LA Education Weekly Update

2 March 2026

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.

Reminders:

Useful Links:

• Hillingdon LEAP can be accessed for information and guidance for all settings 
• Please contact education@hillingdon.gov.uk with any queries 
• Critical Incident Notification can be found here
• Emergency closures of all schools must be reported to education@hillingdon.gov.uk 
• Education Services Contacts can be found here 
• Education & SEND Policies can be found here 
• EYES/Establishment Portal information can be found here
• Governors can access LA training here 
• Hillingdon Learning Partnership 
• Schools' Forum meeting papers can be accessed here. If anyone would like to attend meetings, they are welcome to do so.  

All Schools/Settings:

Multi Agency Schools Briefing — TikTok "school wars"

We are convening a short multi‑agency Teams briefing and Q&A for headteachers, DSLs and senior leaders to share the current picture around the TikTok "school wars" trend, confirm safe reporting routes, align communication approaches and respond to questions.

Joining details:

• Date/Time: Tuesday 3 March 2026 at 4 pm
• Teams link: Please click here to join the meeting
• Who should attend: Headteacher (or deputy), DSL, attendance/behaviour lead

We appreciate the pressures schools are managing; the aim is a practical, calm, and coordinated approach across schools, police and community safety.

Head Teachers' Termly - Spring 2026

The next meeting is on Tuesday 10 March 2026 9:30 am - 11:30 am via Teams. All headteachers or their deputies should attend to hear key information.

Please see agenda with link to join: Head Teachers' Termly Agenda - Spring Term 2026 (PDF, 221 KB)

OFSTED Inspector Training Videos

Please see below a link to OFSTED inspector training videos. All inspector training videos about the renewed education inspection framework are now published for transparency. Schools can see Ofsted's methodology and specific areas of the framework. Leaders often have questions about areas of the framework and these videos provide the exact training that inspectors have had to complete.

Please note the Underpinning skills programme (USP) modules have the most videos and the full list can be accessed by clicking on 'load more'. There are detailed recordings about the use of the IDSR, early years, strong foundations, alternative provision, case sampling, inclusion and much more.

Inspector training videos | GoToStage.com

EYES Establishment & Parent Portals

The Establishment and Parent portals will be offline 14 - 18 March 2026 due to an upgrade to the systems. Apologies for any inconvenience. Please share with your staff who use the Portal.

Inviting Parents/Carers to Focus Groups

As mentioned in the recent Inclusion Network meeting, Hillingdon Educational Psychology Service has developed a new project aimed at strengthening the support available to parents and carers of children who are experiencing Emotionally Based School Non Attendance (EBSNA). As part of this work, we are running a series of small, informal focus groups to gain insight into the experiences and needs of families in Hillingdon.

We would be very grateful for your support in sharing this opportunity with relevant parents/carers. Their feedback will be invaluable in helping us shape future parent support groups and ensure they are accessible, useful, and responsive to local need.

Parents/carers are only required to attend one session. We have tried to accommodate a mixture of in person and online:

• In person: Wednesday 4th March, 10:30-11:30am (approx.) - Uxbridge Family Hub
• Online: Wednesday 4th March, 12:45-1:45pm (approx.)
• In person: Thursday 5th March, 12:30-1:30pm (approx.) - Uxbridge Family Hub

It is on a first come first serve basis therefore we encourage parents/carers to scan QR code in the poster which leads to a form that they must register with.

We understand this is short notice but we would appreciate your support in helping us reach families who may wish to take part.

Please share this poster with appropriate parents/carers: Helping your child to attend school - Parent carer Focus groups (PDF, 843 KB)

Reporting Accidents, Incidents & Near Misses onto Assure

All work related accidents, incidents and near misses occurring in community schools must be reported through Assure. Academy trusts, foundation schools and other noncommunity settings will use their own reporting systems.

Recording nonwork related events elsewhere can result in genuine work related incidents being misclassified. This may lead to required reports not being submitted to the HSE, creating a risk of noncompliance for both the school and Hillingdon Council.

As Hillingdon Council has statutory duties for community schools it is essential, to avoid misclassification, that all accidents, incidents and near misses should be entered into Assure. The reporting template includes guidance on determining whether an event is work related, along with a checkbox to indicate this. Selecting the work related option triggers the requirement for an investigation. No investigation is needed when an incident is confirmed as non-work related.

See screenshot below for the guidance included in the Assure report:

Service Children Newsletter

Please see the March newsletter from the Stronger Schools Officers for Service Children with details about an online welcome meeting and Month of the Military Child. 

March Newsletter 2026 (PDF, 2 MB)

Please share with parents / carers / staff

Community Resilience Roadshow - You're Invited!

Hillingdon Council is excited to announce our Community Resilience Roadshow, and we'd love for you join us!

On: Saturday 9 May 2026
Time: 12:00 - 16:00
At: Hillingdon Fire Station

This free family-friendly event brings together our local emergency responder partners to help residents learn how to stay safe, prepared, and resilient in an emergency—while having plenty of fun along the way!

Students, parents, and staff will have the chance to explore real emergency vehicles and meet local responder partners, including Hillingdon Council, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police Service, Environment Agency, Affinity Water, British Red Cross, The Military, Hillingdon Federation of Community Associations.

Take part in hands-on activities that teach practical safety and preparedness skills, learn simple steps to stay safe at home, in school, and in the community and enjoy free food!

It's a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn about emergency services, ask questions, build confidence, and develop life-long preparedness habits.

Book your free tickets here

Jack and the Beanstalk - Christmas Panto at the Compass Theatre

Our December 2026 pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the Compass Theatre, Ickenham is now taking provisional school reservations!

The schools' show tickets will remain at £11 each this year, inc VAT. Bookings minimum 20 tickets and for every ten tickets your school pays for, we will include a free 'teachers' ticket. The maximum possible number of tickets available at each performance is 150 (137 paid + 13 free teachers). We have two wheelchair accessible spaces available for booking, contact us for further information.

Once reservations have been confirmed, we will require payment or cancellation before the end of September 2026 via the box office (card payments).

If you'd like a provisional reservation, please let us know by emailing the Hillingdon Theatres Box Office (boxoffice@hillingdon.gov.uk).

Dates, times and more info here: Jack and the Beanstalk (Christmas Panto) at the Compass Theatre! (PDF, 209 KB)

Kooth Webinars for Professionals

Kooth, a mental health service commissioned by the NHS, are offering the following free webinars for professionals. Each webinar is 45 minutes long and is delivered by the Community Engagement Team alongside a clinician. 

The role of Kooth & Qwell in the care pathway for people who self harm:

• Recognising the signs of self-harm
• Supporting someone who may be self-harming
• Understanding how Kooth and Qwell can form part of a supportive care pathway.

Book 3 March, 4 pm
Book 5 March, 10 am

How Kooth & Qwell support SEND/ ASN and neurodiverse people:

• The impact of SEND/ASN and neurodivergence on young people and adults
• How you can support their mental wellbeing
• Why Kooth & Qwell are uniquely placed to provide support for the neurodivergent community.

Book 23 March, 4 pm
Book 25 March, 4 pm

Please contact Alice Wyatt if you have any questions at awyatt@kooth.com

Primary Schools:

Spring Primary Music Network Meeting

• Tuesday 3 March at 15.45 (60 minutes) or
• Thursday 5 March at 15.30 (30 minutes)

Venue: Online

This term's Primary Music Teacher's Network meeting will take place on Tuesday 3 March at 15.45. Hillingdon Music Service will also be hosting a second shorter meeting for those unable to attend the first meeting. This will be held on Thursday 5 March at 15.30.

These meetings provide a safe space for teachers to discuss music education in Hillingdon Schools. Please register your planned attendance using the following poll, or let me know your availability via email: Spring Meeting Poll and a link to join will be shared with you.

In the meeting we will discuss development plans, as well as some resources that are available to your schools. The music specialist teacher from our Lead Primary School - Harlyn School will be joining the meeting to recommend some resources that she uses effectively in her lessons.

Please pass on the above information to your colleagues and feel free to direct any questions to rporter@hillingdon.gov.uk

Foundations for Writing in the EYFS

The London South Stronger Practice Hub will be delivering a two-part training course, 'Foundations for Writing in the EYFS', at the Civic Centre in March 2026. This course is designed for Reception teachers and literacy leads and will explore the DfE's Writing Framework in greater depth, focusing on what this looks like in practice.

For further information, please see: Foundations for Writing in the EYFS Training Course

To book a space, please complete this Booking Form.

National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP)

Eligible schools with primary aged pupils who are currently on the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), have been invited to join the free breakfast clubs programme from September 2026, following the closure of the NSBP in July 2026. These schools would have received communications from the DfE regarding this.

The National School Breakfast Programme will end after this coming summer term and schools with primary aged pupils will no longer be able to purchase breakfast food for those pupils through the NSBP from the end of July 2026.

All NBSP schools with primary aged pupils have a place on the Free breakfast clubs programme, starting from September 2026. To ensure NSBP schools can continue to benefit from government funded support for breakfast. They must confirm their space by 20 March, no later than 11:59 am.

If eligible, please confirm your space here.

Opportunity to Take Part in EEF Funded Research

This research is supported by the Institute of Education and Chartered College of Teaching aimed at state primary schools. More information is contained within this leaflet: Offsite PPA leaflet (PDF, 3 MB)

Picture News Assembly Resource - Gladiators

A thoughtful assembly and discussion pack using the popularity of Gladiators to help children explore what makes a good role model, including strength, kindness, resilience and how people behave both on and off screen. Available to download free-of-charge here

Secondary / FE:

Post 16 Interactive Prospectus 2026-27

As you know, the prospectus is an ongoing collaborative project with post‑16 providers, designed to help young people and parents/carers easily access clear, consistent information about local post‑16 options, courses, and open days.

For 2026-27, we aim to build on last year's very successful web-based platform, which significantly improved accessibility, usability, and navigation for young people, parents/carers, and professionals. Engagement has continued to grow, with a 40% increase in visitors year on year and an average dwell time increase of two minutes.

Benefits of being included in the prospectus:

·         Helps young people decide their next steps after Year 11, including continuing education, or apprenticeships.

·         Includes information on local colleges, sixth forms, apprenticeships and training providers.

·         Fully mobile friendly and designed to be used alongside guidance from schools, careers advisers and parents/carers.

·         Offers a dedicated section for SEND post‑16 pathways, including specialist colleges and sixth forms.

·         Supports young people aged 16-19 (or up to 25 with SEND) to access education, training and employment information.

·         Provides support for young people who are NEET or at risk, including open days, webinars and specialist referrals.

·         Links young people to wider youth programmes, mentoring and outreach through the Hillingdon Youth Offer.

·         Reflects the borough's modern, flexible, community-based approach to youth support, including family hubs and digital access.

You'll also be pleased to know that the cost of involvement for the 2026-27 prospectus has been reduced from last year's cost of £300 excluding VAT.

Please submit your expression of interest here no later than 13 March and we will be in touch.

Fully Funded 2-Year Maths Mastery Specialist Programme (Includes 7.5 Days Release Funding)

Please see information about applications for Maths Mastery Specialists: Funded LCW MathsHub Mastery Specialists (PDF, 400 KB)

The programme is fully funded, and schools also receive additional funding to cover release time while participants attend training. The deadline for applications is 23 April.

Brunel University Taster Days & Teacher CPD Webinars

Taster days for Year 11-13 students:

• Festival of Social Science Taster Day - Wednesday 25 March 9:30 am - 3 pm
• Design, Engineering & Mathematics Taster Day - Thursday 30 April 9:30 am - 2.30 pm
• Health Science and Society Taster Day - Wednesday 8 July 9:30 am - 3.30 pm

Please see Taster Day webpage for further details.

Teacher webinar sessions:

Student Finance - Teacher and Advisers Webinar - 19 March 2026 12.30 - 1 pm. Hear about the changes happening to student finance during the next academic year. Our experienced and friendly team will provide an overview of student finances, highlighting changes during this short lunchtime session. We will also talk a little about scholarships and bursaries available at Brunel. Registration form: https://goingto.brunel.ac.uk/form/Financewebinar2026

If you have any queries, please reach out to Karen Western, Widening Access Officer at karen.western@brunel.ac.uk  

Please share with pupils / parents / carers / staff

Personal Safety Awareness Workshop

Please see details of a Personal Safety Awareness workshop, taking place next month. This is an all inclusive session, open to any persons 12+ years old.  

·         On: Wednesday 11 March 2026

·         Time: 19:45 - 21:00 hours

·         Venue: Uxbridge High School Gym, The Greenway, Uxbridge UB8 2PR

·         Personal Safety Awareness workshop: Basic self defence class delivered by UMAA (non-police instructors) and local police officers available post class to give attendees the opportunity to raise and discuss any concerns they may have about safety in the local area, and to enable the sharing of crime prevention advice and support. Attendees are also provided a goody bag containing some crime prevention giveaways - personal safety items (such as a torch, purse bells etc) and crime prevention advice materials.

How to book: https://www.umaa.club/booking-calendar/personal-safety-awareness-workshop-free-1 

Warm regards, 

Abi Preston 

Director of Education & SEND 

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