2nd June 2025
Dear Colleagues,
This bulletin is for all settings that educate Hillingdon children; maintained, academies and independent.
Please forward this email to the leads in your settings or team members who might be interested in the content, so they can follow up the relevant offers. Thank you in advance.
We hope you had a fantastic half term break.
Reminders: |
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| Schools can sign up for the fully funded Instructional Coaching Course here | by 06/06/25 |
Governors can sign up to attend the Governors Networking Event -An in-person event at the Civic Centre here | On 18/06/25 6pm |
Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings | Ongoing |
Education Services contacts can be found here | Ongoing |
Schools' Forum meeting papers can be accessed here | Ongoing |
Emergency closures of all schools must be reported to education@hillingdon.gov.uk | Ongoing |
Notification of Critical Incident can be found here | Ongoing |
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For All: |
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Head Teachers Termly - Summer Term 2025 Please see agenda for this meeting being held online on Tuesday 10th June at 10 am - 12 pm. All headteachers or their deputies should attend. Head Teachers' Termly Agenda - Summer Term 2025 (PDF, 170 KB)
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IMPORTANT: please share with all relevant colleagues EYES Portal Establishment Training As previously discussed, we are in the process of implementing a new education system called EYES within Hillingdon Council which will change the way schools and settings make applications and referrals into the different education services within the Council. (Details can be found here: EYES - Leap) Applications and referrals will be completed in our Establishment Portal, which you can access via any internet browser. To assist you with using our new portal, we are providing training to go through the new Early Years, Admissions and Referrals (Attendance, CME, Elective Home Education and Exclusions) processes. We will be running sessions on:
Please note, you will only need to attend one of the sessions as we are running the same training twice. Pre sign up is not required, just click the link below to join the session on the day. You might not need to attend the full training as we will be splitting the sessions as per below: Monday 23rd June, 12.30 pm start:
Thursday 26th June, 9.30 am start:
For those unable to attend either session, we will be providing a recording of the training for you to watch in your own time. During the session there will be time for questions to be asked at the end of each area. Should you have any questions following the sessions, we will be providing you with a spreadsheet to add any queries to which we will answer as and when they are raised. We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd or 26th June. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact mchandler@hillingdon.gov.uk (EYES Project Manager).
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Assure Training - Reporting & Investigating Incidents Correctly Records show that only 8% of school staff, who have user accounts for Assure (online H&S management system), have completed attended our half-day course on how to use Assure in the last 3-years. It is therefore no surprise that approx. half of all incidents are not investigated correctly or within the 10-day requirement. This could increase the chance of repeat incidents of a similar nature; serious incidents not being reported to the HSE on time and/or lost opportunities for learning how to eliminate/reduce incidents. All Assure account users are strongly encouraged to book onto a course via the Council's Learning Zone.
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Hillingdon's Guidance on Religious Observance Hillingdon Council gives clear guidance on religious observance through SACRE, in line with other boroughs. You can find the guidance here: Religious Observance Guidance - Leap
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GRT History Month A reminder that June is GRT History Month. Resources and information can be found on LEAP: Gypsy, Roma & Traveller (GRT) Education - Leap
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EBSNA Parent Project Could we ask the document linked below is shared with parents/carers who have a child currently experiencing EBSNA. We appreciate your support with this. If you have any queries, please contact Danielle Daley at ddaley@hillingdon.gov.uk EBSNA Focus Group Information Sheet and Consent Form (Word doc, 36 KB)
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AXIS Newsletter The latest edition can be found here: May Bulletin 2025
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Support Available to Tackle Extremism The DfE recently published a guide to support teachers in understanding the signs that a young person may be vulnerable to incel ideologies and what they should do if they are concerned. Educate Against Hate now also hosts a set of teaching resources provided by the PSHE Association on misogyny and how these issues can be covered through PHSE. We encourage you to access these resources.
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New THINK! Campaign Resources The number of child pedestrian casualties more than doubles between ages 9 to 11, as children transition from primary to secondary school. To learn more about the campaign visit the THINK! website.
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Hoop Please see a link to a snapchat related app that is posing a possible risk for children and young people. Please familiarise yourselves and your team.
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KICA 2025 Nominations are Now Open! The Kids in Care Awards is the annual celebration event for our care experienced young people. The event is still very much in the planning phase but will follow a similar format to last year but with a new venue! Think, festival, glitter, food, music and a formal ceremony! The date is to be confirmed but it will be in September 2025. To nominate, simply complete this form, which can also be shared with other professionals from schools, placements, health, or anyone working with any care experienced young people. Nominations close on 28th July 2025. If a young person is not nominated, then they will not be invited to the event. Every nominated young person will receive a certificate and a prize at the event. We would like as many of our care experienced young people nominated and so to confirm:
***Please ensure that you check and add the correct contact details for the young person, carer or placement. This is essential to ensure we can send them details of the event. Please include any relevant information about risk and whether the young person can be invited to the event. *** If it is not safe for a young person to be invited to KICA, we can send their certificate in the post. Any questions or queries please email KICA@hillingdon.gov.uk
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Summer Term Music CPD This term Hillingdon Music Service will be hosting the following CPD sessions, all of which are free of charge:
Turn up the volume! Find your musical focus to unlock the magic of music in lessons. Musical learning comes from musical teaching. We need to place music at the heart of the learning process to inspire and nurture young musicians. We'll consider how musical teaching might look and feel in practice and share ideas to take back to the classroom. We'll also explore a range of activities from the Original Scheme with pedagogy that can be applied to any other learning resources. Sign Up here
This term's Music Teacher's Primary Network meeting will only occur on 1 date only and will feature guest speaker, Sally Greaves. Sally is an experienced teacher and renowned composer of music education resources. Her website "Groove n Play" compiles several schemes of work that are widely used in other London Boroughs to support classroom instrumental music making, and Hillingdon Music Service will be buying licenses for 1 unit of work for all Hillingdon schools who are interested from September 2025. This session promises to be an informative session that offers a brief insight into the music that students perform in the Groove n Play units of work and is an opportunity to hear about the resources from their creator. In the meantime, the Groove n Play website can be viewed here: groovenplay |Whole Class Music | Sally Greaves
What does good vocal practice look like in the classroom? What are the next steps to ensure the progression of classroom instruments? Join us for this practical session to explore vocal and instrumental expectations in the primary classroom. Sign Up here Please pass on the above information to your colleagues and feel free to direct any questions to rporter@hillingdon.gov.uk
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NEW Healthy Lifestyle Programmes for Children and Young People aged 5 - 17 years A new lifestyle programme, called 'Xplore' is free and available to children and young people aged 5 - 17 years who are above a healthy weight. The programme includes both face-to-face and online healthy eating workshops and physical activity sessions, that are designed to be fun and inclusive for all abilities. The programme gives lots of handy tips around healthy eating and physical activity, so young people can discover new ways to improve their health and wellbeing and lead a more active lifestyle. Participants can be referred by schools, health professionals - or families themselves. For children aged 5-11 years, parents attend the session with their child and are given healthy recipes they can try with their children - to challenge their tastebuds or try something new. For older children, a supervised Junior Gym programme is available. To find out more about the scheme, please email: hillconfed.healthwise@nhs.net, telephone 01895 541474 or visit https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hillingdon/hillingdon-sports-lc/xplore The programme is funded by the council and delivered by leisure partner GLL under the successful 'Healthwise' brand that has seen big take-up in other parts of London. Please share this information through your school newsletter. Xplore 5 - 11 years (PDF, 999 KB) Xplore 11 - 17 years (PDF, 579 KB)
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Jack Petchey Foundation We are thrilled to announce that the Jack Petchey Foundation is looking to expand its reach within the Borough of Hillingdon, with the support of newly elected Mayor, Cllr Philip Corthorne. We are grateful for the Mayor's commitment to promoting the Achievement Awards and look forward to increasing our impact in your area. Currently, we are proud to be working with 43 organisations in Hillingdon, including 31 mainstream schools and colleges, special schools, and Pupil Referral Units. This year alone, we have provided £86,400 in funding to support the exceptional achievements of young people in your borough. The Jack Petchey Foundation Achievement Awards aim to celebrate and recognise young people for their outstanding contributions to your schools and local community. We believe every young person has the potential to achieve great things, and we are eager to support and celebrate their successes. We invite your school to join us in this initiative by submitting an application to join the Achievement Award Scheme. If you are successful, by running the scheme in your school, you could secure up to £6,400 in restricted grants for your educational establishment each year and your young winners will be invited to attend a wonderful celebration each year, totally free of charge. To apply to join our Achievement Award Scheme, follow this link for our simple application form. https://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/opportunities/grant-programmes/achievement-awards We look forward to working with you to celebrate the achievements of young people in Hillingdon. Any questions or queries can be submitted to Mary Bealt at mbealt@jackpetchey.org.uk JPF-Partnership-Brochure-2025 (PDF, 5 MB)
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STEM with Wings: What's next for quantum? Join us to mark the International Year of Quantum with Dr Jess Wade and colleagues from Imperial on 17 and 19 June. This free digital event will explore the mysterious quantum realm. Discover how this technology already underpins our lives and find out what's next with scientists on the frontiers of quantum research. Suitable for pupils age 7-14, book your FREE place now here. STEM with Wings_ Quantum School Flyer (PDF, 1 MB)
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For Primaries: |
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Family Hubs & Children's Centre School Transition Support for Nursery & Reception The Family Hubs and Children's Centre's are offering a transition package to support children and their parents as they begin nursery or start reception at school. This support package includes:
For more details, please refer to the booklet linked below or visit https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/family-hubs. We have also attached a poster, please share with your nursery/reception parents. If a school would like us to attend any parent's evenings/information sessions please email familyhubnetwork@hillingdon.gov.uk to request this and we will do our best to attend. Family Hubs & Childrens Centres - Transition (PDF, 3 MB) Starting-Reception (PDF, 2 MB)
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Transition Support Programmes Intervention Offer for KS2 We would like to invite you to take up the offer of the Hillingdon Youth Offer -Targeted Team: Transition Support Programmes intervention, which will be offered to all primary schools from September 2025 and beyond. The programmes are designed specifically to foster self-esteem, confidence, and resilience among young learners as they experience transitions in life. Recognising that primary children are at a foundational stage in their development, our programme is carefully tailored to inspire a positive self-image and empower children as they navigate school life, home life and beyond. The interventions on offer are:
Programme Highlights:
Our experienced facilitators work closely with school staff to ensure that the programme supports your curriculum and broader educational goals. If you are interested in your school taking up the offer of one of these programmes or have further questions, please email Chamila Somaskandan, Programme Coordinator at csomaskandan@hillingdon.gov.uk
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National Smile Month Competition The Whittington Oral Health Promotion Team would like to invite the children in your communities to take part in our 'National Smile Month' competition. We would like the children to think about and create a healthy 'Feed your Smile' Poster. There will be prizes for the most creative posters and winners will be notified through their school. We would be very grateful if you would be able to please share this exciting opportunity with your communities, parents & carers for them to get empowered to improve their own and their families' oral health. National Smile Month Design A Healthy Smile Poster Competition (PDF, 229 KB)
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For Secondaries: |
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ARCH Hillingdon Public Health are pleased to inform you that ARCH, our Drug and Alcohol provider are offering free training for professionals including voluntary sectors across the Boroughs of Hillingdon and Hounslow. The training brochure linked below focuses on drug and alcohol education for those working with individuals affected by harmful substance use and related challenges. The training is developed by frontline addictions nurses and educators, the sessions are designed to build skills, confidence, and compassion in supporting vulnerable clients. Training modules include (but is not limited to):
Should anyone have questions or wish to register, they are welcomed to contact Stefani Nagpal at ARCH directly, stefani.nagpal1@nhs.net. Hillingdon & Hounslow CNWL Addictions Training Programme 2025-2026 (PDF, 3 MB)
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School's Work Experience Programme We are launching a school's work experience programme aimed at academic years 10 - 13 in June 2025, which is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain an insight into local government. These short-term work experience programmes will allow students to:
How to Apply for Work Experience: For Students:
For Schools:
Any queries can be sent to Jeetin Shah, Early Careers Officer at JShah2@hillingdon.gov.uk
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Warm regards,
Abi Preston
Director of Education & SEND
Children's Services, London Borough of Hillingdon, Civic Centre, Uxbridge UB8 1UW
