary teachers swiftly identify and address students' specific gaps in phonics knowledge and skills. This will help students to develop fluency in reading and comprehension. Furthermore, it helps teachers to adapt the learning to meet the specific needs of individual students. The aim is for students to become fluent, confident readers and writers as soon as possible so they can meet the challenges of the secondary curriculum.

You are invited to attend an online information Q&A session with Raj on Wednesday 6^th November at 4 - 5 pm. Please register HERE to attend and a MS Teams link to join the session will be emailed to you. Please forward on to staff who would like to attend also.

A full description of the programme and example of a resource can be found on LEAP here

Regards,

Abi Preston

Director of Education & SEND

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